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A representative from the Cumberland Farms gas station returned to the Planning Board for a continued public hearing regarding a site plan review for installing a diesel pump to accommodate diesel passenger vehicles.  At the beginning of his presentation, Manny Parvo summarized the four major points that the board really focused on at the previous meeting, and what had been done to change the plan to accommodate the board's concerns.

First, Lieutenant Richard Flannery had previously written an e-mail to the board that mentioned 97 vehicle accidents had occurred near the site.

Parvo contacted Flannery to ask if he could tell Parvo at what curb-cuts those accidents had occurred.  Flannery did not have that information readily available, and would have had to pull every written report to get it.  Flannery did specify that the accidents had occurred in the 85-95 West Main street area, which extends from the Cumberland Farms and Mobil gas stations to the intersection at the Golden Spoon; also the accidents had occurred in a three-year time span, from 2006 to 2009.

At the January 11 meeting the board had also expressed concerns that advertizing a diesel pump on the signs on route 495 would lead to more tractor-trailer traffic in town.  At that meeting, Parvo had stated that tractor-trailers require faster pumps to fill their much larger tanks.

Monday, he brought an updated design for their highway sign, which not only changes the brand from Gulf to Cumberland Farms, but also states "Auto Diesel Only".  He also noted that the other three stations in town had a diesel pump, leaving his as the only restricted facility in town.

He repeated that the intention has always been to service just vehicles, not tractor-trailers--"we do not want trucks on our property."  David Auslander noted that the "only" may confuse people not familiar with the station, causing them to think that the only thing they sell is auto diesel; other board members agreed, and suggested removal of the word.

The board had also expressed distaste for the temporary traffic pattern during the construction that Parvo had presented at the previous meeting.

That pattern closed one of the two entrances and restricted left-hand turns into the property for the duration of construction.  Several members of the board had been concerned that the pattern would confuse regular customers, and could potentially cause more accidents at the site.  They also had recommended that Parvo look into hiring a traffic detail.  Parvo explained that he spoke with Lt. Flannery on the matter on January 19, after Flannery and Chief Tom Irvin had visited the site and studied the traffic patterns.  Since Flannery did not appear at the meeting, Parvo explained that Flannery had told him that after observing traffic firsthand, he didn't have a problem with the turn restriction.  Flannery had also mentioned that a traffic detail at that site would be too dangerous for the officer, and that he and Irvin were amenable to better signage describing the changes (such as "Construction Ahead", "Caution:

Vehicles Turning Ahead" and "Left Turn Here").  The final concern the board had regarded a "Do Not Enter" sign; Parvo stated that Flannery and Irvin were both amenable to having two of those signs at the restricted entrance, and the board suggested perhaps they also use some street painting to reinforce the direction.

Claire Wright was still concerned that people driving from downtown Hopkinton would stop and try to enter the site from a restricted turn area.  John Coolidge said he liked the plan more now, and that people coming from downtown could get used to the idea of going to the Mobil station for a week.  Mark Abate agreed somewhat with both, saying that although he doesn't think the new plan will necessarily mitigate accidents, it is a good compromise.  The board approved the site plan review.