2023-11-06-GCC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the November 6, 2023 Meeting of the Greenways Corridor Committee Members present in person: Keith Ohmart (chair), Alex Dohan, Eileen Entin, Peggy Enders, Yifang Gong, Bob Hausslein Members present virtually: Mal Crawford, Bobak Moshiri, Stephen Perkins Non-members present in person: Mike Tabaczynski Non-members present virtually: Susan Kenyon The minutes of the October 16, 2023 meeting were approved unanimously. Reports/Updates Magic (MAPC) workshop. Keith attended the morning half of the all-day meeting. The emphasis was on bike trails. A take-away was to think of trails not only for recreation, but also as a resource, such as promoting them for access to open spaces. Parking areas for trails should include signage that is user friendly - indicate bathrooms, water, etc. Keith’s suggestion of signage with time/distance to locations of interest was met with Peggy’s reminder that we have done this for Bike/Walk/Bus Week. Consider permanent signage. Mike will find the company that has made such signs for other towns. The workshop discussed the merits of placing art along trails and bikeways, especially of other cultures - both to welcome the culture and to broaden understanding. Bike/Ped Plan Drafting Meeting - November 1. This final public meeting, attended by Keith and Bobak, was mostly a recap wiith inputs from many committees collected together. The product spreadsheet and maps is meant to be a resource for town staff going forward and is intended to fluid over time as opportunities arise. The draft will go to the Select Board for approval at the end of the month. Future Meeting Dates/Time. After discussion we settled on the first Thursday of the month from 4:00 to 5:30, starting this December 7. Ongoing Business Proposed Route 9/Concord Ave./Waltham St. Bob reported that Dig Safe has approved the four post locations. Awaiting Dave Pinsonneault on site approval at the Pleasant Street crossing near Route 2, after which the posts can be installed. Long term future addition/modification may include routing from Concord Avenue next to April Lane to Piper Road, depending on future MBTA housing development plans for the adjacent property. Mike suggested expanding the desired Route 2 approval for the Waterstone connector to create an alternative to Piper Road. Proposed Route 8/Concord Ave Land Management Plan. Keith reported little progress with Conservation since the last meeting. To be negotiated is the portion of the total cost, especially the boundary surveying, that our funding source should cover as the next step. Proposed Route 19/AGM/LVB Connector. Keith reported that the option of entering the Harrington School area via the social trail and bridge is off the table largely because of the unavailability of staff time to deal with the difficult relocation of the trail off private property very close to wetlands. The current proposed option proposed is to go on the paved section between the school and the administration building to the back corner of the parking lot , then through the woods and out to Woburn Street at the Housing Authority. This option hopefully needs relatively little investment of time by Conservation to approve. A future option proposed by Mike once the present school administration building is razed and playing fields installed would be to use the wooded border on the left side of the property to circle around the playing fields to reach the wooded parcel connecting to the Housing Authority and Woburn Street. Proposed Waterstone Connector. Mike, Stephen, and Keith met with Karen and Carol Kowalski via Zoom. Carol agreed to provide introductions to the appropriate people at MassDOT and MWRA, with the expectation that much can be carried forward without her involvement. Karen provided wetland surveys of the area near Waterstone to aid in trail location.