Village Planning Committee

The Village Planning Committee held a Village Improvement Kick-Off Day on October 18 to discuss concerns in the Historic District. The following warrant article and report came out of that day and earlier work:

PROPOSED WARRANT ARTICLE

The Village Planning Committee has proposed the following warrant article for the March 2004 Warrant: "To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate up to thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) to fund a planning and design study for proposed safety, aesthetics and infrastructure improvements in the Historic District; or take any other action relating thereto. Selectmen recommend this appropriation."

This article will allow an engineering firm to develop detailed plans, including budget-level cost estimates, for proposed repairs and improvements in the Historic District.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

If this warrant article is approved, the Village Planning Committee will put a Request for Proposal (RFP) out to bid and select a qualified engineering firm to proceed with detailed planning. The engineering study will be reviewed and revised at public meetings.

A number of funding sources will be sought for the proposed improvements, including state and federal grants, town bonds, and capital campaigns. The contractors being considered can provide invaluable assistance in finding sources of funding.

THE PROPOSAL:

Meeting the 21^st Century needs of Hancock citizens while preserving the 19^th Century character of the Historic District

Hancock residents take pride in the Nineteenth Century character of the Village Historic District. This charm and beauty attracted many residents to the town. An historic district on the National Register of Historic Places requires special care.

The Hancock Historic District was formed in 1975 to "protect and preserve the village center and the …approaches to it from encroachment," says the enacting ordinance. That same document also recognized a parking problem, which remains 29 years later.

The 1995 edition of the Master Plan continues this theme of preservation and improvement, stating that it is the "objective of our residents to maintain a small town, rural atmosphere." The Master Plan also states that there is an "opportunity to enhance landscaping near the old elementary school [the current Town Office building] and some changes in the street and traffic pattern [to] create a larger and more attractive common."

It is clear that "maintaining a small town, rural atmosphere" is imperative for any proposed improvements to the Historic District.

More recently, the Board of Selectmen sanctioned a Community Vision-to-Action Forum in June 2002. This forum was led by several key residents, assisted by Antioch/New England Graduate School and attended by over 100 concerned residents. Out of that two-day session, the Village Planning Committee emerged to address seven issues in the Historic District of primary concern to Hancock residents:

· Street drainage.

· Curbing and street edges for safety and esthetics.

· Street lighting.

· Sidewalks and paths.

· Shade trees.

· Parking and traffic.

· Utility lines.

The Village Planning Committee was assigned by the selectmen to develop a plan for these concerns. After working for more than a year to define the scope of each topic, a Village Planning Kick-off session was held on October 18th, 2003. The views expressed by residents during the Kick-Off session will be used to guide the selected engineering firm in developing detailed engineering proposals.

SPECIFIC PROPOSALS

Street drainage

The public has emphasized that drainage is a priority problem in the village. Specific comments from participants in the October 18 Kick-Off session pointed out that large pools of water accumulate after storms up and down the streets in the Village. In some places the puddles are so wide that people must wade through them when getting out of their parked cars. Some residents in the Historic District must cross puddles just to exit their houses.

Part of the reason for this problem is the broken pavement and uneven grading of the shoulder and the road’s excessive crowning. Although some storm drains do exist, the underground system may not be adequate to handle the run-off and may be too shallow. This is dangerous in winter when the drains are covered with snow and ice.

The Village Planning Committee will request a detailed analysis of the existing system, surveys, and other such engineering studies necessary to determine the precise cause(s) of the current drainage problem. In addition, the committee will request the selected engineering firm to propose a solution for correcting the problem. Any solution will take into consideration the trees that line the streets, so they are not damaged while work is performed. Efforts to improve drainage will also be coordinated and integrated with any other improvements that are part of the larger Historic District proposal.

Curbing and street edges

At the Village Kick-Off Day many people were seeking to reconcile competing ideas about how the town should look. Should it be uniform or informal? Groomed or rural? Hard or soft? The street edge is about more than curbing. It's how Hancock will look and feel. How we define this edge will define the look of the Historic District. In short: how sharp should the edge be? How uniform?

Today Main Street has a variety of street edging. There is old granite curbing sunken fairly well out of sight in front of the Historical Society Building (circa 1904), and a few feet of granite on one edge of the Common. Most of the street has dirt shoulders, which help retain Hancock’s rural look. They are also prone to erosion, which adds to the drainage problem.

At the Kick-Off Day the consensus was for retaining the variety of edging. It was agreed that asphalt curbing was not appropriate. There was great concern that granite curbing set out the length of the street would "urbanize" Hancock. "Avoid cute-i-fication" was one comment. Don't make Hancock "artificially charming" was another comment. One planner said a uniform granite curb would emphasize a more linear look and encourage speeding. "Traffic Calming" principles, being adopted by many towns, call for varying the width and edging of the roadway.

The Village Planning Committee will request the selected engineering firm to explore a limited use of granite curbing in selected areas. This could involve recycling old, split granite to retain a historic look, or integrating "low reveal" or slanted granite curbing. The softer edges, where they remain, will require a plan for regular maintenance. Currently there is no plan and no regular maintenance.

