Henrik G. de Gyor/The Gazette A car attempts to turn left onto Connecticut Avenue from Baltimore Street in Kensington Tuesday morning. The town's traffic committee has identified the intersection as a safety hazard, and has asked state officials to study traffic throughout town.

He saw parents pushing strollers in Armory Avenue because the sidewalk ended in the middle of a block. That was exactly the kind of detail that Carr and other members of Kensington's traffic committee set out to find when they organized a town walk May 3.

The committee has identified areas with possible safety hazards through a series of informal town walks this year and has brought those areas to the attention of Kensington's Town Council.

Small, narrowly focused committees, like the traffic committee, are a staple in many institutions and governments, and Kensington is no exception.

In addition to the traffic committee, Kensington has at least a dozen committees for tasks like reviewing plans for development, revitalizing the business district, preserving town hall and organizing town events.

Committee members volunteer their time. In some cases, they bring professional expertise in fields like architecture, law and landscaping.

"I enjoy the committees," Mayor Lynn Raufaste said Monday. "We have some good people with good professional backgrounds on the committees, so we get a lot done in this town through committees."

The traffic committee formed three years ago to obtain input from residents on how to improve pedestrian access and road safety.

The committee has raised concerns about issues like speeding on Connecticut Avenue and drivers who disobey stop signs and other traffic restrictions.

"I think it has been effective in the sense that it has brought some issues," said Tracey Furman of Kensington, a traffic committee member. "Things haven't moved, I'm sure, as fast as some people would like. ... It just takes time."

David Nellis of Kensington said he faced "analysis paralysis" when he tried to have a speed bump installed near his house.

He joined the traffic committee and requested a speed bump after he noticed that many drivers did not stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Washington Street and Calvert Place. The committee supported the speed bump request.

At a meeting Nov. 18, Nellis gave the Town Council a petition for a speed bump and expressed his concerns about pedestrian safety and children playing in the street.

Raufaste said a civil engineer looked at the intersection and concluded that there was no problem. She said parents should not allow children to play in streets.

At a meeting Jan. 27, the Town Council voted to deny the speed bump request, but agreed to paint the word "stop" on the pavement near the intersection. The pavement has not been painted.

"Why bother referring it to the traffic committee and getting the traffic committee's recommendation, if the town's not going to follow it? What's the point of the traffic committee?" he asked.

"The committee was terrific. They made a recommendation, and the Town Council ignored it, and it's just aggravating," he said Monday. "They haven't done anything, and it's just frustrating."

The town's revitalization steering committee formed in October to address the needs of the business community.

"There are serious needs, in terms of safety and traffic on Connecticut Avenue. I think there's also a serious need to preserve and promote sort of the quaint community feel on Connecticut Avenue," said Town Councilwoman Sara Timlin, also a steering committee member.

The first step is a survey. Committee members have visited businesses in a shopping center along Connecticut Avenue to inquire about their interests and concerns.

Scott Wertlieb, a steering committee member and president of Kensington Business District Association, said the survey is a good step, as long as the information does not go unused.

"I think it's worthwhile. I just don't want to see it completed and not used in the right way," he said Monday. "Whether it's positive or negative feedback, you have to put it to use."

"I think it's a great idea. I was very much in favor of that, as long as they survey everybody, the merchants and the owners," said Dennis McCurdy, a steering committee member and treasurer of the Kensington Business District Association. "I think they're doing that."

McCurdy said town officials should keep merchants involved in decision making. He said communication between town officials and merchants has improved in recent years, partly through committees.

"I think there's communication. I'm delighted to see the minutes of the [Town Council] meetings online," he said Thursday.

Raufaste organized a commercial development review committee two years ago to examine plans for major construction projects in town.

The committee has met with developers and reviewed a number projects, such as a proposed expansion at a former Sunoco gas station and a proposed expansion at a Safeway grocery store.

"It's a good way of assuring that every angle has been looked at," Raufaste said.

The committee makes recommendations to the Town Council, which can make recommendations to county zoning authorities. Kensington does not have zoning powers, except for enforcing its 10-foot side yard setback, which is more restrictive than the county's eight-foot setback.

Kensington's Armory committee works to preserve Kensington Town Hall, also known as the Kensington Armory. The 76-year-old building previously served as a National Guard Armory.

The Armory committee's work is more immediate and visible than the work of other committees.

The building's windows were restored during 2001 and 2002, and its two bathrooms were restored and made handicapped accessible in 2002. The committee plans to have the exterior masonry restored this summer.

"A lot of it is deteriorating, just because of the years," said Chris Bruch of Kensington, an Armory committee member and former town councilman. "We're going to treat it as a historic preservation project. ... It's a very significant building, and it needs to be properly preserved."

Bruch said the committee has taken some of the load off town employees. It has been "extremely effective. Our only limitation is our financial resources," he said. "It'd be nice to have unlimited resources and get it all done."