Safety first in two Milan road repair projects

At its May 19 meeting, the Milan Town Board approved two road repair projects: changes to the intersection of Shookville and Battenfeld roads, and new paving for the driveway and upper parking lot surrounding town hall.

Following a resident’s complaint about a near-accident at the T-intersection of Shookville and Battenfeld roads, Supervisor Bill Gallagher, Highway Superintendent Glenn Butler, and Town Engineer Jay Paggi made an onsite visit to assess the situation.

“There’s a legal obligation for the town to do something,” Gallagher told the board.

While none of the board members were aware of past vehicular accidents at that location, Butler said he supports the change. “I think there are potential issues there, especially if traffic counts increase,” he said.

He said that he plans to seal both Shookville and Battenfeld roads in the near future, and it would be ideal to complete any reconfiguration of the intersection prior to sealing.

The board unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with the road improvements, not to exceed $35,000.

The current plan entails narrowing and more clearly defining the Shookville-Battenfeld intersection and adding a stop sign there for southbound vehicles on Battenfeld.

Also approved on May 19 was a contract with Peckham Industries to install proper drainage and repair and install 1,600 square yards of 2½-inch blacktop on the east side of the town hall upper parking area, at a cost also at $35,000 maximum.

“Anybody who’s been here this winter knows how dangerous it is up here with ice accumulating. This is the most critical area—it’s in the worst shape—it needs some kind of attention because if we have another winter like we had — with a lot of ice buildup and accumulation — to be on the safe side, we’re going to end up shutting that parking lot down just to protect ourselves,” Gallagher said.

“I think it’s very important. I watched people who came within a hair of slipping and cracking their heads on the ice out here, and I think it’s very scary,” Councilwoman Marion Mathison added.

According to Butler, the area has not been repaired since the mid to late 90s. Peckham will guarantee their work against future drainage issues, and Butler said the project could be finished by the end of this month.

The life expectancy of the parking area improvements is estimated at 15 years minimum, and the project will include striping, “so parking spots will be designated” and “it won’t be as willy-nilly as it is now,” said Gallagher.

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