Residents, experts working to improve Pelham town center

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:35:00 GMT

State transportation engineers are working to craft a solution to traffic congestion in Pelham’s town center.

But they’re not going at it alone.

They’re partnering with the community to create a vision for the future of the town center.

About 35 residents and transportation experts gathered at St. Patrick Church on Oct. 20. There, they kicked off a process known as context sensitive solutions.

By collaborating with a group of local officials, residents and business people, state Department of Transportation engineers are striving to find a cure to traffic woes in the town center that will ensure safety and mobility while preserving the area’s aesthetic and historic charm.

“What we’re trying to get from you folks is the extent of the project,” Chris Waszczuk, a senior project manager for the DOT, told the group.

Over the course of the project, the local group will meet with transportation officials every two to three months.

About $3.9 million in federal and state funds is available to improve the town center. Construction is slated for 2010.

The town center includes the Congregational Church, other historic buildings, a town common with a gazebo, and other structures.

It’s also a place where motorists can become frustrated as they wait to drive through one of its busy intersections.

More than 12,000 cars pass through the center’s intersections daily. Lines of vehicles waiting to pass through during peak hours are not uncommon.

Joyce Mason, one of the residents who attended the meeting, has lived in town 51 years. She said the town center’s traffic is “terrible” to deal with.

“The traffic has increased over 50 years, that’s for sure,” she said.

At the intersection of Marsh Road and Old Bridge Street North, there were eight accidents in 2003, three accidents in 2004, and six accidents last year, according to Police Chief Evan Haglund.

At the nearby four-way intersection of Route 111A/Nashua Road/Main Street, there were 12 accidents in 2003, nine accidents the following year, and eight accidents in 2005, according to Haglund.

The town’s fire station is located between those two intersections.

Fire Chief Michael Walker complained that it’s sometimes difficult to move department vehicles out of the station because of traffic.

For years, local officials have grappled with the traffic problems in the town center. Various solutions, such as installing traffic lights, building a roundabout, and redirecting traffic have been considered.

“There’s a tremendous amount of problems that need to be addressed,” said resident Eric Estevez.

During the meeting, participants went through an exercise known as a place audit. They put on bright orange and yellow safety vests and broke into seven groups.

Each group walked from the church to a specific part of the town center.

There, they evaluated the area for its accessibility, safety, aesthetics and other features.

When the groups returned to the church and shared their findings, some common complaints were aired: traffic gets congested, some drivers go too fast, the area is not pedestrian friendly and there are no signs notifying drivers that they are coming into the center of town.

“What we saw was a tremendous amount of traffic but no sense of place,” said resident David Hennessey.

Participants also discussed what they like about the town center and how it could be improved.

Over the next several months, residents will work with transportation officials to craft their solution, which will be subject to a public hearing.

Engineering work is slated to begin in 2007.

Pelham celebrates opening of 110-acre conservation area

Salem Editor — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:12:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen
Staff Writer

Observer/Darrell Halen
Judge Michael Jones, Frederic Cutter Merriam and Frederic Sanborn Merriam at the conservation area’s opening.

Since Pelham voters agreed in 2004 to spend $3 million to buy and protect undeveloped land, Pelham has purchased nearly 400 acres.

Paul Gagnon, chairman of the town’s conservation commission, calls the Frederic Cutter Merriam Conservation Area, 110 acres of protected land, the “crown jewel” of the community’s open space purchases.

But it’s not that the Merriam property’s uplands are better or its wetlands are more beautiful than those of the other parcels, he told a group of people who gathered for the opening of the Merriam land.

“What sets this apart is nearly a half-mile of frontage on one of the busiest roads, as we can see, in the town of Pelham,” Gagnon said. “You almost can’t find a resident of Pelham who doesn’t drive Sherburne Road and who isn’t familiar with this parcel and doesn’t thank us for protecting the scenery by maintaining this parcel.”

Frederic Cutter Merriam and his wife, Ellen Sanborn Merriam, joined about 30 other people at the opening ceremony, held Saturday, Sept. 23.

Last year, the couple sold the 110 acres to the town for $1 million. Gagnon credited the Merriams, who live in Danvers, Mass., for recognizing the value of protecting the land from development for generations of others to enjoy.

“I don’t know of another family more conservation-minded,” Gagnon said.

The land, which is heavily wooded and includes a pond and other wetlands, has approximately two miles of walking trails.

It is land that has been in the family for many years.

“The Merriams and the Cutters always looked at it as a trusteeship, and we are proud to pass along the trustee status to the town of Pelham and all the users,” said Judge Michael Jones, whose wife, Carolyn, is a niece of the Merriams. “We hope that you all will use it with the same sort of respect for the nature, the water, the wood lots, the family has done.”

“We’re proud to be part of this partnership,” added Jones. “And I know on behalf of Fred and Ellen, they’re grateful for this opportunity to share the family land with future generations.”

The land can be accessed from Sherburne Road. During the ceremony, a sign designating the land as the Frederic Cutter Merriam Conservation Area was unveiled next to the road. Victor Danevich, chairman of the Pelham board of selectmen, thanked the Merriams for selling the land to the town.

Last March, residents voted to designated five properties, including the Merriam land, as town forests.

Deb Water, who serves on the town’s stewardship committee, thanked volunteers for marking trails, blazing boundaries and putting up signs on the Merriam property.

Waters said the land will be managed to enhance wildlife, provide for long-term sustainability, and provide for passive recreation.

Revenue derived from a selective harvest will be used to lay out new trails, create an information kiosk and parking lot, and allow for safe use of the land, Waters said.

Pelham News : NH History and Heritage

Residents, experts working to improve Pelham town center

Pelham celebrates opening of 110-acre conservation area