PARIS — The town intends to fix a stoplight at Main and Alpine streets that has been malfunctioning for at least a year.
Selectmen on Monday voted to spend $2,800 to install a camera system to signal the light to change during off-peak hours.
The light at the Norway-Paris line is co-owned by the towns and has been malfunctioning for some time, Town Manager Amy Bernard told the board. In the past four months alone, A.D. Electric Inc., a stoplight repair company, has had to fix the four loops that signal the light to change during low-density traffic times.
Each visit by A.D. Electric costs between $300 and $600, Bernard told the board. The town shares the cost with Norway.
The malfunctioning loops mean that vehicles aren’t recognized during off-peak hours and the light continues with its normal daytime schedule, leaving drivers to wait between three and five minutes before it turns green again.
The cost to replace the loops is $6,000, while installing a new camera system to recognize vehicles coming to a stop at the light is $5,600, Bernard said. The camera system was only used to change the lights and would not record vehicles or drivers, Bernard assured the board.
Even though the town did not budget money for improvements at the stoplight, the problem wasn’t going away and more repair costs were guaranteed, Bernard said.
Although some board members were reticent to spend unbudgeted money, others supported installing the cameras.
“Find the money and fix it,” said Selectman Gerald Kilgore, who acknowledged occasionally running a red light at the intersection. “If it’s broke, fix it.”
His sentiment was shared by Selectman Ryan Lorrain, who noted continued repair costs could wind up being more than the cost for the new cameras.
“If Norway is willing to pay their share, we can find the money,” Lorrain said.
Norway Town Manager David Holt confirmed Tuesday that the town would share the cost of installing the new cameras.
“At this stage in the game, it’s probably the cheapest way out of it in the long run,” Holt said.
The Paris board voted 4-1 to fund its half of the camera system, $2,800. Selectman Robert Wessels voted against the measure.
pmcguire@sunjournal.com
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- Paris and Norway plan to install a new camera system to fix some recurring problems at the stoplight at Main and Alpine streets near the Norway-Paris line.
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