Politics & Government
Sudbury Selectman Grills Department Heads Over Rail Trail Proposals
Len Simon was upset the four concepts were not in conjunction with what residents voted on in March.
In just his second meeting as a member of the Board of Selectmen, Len Simon made it clear he stands for what residents vote for.
At its July 30 meeting, Conservation Coordinator Debbie Dineen, along with DPW Director Bill Place and Director of Planning and Community Developement Jody Kablack, presented the Board with four possible plans for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
But of the four proposals, none of them were in accordance to what the Town voted for in March, Simon said.
"I think the Town has given direction to us as to what the Town wants," he said. "What I heard is you are turning a deaf ear to Sudbury. This committee has presented your concepts, but you're ignoring the will of the voters of what they want."
During the March Annual Town Election, the Town was asked whether to create a recreational trail on the old right of way of the trail. The Town approved the ballot, 2,288-1,040.
The other questions was will the Town pay for 25 percent of the design work for the trail. That also passed by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
"They wanted a trail just like the exisiting Bruce Freeman Rail Trail," Simon said. "The said, 'Yes, we want a standard trial.' These items were laid out in the Town Warrant and the voters said 'yes' overwhelmingly to both."
The four concepts Dineen presented were:
1. A full build trail;
2. A bypass trail;
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3. A greenway trail;
4. Expanding the current walkway.
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"This was the least costly and can be enjoyed much sooner," Dineen said. "It has a less environmental impact and keeps with the rail trail experience."
But Simon countered, citing safety issues with the greenway plan.
"One point raised was whether emergency vehicles have access. The greenway would not be satisfactory for vehicles to get on that path," he said.
The greenway plan, which would cost about $300,000, would be more narrow.
"Five to 8 feet (in width) is not suffiecient," Simon said. "The town approved the idea of a recreational trail on May 8, 2012. I appreciate the work done to present these options, but it ignores what the town voters had in front of them the last 15 months."
The Board will continue the discussion at its Aug. 20 meeting and hopes to make a decision in the fall. That decision will then be presented as an article at Annual Town Meeting in 2014, asking residents for funds for the designs and permits.
Board Chairman John Drobinski said all options come with their own challenges.
"They don’t go away with any design," he said. "The Board has to decide where we need to go next. The discussion is not over. We have to figure out what it will look like with citizen input."
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