BATH — The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved building a crosswalk on High Street to provide safer pedestrian access to the Lilly Pond Community Forest Trail head.
City staff and the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee advocated for the crosswalk, according to a council resolution.
“The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust has done a great job protecting that area,” City Manager Bill Giroux said earlier Wednesday, noting the importance of having a safe walkway to the forest.
The road marking will run from 38 feet south of the southern point of Getchell Street, and reach across High Street in order to access the trail.
The Lilly Pond Community Forest, preserved by the land trust in 2014, offers a “mixture of upland forests, rocky woodlands, wetland forests, and open wetland; the preserve protects 900 feet of frontage on Lilly Pond, the headwaters of Whiskeag Creek,” according to the land trust.
Originally part of the 200-acre William Marshall farm, settled in 1760, the parcel was transferred from the Krejsa Family Trust to KELT in “a generous bargain sale,” the trust reported in September 2014.
The preserve offers 3 miles of multi-use trails for hikers, mountain bikers and leashed pets.
Access to the preserve is available by driving south on High Street and to Marshall Street, where parking is available at Goddard Park. From there, walk south on High Street about 500 feet, passing Getchell Street and turn left to reach the wooden stairs at the preserve entrance.
In other business, the council heard complaints from Jeanne Dunne and two other Richardson Street residents about speeding traffic on that road. She suggested radar speed signs as one means of slowing vehicles.
City officials are reviewing the matter, and re-striping the street to make it appear narrower is one option on the table. Councilor James Omo also suggested police be stationed to nab speeders.
Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.
The Bath City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a crosswalk, geared toward increasing safety for pedestrians crossing High Street to reach the Lilly Pond Community Forest Trail head.
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