Street lighting

At the Kick-Off session, there was concern that inadequate lighting creates a safety issue for pedestrians at night. There is also a generally held concern that excess street lighting could disrupt the rural character of the Village.

The consensus was that any new street lighting be minimal, neither overly bright nor obtrusive. It was further suggested that the design and location of each light be adapted to blend in with its surroundings. This effect would create a random pattern.

The Village Planning Committee will request a thoughtful engineering proposal for lighting in the Historic District that addresses safety concerns without adversely affecting the current character of the Village.

Sidewalks and paths

Sidewalks and paths have been a thorny issue dating back at least to the 1940's. Currently, in the winter people are forced to walk in the street, creating a serious safety problem. Snow cannot be effectively removed from existing paths because of their irregularity and, in many cases, poor condition. In the summer, some say that the paths do not accommodate strollers or wheel chairs; in several locations they are difficult to negotiate at all. Moreover, as the population of Hancock continues to grow, there will be increased concern for the safety of pedestrians.

At the Kick-Off event, residents emphasized that:

· Changes blend in with the historic character of the Village.

· Sidewalks/paths not be too linear or regular.

· Sidewalks/paths use materials that create a "soft" look and blend in with the historic character of the Village.

· Updates of sidewalks or paths not harm the trees that line the road.

· A grass buffer be kept between the street edge and the sidewalk or path.

· A maintenance plan for the sidewalks, with special focus on winter use, be developed and managed by the town.

Concerns were expressed regarding crosswalks, which are linked with any sidewalk solution.

The selected engineering firm will prepare a comprehensive design for sidewalks and paths that meet the basic needs of pedestrians, and ensures their safety, while respecting the rural character of the Village. The solution may incorporate both formal and informal sidewalks and paths that blend in with different areas within the Historic District. Crosswalks, if feasible, should be integrated into the design at key junctures, with consideration of parking. Crosswalk design will incorporate natural materials, without painted stripes.

Shade trees

Early photographs, taken around 1890, show the Historic District lined with mature maple and elm shade trees. Over the past forty to fifty years, however, we have been slowly losing these magnificent old trees. Beginning in the mid-1900’s Dutch elm disease wiped out every one of the huge elms that lined Main Street. The last to go was a huge beauty that formed a green canopy over the Inn during the summertime. Since that time we have been steadily losing the maples.

Everyone at the Kick-Off session agreed that trees in the Historic District were an important part of Hancock’s charm and character, and expressed specific concern that:

· The old, mature trees be kept as long as possible.

· An arborist/landscape architect be hired to assist in developing a detailed corrective action and long-term maintenance program, beginning with an inventory of existing trees.

· Trees frame the architecture of the old buildings and not obscure them.

· Plant young trees before voids are left as the dead trees are removed.

· Any earthwork on other projects, such as drainage, should not endanger the existing trees.

The Village Planning Committee will request the selected engineering firm to take all these issues and concerns into consideration when developing a comprehensive plan for Historic District improvements. In addition, since care and maintenance of Village trees naturally incorporates the Common, planning and decision making will be coordinated with the Hancock Common Commissioners.

Parking and traffic

Safe and adequate parking has been a concern in Hancock Village for many years, publicly noted as far back as the 1975 Historic District ordinance. Since then, there have been numerous studies conducted, but few improvements.

These ideas from the Kick-Off session, and other committees, will be considered:

· Imposing time limits on street parking, particularly in front of the Village businesses.

· Developing off-street parking at the edge of town.

· Limiting or excluding parking in the Historic District for larger vehicles such as SUV's and trucks.

· Reducing the speed limit and strictly enforcing speed limits.

The Village Planning Committee will request the selected engineering firm to study the parking issue and incorporate suggested solutions in its detailed proposal.

Utility lines

Hancock is a truly beautiful, classic New England village. Its beauty, however, is marred by a haphazard array of utility lines and poles. In earlier times, villagers no doubt welcomed the convenience and comfort that electricity, telephone service, and later, cable television, brought to the community. Overhead lines were a necessity; yet, the simplicity and beauty of the Village suffered an unfortunate blemish.

We have an opportunity to restore the original beauty of the Historic District. Rather than continuing to add to the overhead clutter, we can bury existing overhead utilities, while laying additional advanced communication lines. In addition, burying utilities will eliminate the need to cut back trees near the lines, which would further preserve the scenic quality of the streetscape and reduce the cost for this type of maintenance. Buried power lines are also more reliable since they are protected from storms.

At the October Kick-Off event, the public was concerned about the cost of burying utilities. The consensus was that if burying the lines proved feasible, it be done when the streets were dug up for drainage repairs and other infrastructure improvements.

The selected engineering firm will be asked to explore the feasibility of burying utilities, including options for burying conduit so that the lines can be installed at a later time.

Ray Pierce, Chairman, Village Planning Committee

n Hank Bishop, Pat Fairchild, Jim Gamble, Frank Guerra, Andy Kerwin, Scott Manning, Howard Mansfield, Tom Pisaturo, Tibby Tobey

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