Old Country Road in New Ipswich is officially split into two separately named roads, after a vote of the Select Board on Tuesday.

Board members discussed the possible split last week, at the request of residents of the road and the town’s road agent, after issues with 911 locating properties on the road. The board agreed in theory to split the road at that time, but didn’t take an official vote, as they wanted a more-precise location for the cutoff between what would become Old Country Road and the newly named East Old Country Road.

After measurements by Road Agent Peter Somero, a precise cutoff point was determined, and the board made it official on Tuesday, voting 2-0 to create East Old Country Road from Route 124 and extending 1,443 feet.

In other Select Board news, the town has scheduled its first meeting of the 275th town anniversary committee, which is scheduled for Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., in the town office.

The board also discussed whether or not the town could hold a candidate forum prior to the general election in November. The board directed Town Administrator Debbie Deaton to reach out to the winners of this month’s primary for all state positions on New Ipswich’s ballot, and to inquire about their interest and availability to attend a candidate forum in New Ipswich on either Oct. 22 or Oct. 29.

Select Board Chair Shawn Talbot also took a moment to acknowledge the tragic crash that occurred in New Ipswich in the early hours of Saturday morning. The two-car crash resulted in the death of both occupants of one of the cars, Devin Lundgren, 21, of New Ipswich; and James Barna, 18, of Sharon, and the serious injury of the driver of the second car, Samuel Wheeler, 36, of Greenville.

Talbot acknowledged the loss of life in not only that crash, but in two other crashes in the region on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in a total of four deaths of young men ranging in age from 17 to 21. He said he also wanted to acknowledge the impact to first-responders in the wake of attending to such scenes.

“It was made clear to me that there needs to be some follow-up with our emergency personnel,” Talbot said, adding that the board needed to consider potential mental health resources for those impacted. He noted that kind of trauma can be compounding, and lead to mental health burdens and burnout.

“It’s a problem that’s just laying underneath the surface,” Talbot said. “I’d like to take a look at that going forward.”

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.