Published in the June 15, 2018 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — Not everyone is thrilled with the plans to place informational kiosks at key locations in an effort to direct people toward the downtown business district.  Specifically, the three-sided digital kiosk proposed on the edge of the Lower Common along Church Street has raised safety and aesthetic concerns with some residents.

As part of the ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown area, four new kiosks will be installed at various locations offering “way-finding” and other useful information for visitors and residents. The kiosks are being purchased by the Wakefield Main Streets program. The Town Council approved the installation of the signs, one of which will have a digital component, at a meeting last month.

Two of the free-standing, two-sided kiosks will be located on sidewalks in the Square and will be placed at Main and Water streets and Main and Albion streets. A third two-sided kiosk will be placed near Veterans Field on North Avenue. The digital kiosk will be three-sided and plans are to place it at the southern end of the Lower Common, near the corner of Common Street and Lake Avenue. One side of this kiosk will be digital and have a changeable screen.

Two local residents, Julie Scott of Main Street and Meg Michaels of Fielding Street, let the town Council know about their concerns during the public participation portion of their meeting Monday night.

Scott pointed out that the digital kiosk would be placed in the middle of one of the most aesthetically attractive and most photographed areas of the town.

“The Common is everyone’s front lawn,” she said. “It is a valuable asset to the community and should be preserved in its current state. The beauty of the town needs to be preserved while at the same time the businesses downtown need to be supported. Without beauty, people will not come and they will not shop at the stores.”

She was also worried about the safety impact and the potential of the digital display to distract drivers. 

“Putting the lit-up digital kiosk just a few feet away from three crosswalks is a public safety issue,” she said. “I know how few cars stop for pedestrians here. Drivers will be distracted by the lit-up kiosk and will take a look. Drivers attention attention should be on the road in front of them and the three crosswalks nearby.”

Scott also questioned the need and effectiveness of a digital kiosk. 

“I have a phone that I walk with when I do the lake,” she said. “I have a map app that shows me the exact same picture of the Lake that will be on the kiosk. I can speak into my phone and ask about restaurants and stores in Wakefield and an up-to-date list rapidly appears. What information will you have on this kiosk that I do not already have instant access to on my phone?”

Scott also wondered why the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt and the Wakefield Center Neighborhood Association were not consulted before the decision was made on the location of the digital kiosk. She further questioned whether the Main Streets program was exceeding its reach by going outside of the business district.

“Please reconsider the placement of this digital kiosk,” she said. “Let’s find another place for it in the business district.”

Meg Michaels also asked the Town Council to reconsider the placement of the digital kiosk and noted that the FOLQ had not been consulted.

“Gertrude Spaulding (one of the FOLQ founders) would be shocked that an electronic sign has been installed by the Lake,” she said.

Michaels noted that the town rushed to install oversized utility poles at the head of the Lake and later had to take them down after a public outcry.

“Did we learn or are we making the same mistake?” she asked. “People move here for the Lake. Let’s keep it beautiful.”

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In other business this week, the Town Council:

• Reappointed Thomas Lucey and appointed Gregory McIntosh as alternate Board of Appeals members.

• Appointed Maureen Hickey to the Council on Aging.

• Appointed John McDonald as an alternate member of the Permanent Building Committee.

• Appointed Sarah Guerin and Andy Levine to the Cultural Council.

• Appointed Teresa Belmonte to the Conservation Commission.

• Appointed Anthony DeMarco to the Albion Cultural Exchange.

• Approved a Common Victuallers license for the Remedy Exchange on Tuttle Street.

• Approved an Entertainment License for Beebe Library for the “Plaza Jazz” series.