The Lyndeborough Police Department has applied for a state grant to slow down speeding on the town’s major roads.

During a Select Board meeting on Wednesday, Police Chief Rance Deware received the go-ahead to apply for a grant from the Department of Public Safety for about $12,000, which would be paid 75 percent by state funds and 25 percent from the town.

About $5,000 of the grant funds would be used for extra patrols, specifically to monitor for speed, safety belt usage and impaired driving. The remainder of the funding would be to purchase and install two new solar-powered electronic speed signs.

Deware said he intends to use the electronic signs mostly on Route 31, but the town has also installed posts on Center Road, Mountain Road and the 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike, and the signs will be moved to target problem areas as needed.

Deware originally requested to use the funds for a larger electronic sign mounted on a trailer, which could also be used to relay emergency messages, but the board instructed him to invest in additional speed-monitoring signs instead.

“I think they have more versatility,” said Selectman Fred Douglas, who also noted that because the speed-monitoring signs were smaller, they were also less expensive, and the town could apply for more than one if there was a need.

The grant allows for towns to apply for up to three signs, but after discussion, the Select Board agreed to authorize requesting two. The town already has two electronic speed signs, which are battery-powered instead of solar-powered.

The Select Board authorized Deware to apply for both aspects of the grant. The funding for the patrols would come from the administrative and cruiser fees accrued by the Police Department. The town’s portion of the speed-control signs would come from the town’s highway safety budget, and be accommodated within this year’s overall budget.

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

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