Future of proposed senior center crosswalk looks bright
Much of the talk at selectboard meetings is about town expenses and where funds will come from, but the Monday, Sept. 23, meeting began with news of a different sort, news of something that wasn’t going to cost the town anything — a crosswalk across Ferry Road from the senior center to the front of the post office.
Moe Harvey stood up during the public comments to say that he had talked with Steve Mack, owner of M T Line Striping, and they will work together to put in the crosswalk for free.
Harvey said he had heard the previous selectboard meeting where the crosswalk was not approved. Chair Jim Faulkner was tasked with finding out specifically how much it would cost, although he was convinced that it wasn’t going to be a huge sum, and to make sure the fire department and the post office were OK with the crosswalk.
“I feel pretty strongly that the town should be doing whatever it can to help the senior center people who have to cross the street back and forth because there’s not enough parking there,” Harvey said.
Lori York, director of the Charlotte Senior Center, has said that they regularly have 60 people coming for lunch and various programs. Many of them, and senior center staff and volunteers, must park across the street in the town hall parking.
With Ferry Road busy with autos and big trucks, many have worried about how dangerous it is and hoped that a crosswalk would make it safer for pedestrians.
Mack is also willing to paint the crosswalk as soon as possible. If the board approved the crosswalk that night, Harvey said, “I could probably get him to do it tomorrow.”
York said she told Harvey, “Moe, you’re my favorite person right now.”
The board unanimously approved a motion for the installation of the crosswalk on the conditions that the town lawyer signs off on it and approval from the owner of the property where the post office is located.
This Monday, York said she had heard that the lawyer had sent a letter to the town saying that installing a crosswalk there would be fine.
On the list of York’s favorite people, selectboard chair Jim Faulkner may be a close second. He has pushed for the crosswalk and has been anxious to get it approved and done.
It sounds like the crosswalk will be painted any day now. In fact, it may have gone in before this newspaper comes back from the printer.
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