The results of the traffic study in the area around Town Hall, the fire station, and Hildreth House are in, and according to TEC, Inc., which performed the study, circulation through what its report calls the “municipal complex” is adequate, although some modifications were recommended.
The study is the first step in a comprehensive look at the fire station facility, and it clears the way for the town to begin the bidding process to examine the building itself and whether or not it meets the needs of the Fire Department. The town agreed to fund a $40,000 study at Annual Town Meeting this year.
Elizabeth Oltman, director of transportation planning at TEC, presented the study’s findings to the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) at its Nov. 7 meeting. TEC was directed to evaluate current traffic in the complex and to project the traffic impact of two projects adjacent to the complex that are currently under consideration: an 18-unit senior housing development northwest of the fire station (Housing@Hildreth), and a 90-seat dining/multipurpose room addition to the senior center at Hildreth House, known as Phase 2. TEC also considered the impact of moving the fire equipment currently housed at the Still River station to the center fire station, an item that Chief Rick Sicard wants to include in the fire station study.
Oltman said that the additional fire equipment would pose no new traffic issues in the area, and that the two proposed projects would generate only about 52 additional trips during peak hours in the morning and 45 peak hour trips in the evening. TEC’s report concluded that the existing driveways and intersections could support the additional traffic with a few modifications. Council on Aging board of directors Co-Chair Beth Williams, who attended the meeting, said that many seniors who attend events at Hildreth House are there for other activities, so they don’t all arrive and leave at the same time. In addition, she said, most events are not during peak traffic hours, and a number of seniors travel to Hildreth House on the MART van. Oltman acknowledged that the study used the example of a high-turnover restaurant to get the traffic data for the Hildreth addition, so the trip numbers in the report were likely higher than they would actually be.
The modifications recommended by TEC include disallowing Elm Street traffic to cross in front of the fire station to travel to Hildreth House; instead, those vehicles could use only the Ayer Road entrance north of Town Hall. In addition, more signage both on the driveways and at the complex entrances and exits was recommended, as were crosswalks, sidewalks, curb returns, and ADA-compliant ramps at intersections. While TEC was not asked to study parking issues, its study recognized that parking at the fire station is inadequate. But its suggestion to expand the driveway to the south of the station for additional parking fell flat when Chief Sicard said that the property line is right at the edge of the building on that side, and the town had to get an easement just for the existing narrow driveway.
PBC Chair Cindy Russo expressed concern about the safety of pedestrians in front of Town Hall, particularly when it’s dark and people congregate in front of the building to chat after an evening meeting. TEC had recommended adding green space for that purpose, but committee members said that would present a plowing problem and pondered the use of hardscaping instead. Russo asked TEC to be more specific about the safety of increased traffic in front of Town Hall in its final report.
The next step will be for the town to issue a request for quotes (RFQ) to examine the structure of the fire station, determine if the building is adequate for the town’s needs, and to suggest alternatives if it is not. The PBC said it plans to recommend to the Select Board at its Nov. 20 meeting that the town move forward with RFQs for both the fire station study and the Hildreth House Phase 2 study, which was also on hold until the traffic study was complete.
