Whitefield voters approved all the articles Saturday on the Town Meeting warrant, including ones that should bring substantial improvements to town roads.
In all, voters approved a $1,052,293 municipal budget, which is $107,000 greater than the budget approved at last year’s Town Meeting.
About 60 people attended the 2 1/2-hour meeting, said Aaron Miller, Whitefield’s town clerk and treasurer.
Miller said town and the Roads Committee had done a lot of work, reaching out to the public to educate residents about the poor condition of some of the roads.
“We pretty much determined that about 50 percent of the roads need some rehabilitation.” Miller said.
Louis Sell, a Roads Committee member, gave a presentation to Town Meeting attendees about the committee’s work.
Miller said the reaction was positive. “People recognize that this is a situation that needs to be addressed,” he said.
Voters approved $334,700 for cutting brush, grading, surfacing, paving and repairing town roads, some $70,000 more than the amount approved last year.
The final “Report of the Whitefield Roads Committee” is on the town’s website at www.townofwhitefield.com/.
Voters also approved spending $9,500 to build a larger parking lot for the town’s fire station and public meeting building.
Miller said a larger gravel parking lot would allow more spaces for firefighters and more slots for handicapped-accessible parking. It also would provide more off-street parking for popular events, including Whitefield Days and voting days, he said.
Saturday afternoon’s meeting followed a morning election, which featured no contested races and a blank line for a Whitefield representative on the board of Regional School Unit 12.
Miller said 106 people cast votes, with Malinda Caron receiving five write-in votes for the open school board post and Tina Best getting two write-in votes. Several other people received single votes, he said.
Miller said Sunday it was not clear whether Caron, who has been on the board most recently, would do so again.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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