Preserve Portsmouth sent an e-mail to supporters this morning urging everyone to attend the Town Center workshop this evening, 7pm, at the Town Hall. They included a letter to the Daily News written by the Town Center Committee:

Due to the large number of accidents along the section East Main Rd from Town Hall to the intersection of Turnpike Ave, this area - Town Center -- has been identified by RIDOT as being listed as a "High Hazard" location in need of reengineering. Police records indicate in the time period between 2007 and 2009 there have been an average of over 2 ½ accidents a month on this stretch of road as well as the death of one pedestrian and serious injuries to another. This year, through March, this area has experienced an increase to 4 accidents per month with one pedestrian recently being sideswiped while trying to cross at the light located at the intersection of Turnpike and East Main Rd.

A Federal Appropriation has been received through Senator Reed's Office to do the engineering of the safety improvements proposed by the State DOT and - since it was secured through the efforts of the Town Center Committee at the direction of the Portsmouth Town Council -- the Town is assured it will be proactively involved in the decision-making process and plans for the proposed modifications. RIDOT has other priorities and limited funds so it behooves us to work intimately with them to ensure road improvements are undertaken with the best interests of the Town and the safety of its citizens in mind. This Appropriation will bring the road safety engineering project close to a "50% development stage" and, in the process, will detail the ramifications of including roundabouts, wider travel lanes, shoulder areas, safe crosswalks and sidewalks determining if and how they will work. When completed, this effort will put the road into the "construction" category of the State's Transportation Improvement Program, meaning it is ready to be built pending funding. Having been the one who secured this appropriation, the Town will have input throughout the process.

Dating back to 2003, there have been numerous public meetings as well as contact with businesses and residents in this area of town. There have been two public workshops, most recently at the High School where DOT made a presentation to several hundred people and received overwhelming support from the people attending. Other smaller town-wide and neighborhood presentations have been made including one open to everyone at the Library. And, meetings have been held with the Portsmouth Business Association, the Portsmouth Rotary, and the Portsmouth Garden Club and, at every turn, the committee has always received the permission of the Town Council to go forward with any and all of their actions.

As to development possibilities in the area, nothing is being done by the Town Center Committee to foster more growth. It has always gone forward with ideas and potential scenarios to improve that area with the best interests of the Town and its citizens in mind. The Town does not own or control any land in the area along East Main Road. Any new development will come about through private investment. The Town, through the Committee's hard work, has placed itself in a position to control what is built and what it will look like. Plus, new zoning regulations have been put in place that only clarify conditions under which property in the area, that have long been zoned as "commercial", can be developed. The Committee also looked into alternative ways for the property owners to handle their water run-off and waste water, including a common septic system in several locations near to Town Center...not just the property along Turnpike Avenue. And, there have been initial reviews of ways to beautify and create a sense of place in the Town Center area. Including sidewalks, safe crossing areas, planted median down the middle of the road, better curb cuts, architectural design guidelines to name just a few.

But, none of this is a fait accompli since everything depends on safety of the roadway.

The Town needs the release of the $950,000 to make East Main Road safe as soon as possible! No more studies are needed...RIDOT has determined that the next step is the engineering design in order to refine the details of the plan. But, the citizens once again need to be heard as to what they would like to see happen in this area. We invite everyone who lives in Portsmouth to become a part of this process. Hear what DOT has to say at this workshop about our road and how we can make it safe. Please come to the Town Council Workshop on Monday, May 3 at 7 P.M. in the Portsmouth Town Council Chambers.
— Portsmouth Town Center Committee

Resources:
Previous coverage here
Portsmouth Town Center web site

Editorial note: People have asked me when I'm going to post last week's meetings, and I apologize. I'm completely slammed at work, and I'm afraid that you can probably expect substantially reduced original content for the next couple of weeks.