An Argument for keeping Adams Street closed.

An open letter to the Milton Board of Selectmen and residents:

Should the Town of Milton re-open Adams Street over the East Milton deck?

I respectfully disagree with those who want to re-open Adams Street where it crosses over the deck. I fully understand their frustration and agony over the massive increase in traffic, and I share your pain each and every day. I, along with the Milton Chamber Merchants, have been trying to get the entire deck project completed for well over a decade. We deal with the situation in deep agony and dismay each and every day! Myself and the experts with Howard-Stein Hudson and Company, who were armed with computer models and extensive data and were paid $180,000 of the tax payer’s hard earned money, all agree that re-opening Adams Street would make traffic worse. Why?

1. This would add another light sequence of 30-45 seconds as you wait longer for the light pattern to re-sequence.
2. All of the traffic must stack into two lanes, waiting for the Adams Street light to change, and then merge into one lane as they cross over Granite Avenue in front of the Atlantic Insurance Company and the fire station intersection. This causes a bottle neck. We have been there, done that!
3. The real problem is a large increase in the traffic volume, and a huge increase in distracted drivers by smart phone use. They have their heads down, drive very slow, and cause additional wait times to get through each and every light sequence.
4. You can see that wait times are much longer in other areas of town, which have not had an intersection change what so ever. Notably, Randolph Avenue when trying to get across the Chickatawbut Road light signal to reach Route 128. Over the same period of time since Adams Street has been closed, wait times at this intersection have increased substantially!
5. When the town closed Adams Street across the deck, everyone (the merchants, the town planner, the selectmen and most residents) agreed that everything felt calmer and traffic flowed smoother. That’s why it stayed closed!
6. Opening up Adams Street will make crossing the street, getting to and from the Post Office, even more dangerous for pedestrians, and ruin the aesthetic value of the so called park and overall area!

The facts are that the selectmen voted to close Adams Street. Funds from the town and additional privately donated funds were used to beautify the area. A town meeting vote to close the street was approved as part of the “Weiser Plan,” when conceptual drawings were presented and fully explained by former Senator Brian Joyce. The vote passed by a large majority.

One could and should make the argument, that only a majority vote taken at town meeting could authorize the re-opening of Adams Street, and make any substantial changes from the original “Weiser Plan”.

Believe me, I am right there in front of it all, five days a week for 40-50 hours per week.  I, along with other Chamber Members, are very frustrated by the whole problem. We have been working on the reconstruction of the East Milton Deck’s intersections and parking for more than a decade, and the town officials continually appear to be unable to get the ball over the goal line.

The fact is that East Milton Square’s infrastructure is 30-50 years behind the times, and the town has failed miserably at correcting it. On top of our outdated infrastructure, three new and very popular restaurants have opened in the square over the past few years, notably, Abby Park, Novara and The Plate. I, along with many others, believe this is a good thing. The opening of these wonderful restaurants has further increased traffic, and all of this has happened without any additional municipal parking. You could also argue that Fitness Unlimited has added to the congestion, and in a small way it has. However, not one single member is exclusively our customer. Each and every member visits the other merchants before or after their workout. This is apparent, as you see members in their exercise apparel walking around enjoying everything that the square has to offer.

I, and many of the Chamber members, believe that we and the townspeople deserve better. The merchants pay a 53 percent higher property tax rate than the residents. We are glad to help out with our tax funds, including corporate income tax, sales tax, and payroll taxes, which all come back to the town in one form or another. Not to mention the not hundreds, but thousands of local jobs we provide. Supporting the merchants is supporting the town!

Currently, I rate East Milton Square as a bronze square and that’s not bad. If you went to the Olympics and won a bronze medal that would be great. However, I and many merchants have a vision of making the square into not a silver or a gold square, but a platinum square. We believe that the townspeople share in our vision.

I hereby request that all parties slow down, learn the facts about the Adams Street closure and look at the big picture. The merchants are very careful to listen to our customers and respect their opinions. We ask that everyone listen, respect each other, and work towards a common goal of making the square a platinum square, not only for us, but our children and their children!

A former Town Administrator of 30 plus years has been in constant opposition to the reconstruction. For years he has done everything possible to stop the project by writing letters to the federal and state government. In all due respect, in my opinion, his position is not optimal for East Milton Square.

We are all forced to live with antiquated traffic signals, poor roadways, lack of modern pedestrian safety, poor municipal parking, and a deck that is falling apart and dangerous for anyone walking through it.

I respectfully request that the Town Manager, the Selectmen, the Traffic Commission and the Town Planner, put a freeze of not less than 120 days on their decision regarding the re-opening of Adams Street. Freezing this crucial decision would allow our town government to make a compassioned effort and get all the facts out to the residents and the merchants.

Very truly yours,

Paul J. Maduri
President
Fitness Unlimited

Weiser Plan A1:

Weiser Plan A2: