EAST HARDWICK – The East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization (EHNO) has been awarded a $2,500 grant from the Pleasants Fund of the Greensboro United Church of Christ (GUCC). The grant will launch a local fundraising campaign to reach a total goal of $3,750, enough to purchase and install a new radar speed sign on Main Street in East Hardwick.
The Pleasants Fund of the GUCC supports projects beyond the church’s usual activities, with a focus on helping nonprofit organizations explore new and innovative ideas.
Thanks to support from the Town of Hardwick and Police Chief Michael Henry, a new radar speed sign was installed on Church Street at the Hardwick Street entrance and the village’s crosswalks were improved this summer. The EHNO would like to install an additional speed sign at the entrance from Vt. Rte. 16 onto Main Street and is doing additional fundraising toward the goal.
Traffic calming and pedestrian/bicycle safety have been priorities for the EHNO since the group’s first neighborhood meeting in 2018. Finding ways to manage vehicle speed has been an ongoing challenge. The EHNO board believes that an additional radar speed sign will be a simple, effective step toward slowing traffic and making the village a safer place.
The small village center is in the intersection of four traffic corridors connecting to Vt. Rte. 16, Greensboro, and surrounding farms. The 2024 Better Connections report included recommendations for safer streets but these projects will take time to implement. The report, now part of the Hardwick Town Plan, proposes improvements such as new sidewalks, pedestrian lanes, additional crosswalks, redesigned intersections and a traffic study on Vt. Rte. 16.
While the above recommendations are long term objectives, the need for immediate action has grown this summer, as increased use of the rail trail has brought more bicycle traffic through Main and Church Streets, often by bicyclists seeking to bypass Greensboro Bend.
