Wolfeboro plans more downtown parking enforcement, bike patrols and grant‑funded highway safety shifts

Wolfeboro officials said June 12 that parking enforcement in the downtown will increase as police staffing improves and as grant funding is applied to highway safety duties and bike patrols.

The police chief told the board officers currently use cellphone photos to document suspected parking violations (two‑hour limits) and then recheck spots later; staffing constraints make that follow‑up inconsistent. He said as personnel return from school resource assignments and new hires arrive, patrols including bike units will be more feasible.

Board members and the chief discussed two funding and technology items: a state highway safety grant (discussed in the meeting as the state highway "grama" allocation) that will begin in October and could fund DWI and pedestrian‑safety patrols, and automated license‑plate/parking enforcement systems. The chief corrected an earlier reference to an $11,000 bike allocation as not specifically for bike patrols but for state highway safety funds; he said the hours and obligations will be negotiated with the state. A separate technology option that would automate parking checks and ticketing was described by a board member as costing between $40,000 and $65,000, with an estimated multi‑year payback through enforcement revenue.

"You'll see more bike patrols," the chief said, adding that some officers are "actually excited about the bike." Board members said visible bike or foot patrols make downtown business owners and visitors feel safer and that business owners had asked staff to encourage employees to park outside the busiest lots.

No new ordinance or fees were adopted. The board asked the chief to bring more detail on the planned bike patrol schedule, grant obligations and possible staffing impacts before summer peak weekends.