Upton officials are considering keeping Warren Street blocked off after the completion of the Town Hall Renovation project due to safety concerns.
Upton Town Manager Blythe Robinson had suggested during the January 21 Selectmen meeting the town begin to have conversations about blocking the section of Warren Street from the just below Nelson to Route 140 indefinitely for safety reasons and if the road were to be blocked to consider using the area for future Town Hall parking.
According to Robinson both Upton Police Chief Michael Bradley and Upton Fire/EMS Chief Aaron Goodale are in favor with keeping the road blocked. Robinson said both Chiefs believe although there is some interruption of traffic patterns the safety benefits far outweigh the inconvenience; if Warren Street were to remain blocked to thru traffic it would reduce the possibility of accidents.
Robinson expressed the Town is still early enough in the renovation process to see if additional parking spaces may be added in the blocked area of Warren Street. “We weren’t able to get any responses to the RFP we put out seeking land and we didn’t resolve our negotiations with the church on using their parking lot. The architect said he believes we could achieve some more parking spaces, not a lot but some. It’s worth looking at,” Robinson said.
Member Ken Picard said this is a topic which has come up before. “I know a previous DPW Director was an advocate to close Warren Street, he had mentioned it to me a few times and was a real advocate of doing it. He thought it would be appropriate for the safety of intersection.”
“I know there are some people who are going to have a comment on this. I know it may not be popular with some residents but it’s hard to argue with the safety and the logistical aspect of it,” said member Bob Fleming.
Blythe wouldn’t advocate discontinuing. “I would think if there could somehow be a gate at the top to stop thru traffic but allowed us to get to there if we needed for public access,” Robinson said.
Committee Chair Jim Brochu felt it was important to reach out to the community for their input. “I know this is going to spark some interesting discussion,’ said Brochu. “We want to listen to individual concerns. We don’t want to make these decisions on our own. We try to get all the facts, all the information, and all the input and try to make the best possible decision. In order to do that we need to have citizen input.”
Brochu requested Robinson attempt to get some conceptual view of what the options would look like. Picard noted Mass Highway should be consulted because it will affect 140.
UPTON DAILY 