Milton council approves intersection improvements

Milton Town Council will move forward with intersection improvements at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic streets and at Mulberry/Federal/Wharton streets. The decision does not include all-way stops at those intersections.

The improvements, approved by a 6-1 vote May 1, will include new crosswalks, sidewalks and handicapped-accessible ramps at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic, and new crosswalks, curb cuts and handicapped-accessible ramps at Mulberry/Federal/Wharton streets. Funding for both projects comes from a $310,000 grant from Sussex County, part of a distribution of excess transfer taxes the county gave back to municipalities. 

A bone of contention May 1 was all-way stops at each intersection, leading Councilwoman Randi Meredith, a proponent of the stops, to vote no. 

Councilman Scotty Edler said he did not want to lose the county’s money.

“I do not want to do anything that would jeopardize crosswalks, better sidewalks and ADA ramps,” he said. “The democratic process is messy. This is a compromise for now. And hopefully we can have another discussion in the future about the all-way stops.”

The plan to improve the intersection at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic has been in discussion for years, while changes to the intersection of Federal/Mulberry/Wharton were recommended by Delaware Department of Transportation as part of its traffic-impact study related to the Granary at Draper Farm development. 

In October, council voted unanimously to move forward with the improvements at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic streets, which included all-way stops. Improvements to Mulberry/Federal/Wharton passed 6-1, with Councilman Fred Harvey the only no vote. 

DelDOT, which maintains Milton’s main roads, asked council to submit its request in the form of a resolution. At council’s March meeting, the resolution for Chestnut/Atlantic/Wharton streets passed by a 5-2 vote, with Harvey and Councilwoman Lee Revis-Plank voting no, while the resolution for Federal/Mulberry/Wharton passed 4-3, with Councilman Larry Savage joining Harvey and Revis-Plank in opposition. 

An attempt to ratify the resolutions in April was deadlocked 3-3, with Councilwoman Annette Babich absent. That was a problem for the town, as Town Manager Kristy Rogers had already spent $50,000 of the county funds on preliminary work for the improvements. 

So at the May 1 meeting, council focused on only the intersection improvements. But before that, the public got to weigh in. 

Threasa Brittingham particularly supported Savage, who she said did what a public servant should and listened to members of the community and informed himself before changing his vote. She was critical of the actions of Meredith, who Brittingham said was using bully tactics to get the council to vote in favor of all-way stops. 

Fire Chief Johnny Hopkins said he wanted to see a more progressive approach in putting in the crosswalks and intersection improvements first and revisiting the stop signs later; Hopkins and President Brian Reynolds have previously stated that an all-way stop would hinder the department’s emergency response time. But Hopkins added that no matter what council decides, the fire department is committed to providing the same level of service as it always has. 

Steve Crawford said he was disappointed with the actions of those who voted against all-way stops and that those council members were not being good stewards of taxpayer funds in voting down proposals that could make the town’s intersections safer. 

The Rev. Cathy Rion Starr urged council to finish the job and move forward with the all-way stops plan. The Rev. Heather Rion Starr said all-way stops should move forward because Milton’s population is rapidly growing and the intersection at Chestnut/Wharton/Atlantic is confusing for motorists. 

A group of children also spoke in support of the all-way stops, saying they would improve safety for kids. Among those who spoke were Madeline Wolfe, Pepper Brittingham, Fiona Fisher and Robin Rion Starr, who sang a portion of their comments in support of all-way stops. 

In addition, council unanimously voted to use some of the county funds to improve sidewalks and handicap accessibility at the intersection of Broad and Union streets, and to repave sections of Tobin Drive and Hazzard Street.