Gilford Selectboard lowers speed limit on Young Road

GILFORD — A group of Young Road residents have been lobbying for a reduced speed limit on their road, which is also the location of a horse academy, and the selectboard approved lowering it to 25 mph.

This is a 10 mph reduction, which Vice Chair Gus Benavides pointed out is actually a big deal on a road like Young. Wendy Roper and Wendy Oellers-Fulmer both spoke at the meeting, and other residents chimed in, before the unanimous vote was taken Wednesday night.

Roper and Oellers-Fulmer scheduled an appointment with the selectboard on March 11, to make their request to lower the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph. They thanked Town Administrator Scott Dunn, and the public works and police departments for their guidance.

Oellers-Fulmer said Young is a dead-end, which is narrow with a drop-off on one side. She said there are often bicycle riders, horse riders, and walkers on the road.

“We’re concerned about the safety,” Oellers-Fulmer said on March 11. “A lot of times, there is a lot of vehicle traffic, including large commercial trucks.”

During their initial presentation, Oellers-Fulmer also asked if an “equestrian warning” sign can be posted at the end of the road. Currently, there are 33 horses on the road, and equestrians frequently use it. She said state law requires drivers to exercise precautions to prevent frightening horses and ensure the protection of riders.

A third request was to post a bicycle/pedestrian side on the road. There are no sidewalks, so this is a safety issue, Oellers-Fulmer said.

Another request was to place a supplemental plaque to indicate the warnings go along the full length of the road, and also a plaque that reads, “share the road.”

“Because the conditions of the road, motorists must obey the speed limit and use caution when passing each other,” Oellers-Fulmer said.

Oellers-Fulmer said these requests can be accommodated in one additional sign post, and modifying the speed limit.

Roper presented the radar data collected by Gilford Police, Feb. 4-17. The radar was placed at the end of Young, and captures about 100 feet in a cone shape, and about eight residences. The section the police surveyed was a small portion, and during those days, 1,057 vehicles passed through this point. She said the radar identified 66 potentially enforceable violations.

Roper said more than 40 residents and visitors of Young signed the petition. At the meeting March 11, Benavides said he would vote to have a public hearing March 25. He said they have been taking similar action for other roads with similar problems, and he understands their concerns.

“I have no issue of reducing it to 25 miles per hour,” Benavides said.

The public hearing was held on March 25, and Roper thanked the Department of Public Works for already putting up warning signage since the last meeting. The next step was reducing the speed limit.

Oellers-Fulmer had questions about how to monitor the change, especially at the start, so drivers can get used to it. Police Chief Kris Kelly said an awareness campaign is a good first step. He said officers can stop some cars and have conversations with them about the change, and can post on social media.

“We could get up there and do some enforcement, let people know, and not necessarily summons people, but make them aware,” Kelly said. “We could put our sign boards out as well, and let them know there is a speed limit change.”

Christine Tebbetts, a resident of Young Road, thanked the board for acting so quickly. She has lived on the road since 1978, when she had one of four houses on a dirt road. Times have changed, with horses on the road and much more traffic. She said the speed limit change will make it much safer.

Julie Lawrence runs Lakes Region Riding Academy, at 26 Young. She has been there more than two decades, since moving from Meredith, and rents the property from Jim Cookman. As a child, she rode her horse from Weirs Beach to Gilford every weekend with friends. Now, she doesn’t even allow the kids who ride with her to go down the road, because of how people drive.

“I was actually on a trail ride with them and asked a neighbor to slow down,” she said. “We have the right of way with the horses, and I got the finger, and she sped up. So, we’re hoping that conversation and just awareness helps do this, so we can still enjoy riding Gilford for years to come.”

Benavides said it sounded corny, but this was a perfect example of a community coming together. Sometimes the board doesn't hear about problems until they get out of hand, so he thanked “the Wendys” for being proactive through their “countless hours” of preparation and presentations.

“Thank you for coming before us and allowing us to improve the situation.”

Purchase approvals

The selectboard approved several purchases following affirmative votes at Town Meeting. These included awards recommended by the Board of Fire Engineers, conditioned upon approval of the budget amounts through articles 4 and 5.

The selectboard approved $54,997 for a Chevrolet Tahoe from MacMulkin Chevrolet; $25,158.04 for electronics and communication equipment in the new Tahoe from Ossipee Mountain Electronics, $2,500 for vehicle painting from Hanser Auto Body, $2,500 for decals from Tilton Sign Works; and $59,752.14 for a self-contained breathing apparatus compressor system from Bergeron Protective Clothing.

The selectboard approved the purchase of a 2027 International HV507 four-wheel-drive truck with a $30,000 trade-in allowance, for a total cost of $233,500. This was approved in Article 6 — an allocation of $281,000 — so the remaining balance of $47,500 was recommended by public works to be applied toward additional bid items, extended warranty packages, and supplemental equipment for the vehicle.

Following the approval of Article 7 at Town Meeting, the board approved the purchase of a Volvo L90 wheel loader for $330,300, which includes a trade-in of an existing L60 loader.

The selectboard approved a $87,218 purchase from McGovern Automotive of Marlborough, Massachusetts, for two 2025 Ford Interceptor all-wheel-drive SUVs, which includes the trade-in of a 2015 and 2019 Ford Interceptor.

The selectboard also approved a purchase for public works for $70,017.27, from Hertz Furniture in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Selectboard reorganization

This was the first meeting with Richard Grenier back on the selectboard, and he was voted in as the new clerk. Grenier also served from 2014 to 2019.

Chan Eddy, former vice chair, moved into the chair position, nominated by Benavides, who moved from clerk to the vice chair role.