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02/24/2021 08:24 AMAfter hiring a consultant and committing to an overall “complete streets” philosophy and strategy, the Guilford Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) is asking residents to begin a new dialogue regarding roads and safety at a public information meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25, when it will also unveil a new virtual mapping tool that allows people to provide specific feedback right down the most granular level of intersections and sidewalks.
Formed back in 2018 in the wake of controversy and conflict around the proposed Nut Plains Pathway project as well as larger concerns about pedestrian safety and access, the SSTF made one of its biggest moves last November when it hired the services of Milford-based consulting firm Schmidt Design Group, which will guide the town toward a comprehensive and strategic rethinking of the towns’ streets.
“It’s the first step in what I would call a town conversation where we’re going to let the town know what the plan is and how they can interact with us,” said SSTF Chair Sam Gerritz.
Schmidt Design Studio Director Tom Tavella emphasized that one of the most important things to do as his team begins putting together ideas, gathering data, and planning projects is to establish full and open communication with the public—something that was lacking in the Nut Plains Pathway project.
That will include going through their schedule, according to Tavella, and laying out the principles of the complete streets initiative—a relatively broad movement that grew out of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations in the early 2000s, with their principles since adopted by hundreds of city and state governments across the country.
“So this is really just the first time we’re going to be educating people on what is a complete street, and...how Guilford is stepping up to their neighbors,” Tavella said. “And then we’re going to show basically our toolbox—different types of solutions we have once we do our analysis.”
Schmidt is still in the process of doing their own street-by-street assessment of the entire town of Guilford, Tavella said, which will eventually yield more specific recommendations or opportunities.
One of the earlier projects that Schmidt will look to put together are what Tavella called “quick builds”—temporary but fully accessible and functioning improvements or interventions that people can try out and see what they would look like if they were applied to a larger section of town.
What those will look like and where they will end up will be discussed further at the meeting, according to Gerritz.
Though Gerritz said there will be a chance for questions from townsfolk at the Feb. 25 meeting, the more valuable input will be through the new SSTF website and specifically the mapping tool provided by Schmidt, where people will be able to both provide their own ideas, concerns, or information, as well as see specifically where other residents have encountered problems or would like to see improvements.
“You can go in and point to places that are problem areas and label them, you can see what other people have labeled, you can show routes you wish you could walk, or routes you do walk and really like,” Gerritz said. “But it’s a way to get input from the entire town and kind of see the opinions start to converge on specific areas.”
The more data this tool can gather, the more Schmidt and the SSTF will be able to address specifically what matters most to residents as they move forward toward “more design-based” and interactive workshops in the future, according to Tavella.
As far as the scope of what Schmidt might be able to provide, Tavella and Gerritz said that potential off-road walking paths were still possible despite the relative unpopularity of the Nut Plains Pathway. Some people have pushed for the ability to walk or bike from downtown to Bishop’s Orchard, according to Gerritz.
“It’s not just what they’re doing now, but what would they like to do in the future,” Tavella said.
Gerritz added that likely there will be a lot of focus on areas north of I-95, as the town is “pretty good” overall with its accessibility in the southern parts.
Other likely topics going forward include school safety, with Adams and Guilford Lakes schools ripe for certain kinds of improvements. Tavella said he had already been in touch with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Freeman, and they were in the early stages of putting together a school-based task force consisting of students and other school community members.
“I think that’s something that a lot of parents are very interested in finding ways for their kids to be a little more independent in getting to and from school,” Gerritz said. “I love the idea that we’re engaging with the students.”
Sometime around or after Easter, SSTF and Schmidt will hold a workshop on more specific projects or ideas, and ask residents to more directly provide feedback in a public setting, according to Tavella.
In the long run, both Tavella and Gerritz expressed optimism that over the next year or so the community will be able to coalesce around accessibility and safety on the town’s roads to the benefit of everyone- walkers, bikers, motorists, and property owners.
For more information on the Safe Streets Task Force, visit www.guilfordsafestreets.org.