The Halifax Board of Selectmen had a full house on Tuesday as residents came in to discuss the possibility of adding stop signs to the intersection at Laurel Street and Circuit Street.
Given the expert advice of Highway Surveyor Steven Hayward and Old Colony Planning Council Senior Transportation Planner Ray Guarino, Halifax would not legally be allowed to put a four-way stop at the intersection because there isn’t enough traffic to warrant it. Selectmen voted to make a two-way stop sign instead.
A few residents in attendance said that the speed drivers travel on the roads is a problem. Some residents wanted the stop signs to curb the speed while others want a speed limit sign set at 25 miles-per-hour.
According to Hayward, guidelines set by the state and the Old Colony Planning Council require a certain amount of traffic before a four-way stop is allowed. “You are not supposed to use stop signs for speed control,” said Hayward.
Guarino said the Old Colony Planning Council would do a traffic count at no charge to verify the vehicle count for traffic on the two streets, but any action for a four-way stop would require an engineering study. According to Guarino, that would cost at least a couple thousand dollars.
Most residents were okay with a compromise of having a two-way stop except for one resident who maintained that a four-way stop is necessary.
“There’s no definite right of way there. It’s a free for all,” Galvin said.
Galvin also questioned why the stop signs at the end of the streets that intersect with Route 106 were needed before this. He said that anyone who lives at Laurel Street and Circuit Street knows to stop before getting on to Route 106. Resident Sharon Smith also asked about the signs at 106.
Selectmen Chair Kim Roy said those signs were a priority because they intersect with a major road.
Hayward also brought up potentially having yield signs rather than stop signs. He said that if the town put up a stop sign on a road its not necessarily warranted, everyone is going to be asking for one.
Selectman Troy Garron said it’s the Board of Selectmen’s job to be proactive with this. Although Guarino looked up accident records and could only recall one accident which was single-car, the Board and some residents said they are lucky a major accident hasn’t happened at the intersection.”
“I think the suggestion to put up stop signs is good,” Garron said. He later added, “it’s worth it if it saves one life.”
Elementary School
Doors Don’t Fit
The rear-facing doors ordered for Halifax Elementary School are the wrong dimensions. In total, fifteen doors were ordered, but are too small.
According to Selectmen, the contractor failed to account for hinges in the initial measurements.
A sample door is being ordered to test the fit, then the contractor will replace the rest of the incorrect doors.
Dog Hearing soon
A dog hearing is scheduled for the September 25 Board of Selectmen meeting. The Board said a dog killed another dog.
Other News
• The Board of Selectmen approved the boy scouts using the town green for a food drive on November 10.
• The tax classification hearing resulted in no open space tax discount or residential exemption for a second home. Principal Assessor Holly Merry said there are not enough people who own second homes in Halifax to justify it.
The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is September 25. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.