For many years, two stone structures on either side of the driveway behind Town Hall, known as “the beehives,” have welcomed visitors to the Hildreth House. But times have changed, and barring an exception from the state fire marshal, one of the hives will have to be relocated. Fire Chief Rick Sicard told the Town Hall and Hildreth House Construction Committee at its Sept. 6 meeting that the Hildreth House driveway is considered a fire lane, and the state requires a minimum width of 20 feet for fire lanes. The beehives are about 18.5 feet apart.
The site plan for the Hildreth House renovation includes widening the driveway to 20 feet to accommodate two-way traffic. According to Planning Board Chairwoman Kara Minar, the board was told that the beehives are too fragile to move, so her board did not include moving them in its conditions for accepting the Hildreth House site plan. But Sicard told the construction committee that even though all of the trucks the department owns can navigate between the beehives, he has to consider future trucks, and the driveway must conform to the state fire regulations.
Town Administrator Tim Bragan asked Sicard if an exception might be granted because of the Hildreth House’s proximity to the fire station. Sicard said that would be allowed only if the Hildreth House had sprinklers, which it doesn’t. He added that larger trucks could not make the tight turn from the fire station to the Hildreth House driveway. Even though Sicard said the width requirement would be the same if the driveway were one-way, committee Chairman Rick Maiore said that making the driveway one-way might pave the way for an exception from the state fire marshal. He asked Sicard to investigate that possibility. The committee will also inform the Historical Commission about the issue, since at least one of the beehives is in a town historic district.
Maiore explained the beehive dilemma at the selectmen’s Tuesday evening meeting. He also asked for support for the one-way traffic plan, in which vehicles would turn into the Hildreth driveway from Ayer Road but would exit by crossing in front of the fire station and then in front of Town Hall, as they do now. Signs would steer drivers in the right direction. At the THHHCC meeting, Sicard said that the one-way plan is a good one. “Parking behind Town Hall would be safer, and traffic from Hildreth House has never been an issue for us.” Maiore told the selectmen that Police Chief Ed Denmark also favors the one-way plan because of the limited sight distance for drivers exiting the Hildreth driveway onto Ayer Road. Selectmen Chairman Ken Swanton told Maiore that the traffic pattern change would have to be approved by the Planning Board, especially since that board is requesting granite curbing along the portion of the Hildreth House driveway next to the fire station.
