Three petition warrant articles discussed at the open session of Peterborough’s Town Meeting Wednesday all failed with little support.

Andrew Osterman put forward the articles, including appropriating $201,000 from the Pedestrian Enhancement Fund to construct an ADA-accessible path from the Evans Road loop to Shaw’s.

Another called for the Select Board to only appoint residents younger than 65 to vacant seats, positions or roles if the average age of current members of a town commission, committee or board is over 65, and the third was for no Town Meeting, board meeting, commission meeting or committee meeting take place between 5 and 8 p.m.

Osterman, a member of the Budget Committee, lost his campaign for Select Board to incumbent Tyler Ward May 9. He did not attend the open session Wednesday, but said at the polls the largest issue facing the town is “affordability, affordability, affordability,” and that he was the only candidate on the ballot “to propose walkable infrastructure [which would] improve quality of life and cut wear and tear on roads.”

Speaking on the proposed ADA-accessible path, Ward explained Wednesday that the Pedestrian Enhancement Fund does not exist. There is a Transportation Improvement Capital Reserve Fund with a current balance of $193,000.

“The stated amount is over that,” said Ward, “We would have to appropriate and raise money to make up the difference.”

Assistant Town Administrator and Director of Public Works Seth MacLean, said that since the article did not go through the normal planning process, he could not speak to the price stated in the article or the process of planning, permitting and construction that would be required for the project. 

“My professional opinion is it is problematic as written,” he said.

Resident Andrew Bell offered an amendment that proposed extending the existing sidewalk at a safe distance from the highway to be paid for by the general fund that normally pays for sidewalk construction.

“We have to do something to accommodate people who don’t have cars,” he said. The amendment was not seconded, and therefore there was no vote.

Resident Kathleen Allen said she was more concerned about walkability in other areas of town.

“We need to look at something like getting from (Route) 202 up to the hospital,” she said. “We’re looking at the wrong area.”

“Has there been reasonable study?” resident Richard Sanders asked. “Right now I just don’t feel I can support the way it is there.”

Selectman Bill Taylor said no one has spoken to Shaw’s or CVS about the project.

“This is planning and spending by petition and that is not the way we do things,” said Taylor.

Selectman Bill Kennedy echoed the sentiment, saying, “Planning by petition is wrong and it is dumb.”

Town Meeting members were hesitant to move forward the other two articles. Ivy Vann said she moved the article regarding the ages of board members just to deal with it and move on.

“I think this is a really bad idea on all kinds of levels,” she said.

State Rep. Jonah Wheeler, who is 20, said, “If we really want to engage young people, forcing old people off a board is not the way to do it.”

Planning Board member Sarah Steinberg Heller said, “I resent that we are wasting a blessed moment on this given it is just illegal and wrong, and Budget Committee member Mary Clark called the article  “not enforceable, narrow and negative.”

“We all want more diverse committees but diversity goes beyond age,” Clark said, but she added that she hoped to turn the discussion around the article into a positive conversation on bringing more diversity of all types – including race, sexual orientation, gender, disability status and income -- to boards and committees.

After the article proposing that no town government meetings occur between 5 and 8 p.m. was opened for discussion, Ward addressed comments residents had made throughout the evening to that point, including occasional laughter after people had spoken.

“I don’t know if making as much fun as we are [of the articles] is the best approach,” he said.

Ward went on to explain that when the Select Board originally voted to put the articles on the open session agenda, he had told Osterman that they would put this article last in hopes it would be discussed after 8 p.m. Although the vote was after 8 p.m., the conversation actually started a few minutes before.

During the discussion, Steinberg Heller said she was inspired by Clark, and suggested looking into community child care.

“We should look at what is the positive here,” she said.

Newly elected Planning Board member Gary Gorski agreed, and said neighbors pitch in to babysit when they hold monthly community meetings at Nubanusit Neighborhood, where he lives.

The town’s $14.8 million budget was also on the open session warrant, but since it had been passed at the ballot box the day before, the open session did not need to take up the matter.

Von Mertens honored

Ward presented Francie Von Mertens with the Walter Peterson Award for her volunteer efforts in the community and relentless commitment to preserving land. He said Von Mertens has deserved the award for a long time.

“This town is a special place because of Francie and her inspiring all of us to get involved,” Ward said.

Von Mertens was met with a long round of applause and spoke about other volunteers in town while sharing photos in a slideshow.

“I’m in a tribe and it’s a great tribe and it’s birds that brought me here,” said Von Mertens, referencing her love of birds and the outdoors.

“I hope you see the thing about volunteers is they don’t talk about themselves,” said Moderator L. Phillips Runyon. “They talk about everyone else.”

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