A sign opposing a sidewalk proposal in Huntington is seen on Tuesday, October 22. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
An intersection improvement project that has been in the works for more than a decade in the small town of Huntington has hit a potential snag over the construction of new sidewalks.
About a week before the selectboard approved funding for the project at a recent meeting, a bunch of signs cropped up around town. “Stop the side walks. Stop wasting tax payer money,” reads one.
The southeast Chittenden County town, which is home to Camel’s Hump, recently received 80% of the funding – a $1.2 million grant – from the state Agency of Transportation to reconfigure the intersection at Bridge Street, East Street and Main Road. The town agreed to provide the required cost-sharing funds – about $300,000 – spread over five years.
Longtime resident Troy Liberty, who put up some of the signs, said he was “dumbfounded” when the selectboard approved the funding with a unanimous vote at its last meeting.
A retired road crew worker in neighboring Richmond, Liberty said there are “more pressing issues” that need funding in the bedroom community of less than 2,000 residents, such as flood damage, aging bridges and “worse intersections.”
He is also concerned that town officials have not considered plowing and other maintenance costs the project will add over time.
Town officials said the project has long been in the works, with multiple meetings and public testimony already taken, and more to come. The grant is needed to make critical infrastructure improvements the town could not otherwise afford. The town’s contribution for this fiscal year is about $13,500 to be paid from its general fund. Maintenance costs for the new sidewalks are estimated to be under $3,000 a year, officials said.
A sign opposing a sidewalk proposal in Huntington is seen on Tuesday, October 22. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
“This has been a long-term planning project that started years ago that has many components, not just sidewalks, that address infrastructural problems,” said Dori Barton, the Huntington Selectboard chair. “I can safely say the board is very pleased to be the recipient of the VTRANS grant that would essentially subsidize this project and all of its components, and will save the town a considerable amount of money.”
According to the design chosen after a scoping study last year, the Lower Village traffic safety and pedestrian improvements project includes roadway and raised crosswalk improvements, speed reduction and drainage measures, new sidewalks, parking spots and traffic patterns at the four-point intersection.
Planning Commission chair Joe Segale, who helped facilitate the planning process and wrote the grant, said the project is still at the design stage. Engineering and permitting would be the next steps and could take two to three years.
He called it “a great project,” and said it will improve the safety and look of a major intersection in town that has long needed an upgrade.
Public comments received last year and recent discussions on Front Porch Forum cover the gamut of opinions about the project, from those who don’t want any change to those who feel the improvements are needed for safety.
Despite initially opposing new sidewalks, Lower Village resident Jeanine Carr said she supports the overall vision of the project. Carr said she lives near the intersection and sees the hazard that speeding and traffic pose daily.
“And for that reason, among others, I support the project moving forward,” she wrote in a recent post on the neighborhood forum. “The overall goal of the project is not about doing something for just a few people but it is about improving safety for everyone who travels the road through Huntington.”
In his own forum post, Liberty raised concerns about funding for flood damage and long-time maintenance costs for sidewalks. He asked for a special meeting to allow more discussion and to let voters decide on how the town should spend taxpayer money.
Liberty submitted a petition that was discussed at the Oct. 9 selectboard meeting for more than two hours.
The petition has about 230 verified signatures and asks the select board to “reconsider its decision to accept the sidewalk grant,” hold a special town meeting to discuss all costs and liabilities associated with the grant and “let the town voters decide if this project should be approved.”
Board members said the town cannot afford to wait for a vote and lose the transportation grant.
The town is committed to the grant and will move forward with the project, Barton said Wednesday, but acknowledged updates may be discussed at the selectboard meeting later in the day.
“These long-term planning projects can be challenging,” she said, “but this project, in my opinion, is a good project that can save the community money.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: In Huntington, signs of dissent for a long-planned intersection project.