Mount Philo Road speed lowered
After a public hearing earlier this month, the Shelburne selectboard lowered the speed limit on a stretch of Mount Philo Road from 35-30 miles per hour.
For northbound cars, the speed change will occur at Air Park Road and end where Mt. Philo Road intersects with Falls Road.
While someone had requested the speed limit be lowered to 25 mph, town manager Lee Krohn suggested that 30 mph would be more consistent with state guidelines h and would feel more natural for motorists.
Krohn said that the danger of setting the speed too low is that people would not follow it. “You end up having to ignore or having law enforcement have their heavy hand in there,” Krohn told the board.
Ted Crozier, chair of the Bike and Pedestrian Paths Committee supported the 30-mph speed limit, saying that it would help to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.
Shelburne resident Jane Zenaty suggested that the speed change should occur at Wild Ginger Lane where there is a crosswalk and the sidewalk starts.
Board members agreed but thought the change should happen south of Wild Ginger Lane so that drivers will have slowed down by the time they reach that area.
After discussion, members decided that Air Park Road would be a natural point for the speed change to be placed.
Also, at the Oct. 13 meeting the board:
• Got a first look at a draft of the town’s six-year capital improvement plan, which covers possible infrastructure investments. The list includes 115 projects ranging from $5,000 to $21 million. If all the projects were built, the total cost is estimated $45 million. But the he plan is a wish list and doesn’t provide certainty that all the projects will be built. Each project must be individually approved and funded by the town’s budget or with a bond vote.
• Hired resident David Leckey as an economic development consultant. Krohn said that there is $25,000 in the town’s budget for this position. Leckey recently retired from his job as executive director of the Shelburne-based Orton Family Foundation.
“That’s just amazing that we were able to get someone of that caliber. That’s incredible for the town,” board member Kate Lalley said.
• Named Cheryl Gibson to fill a vacant spot on the Dog Park Committee. Gibson recently moved to Shelburne but has brought her two dogs to the town dog park for years.
• Approved Kelly Moreton to serve on the Shelburne Tree Committee. When asked what her credentials are Moreton said, “I love trees, my brother owns a tree company, and I can google really well.”
• Noted that there will be a hearing Oct. 21 on a proposal for a subdivision on Shelburne Road across from Longmeadow Drive for a Healthy Living store and town fire-rescue facility. The current fire-rescue facility is on Turtle Lane, which is not an ideal location, Krohn said.
• Heard Claire Gear of the Shelburne Craft School and Lara Malloy of Furchgott-Sourdiffe Gallery discuss their business’s pandemic response and adaptations. The board hopes to hear from other businesses in future meetings.
