Walk+Bike+Roll Randolph

Since 2022, Walk+Bike+Roll Randolph (WBRR) has been working steadily to fulfill its mission to make Randolph safe for people walking or riding bicycles. In March of 2025, we applied for an AARP Community Challenge Grant.  Most of the project budget is for the installation of a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at the Main Street crosswalk in front of the library. An RRFB is a pedestrian push-button actuated flashing yellow light that supplements regular crosswalk signs to bring more attention to a marked crosswalk at an uncontrolled (i.e. not at a STOP or YIELD) location. (see photo below).

This crosswalk was chosen for several reasons. We were aware that the Town requested 4 RRFBs as part of the state Class 1 paving project currently scheduled for 2027. This crosswalk serves the dense residential area along and adjacent to School Street. The Town Recreation area is accessed from School Street. Kimball Library and Chandler Center for the Arts are in close proximity to this crosswalk as well as Randolph House with many residents who don’t drive. 

The idea of using RRFBs at key crossings in the downtown has been a common theme during the many public outreach opportunities facilitated by WBRR.  RRFBs are considered to be a “proven safety countermeasure” by the Federal Highway Administration and are widely used in other Vermont communities such as Northfield, Lyndon, Thetford, Vergennes, Swanton and Jericho. 

During the grant application process, we worked with Jeff Grout (Town Grant Administrator at the time), who had been identified as our town liaison, throughout the grant process. We met with him in February to go over the details of the grant and to discuss the approach of WBRR applying for the grant directly, with RACDC as our fiscal agent. Jeff indicated support for the concept of the improvements. We tried to get a letter of support from the Town, but ran out of time before that could be finalized. 

We had heard from the Town about issues with capacity for managing grants, so in this case, we applied directly so that we could manage all aspects of the grant, including fiscal responsibility, hiring a contractor and overseeing their work. This grant requires no matching funds from the Town. We were aware of the Town grant policy, but at no time did Jeff indicate we should be following that policy since no town funds or administration time was required. 

In May, we were very excited to receive word from AARP that our project was one of 380 grants selected from over 3500 applications received in this competitive nationwide solicitation. Our next step was to go to the town for formal acceptance of this $15K donation of the RRFB and to discuss how to work together to get the RRFB installed this summer/fall (the grant funds must be used by the end of 2025). We were shocked and disheartened to have the town decline to move forward with installation of the RRFB. We had a second meeting with the Town to try to understand why they would refuse this donation.

The Town Manager, Trevor Lashua explained that because the walk/bike master plan being completed by the Regional Planning Commission isn’t done yet, that this offer of funding is coming “out of sequence” and that the town can’t adequately plan for it or know that it is the highest priority. He talked in vague terms of projects being worked on over the next 3-7 years. He also brought up an ill-defined concern about liability (the Town has insurance, and we would require the contractor installing the RRFB to have adequate liability insurance). 

We tried our best to counter these arguments, but in the end, the Town was still at a “No”. They acknowledged that we could appeal to the Selectboard, which we were prepared to do. We submitted the request to get on the next agenda, which is this Thursday, June 12. The meeting starts at 5:30 at the Randolph Town offices. There are a number of other items on the agenda before ours, but sometimes the board re-orders items. Please consider attending the meeting in person, or at least via Zoom, to voice your support for the Town accepting this $15K donation of important safety infrastructure for people crossing Main Street. If you can’t attend, please consider emailing all the board members. Their email addresses may be found at https://tinyurl.com/bdh5h93j