STRONG — On March 7, residents will be asked to approve the Planning Board’s updates to the town’s two-decades-old road standards.

As required by law, the board offered townspeople an opportunity to ask questions at Tuesday night’s public hearing. Residents who missed the hearing may review the ordinance revisions at the town office. Town meeting voters may have additional questions, Planning Board Chairman Jeffrey Murphy said, but the existing ordinance can’t be changed at that venue.

“It can only be voted up or down,” Murphy said.

He said he hopes voters will review the changes and contact him with questions before the town meeting. The board has spent many hours working to ensure that townspeople will have a street ordinance with the highest possible construction and safety standards.

“We know it’s done, and it’s done right,” he said.

Murphy said revisions took a year of careful research and review of the strict standards set by the Maine Department of Transportation.

Murphy explained that the word “road” will be replaced by the word “street.” That ensures less confusion and makes the document more consistent and understandable.

The board’s goals over the past 12 months included meeting the town’s long-term Comprehensive Plan and ensuring the health and general welfare of residents. The revised ordinance addresses traffic and fire safety standards, and road inspection standards. Murphy explained that, for example, sub-surface gravel must be a measurable standard, ensuring that the surface will remain in passable and good condition. The town can allow stricter standards but not lower standards.

Much of the board’s work emphasized safety and uniform criteria for construction. Code Enforcement Officer Tom Marcotte and Road Foreman Duayne Boyd will ensure guidelines are clear and deadlines are met in a timely fashion, Murphy said. Proposed revisions address uniform regulations that can be measured, and no new street or way can be laid out and accepted if it does not meet these standards.