KEENE, NH – Keene’s full City Council voted to adopt a multi-lane hybrid concept in the Keene Downtown Infrastructure Improvement and Reconstruction project.
The concept was one of four options that was presented to the council at a workshop earlier this month and it emerged as the clear front runner among the majority of the council and it was advanced to the Municipal Services, Facilities, and Infrastructure Committee for public comment and further consideration.
The MSFI committee heard more than two hours of public comment at their meeting last week. City staff reminded the committee that they would be voting on the “bigger picture” concept for the design portion of the project now, and final details would be presented later.
The committee was not able to make any amendments to the recommendation at their meeting, and voted unanimously to adopt the concept, knowing that the full council would be able to further discuss it and make amendments at their full meeting this evening.
Three amendments were proposed, all of which saw their share of discussion, and ultimately failed.
Councilor Mitch Greenwald, chair of the MSFI Committee, moved to amend the motion to adopt the original MSFI committee recommendation, which included maintaining the design of the square. That amendment drew the majority of the council discussion. MSFI co-chair Randy Filiault spoke up in support of Greenwald’s amendment along with councilor Phil Jones. Other councilors felt the recommendation did not do enough to support the future of Downtown Keene. The amendment failed 11-3.
Jones was next to propose an amendment. He moved to remove bike lanes from the multi-lane hybrid concept, citing concerns over the need for them, and how they’ll look after a few years of use. Councilor Raleigh Ormerod spoke up in opposition to that amendment, saying that the lanes would be up on the sidewalk, and the city loses nothing by at least trying to make them work. The amendment failed 11-3.
Finally, Councilor Michael Giacomo said he’s not in favor of the multi-lane hybrid concept, citing concerns of the environmental impact of idling cars, and the loss of trees. He proposed an amendment to include a non-signalized intersection at Central Square. Giacomo was in favor of the initial proposal from Stantec and the Ad-Hoc downtown committee. He said his proposal leaves the option open for any kind of non-signalized intersection at the square, and doesn’t necessarily need to be the small roundabout in the first proposal. Greenwald said he felt it was too late in the process to propose a new design. Councilor Catherine Workman cited her concerns for pedestrian safety with that plan, and suggested having “smart, intuitive lighting” to limit idling. The amendment failed 8-7.
Earlier in the meeting Councilor Chadbourne took an opportunity to speak, and said that she was initially in favor of keeping the configuration of the Square the same, but hearing arguments from both sides of the issue help her keep an open mind. She reminded her fellow councilors that the vote tonight would be on the base of the project, and they will have the opportunity to fight for final details that would honor and celebrate the Downtown’s past and support its future later.
With no other amendments being proposed Mayor George Hansel called for a vote on the original motion, which was to adopt the multi-lane hybrid model concept for the project. That motion passed 11-4.
From here, the project is now in the hands of the consultants who will begin to flesh out those final detail elements and will bring a proposal based on the multi-lane hybrid concept back to the council, likely sometime in the winter, and City staff who can now begin to work on the funding for the project and apply for grants.
Tonight’s meeting was the council’s final one before going on their summer recess. They’ll reconvene on August 17th.
