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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-17-GCC-minMINUTES Greenways Corridor Committee December 17, 2012, 4:30 -6 pm Legion Room, Cary Hall Members Present Rick Abrams, Alex Dohan, Peggy Enders, Bob Hausslein, Paul Knight, Keith Ohmart, Mike Tabaczynski Members Absent Eileen Entin Other Attendees Stew Kennedy (Conservation Commission liaison), Howie Vogel (Recreation Committee liaison), Aaron Ladd (member of public) 1. Votes: • November 26 meeting Minutes — approved • to disband ACROSS Lexington subcommittee —approved • draft of West Lexington Greenway Master Plan for BoS - approved 2. Current Business Review: • WLGMP (Keith) - Keith's executive summary for the Select Board was approved. (see attached) • Trail Easement tracking (Stew) - Stew met with Emily Schadler (Conservation Dept) and Aaron Henry (Planning Dept) to look at data on conservation restrictions. A similar database can be used for trail easements. Stew and Eileen will work on it. • CPA funding proposal for ACROSS Lexington — In a straw vote the CPC unanimously approved sending the proposal before the Select Board. Legal approval is still pending, however. A working group will meet in January to consider next steps pending funding from various sources. Current Business Updates: • Open Meeting Training Session (Keith/Rick) — Rick & Keith attended and learned lots of useful bureaucratic information regarding minutes, subcommittees, etc. • Report from MAPC Green Routes workshop (Rick/Keith) - Rick & Keith attended sessions of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's recent conference, gathered information on funding of trails and building of trails. State doesn't have much money for projects, but grassroots interest can get votes for such projects. GCC will support regional effort to create coalition of interested trail groups to lobby for funding. Rick will be our liaison to MAPC. • Lexington 300 walk discuss at January meeting, in conjunction with Bike/Walk week, May 5 -11, 2013. 4. New Business: • Rick Abrams ACROSS Lexington Trust Fund —In honor of his retirement, Rick's colleagues have generously donated and set up a trust fund, to be directed by Rick, which will help fund ACROSS Lexington development into the future. Congratulations, Rick, and thank you to all the donors!! Action Items: Spreadsheet for tracking Easements — Stew, Eileen Next Steps for ACROSS route planning — Rick to coordinate working group Future Agenda Items: • Bike/Walk Week • Handicap accessibility for trail (action for Conservation Stewards, not GCQ Next Meeting: January 28, 2013, 4:30 -6 pm, Legion Room, Cary Hall 2013 Meeting Dates: February 25, March 25, April 22, May 20 *, June 24, July 22, September 23, October 28, November 25, December 23 *3 Monday; also note, No August Meeting Respectfully Submitted, Alexandra Dohan, Secretary Report to the Board of Selectmen West Lexington Greenway Master Plan December 2012 On behalf of the original members of the West Lexington Greenway Task Force and the current membership of the Greenways Corridor Committee, we are pleased to present the Board of Selectmen on behalf of the Town with this report summarizing the completed West Lexington Greenway Master Plan as prepared by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB). The West Lexington Greenway is the five -mile swath of primarily open space on the west side of Interstate 95/Route 128, and represents the largest assemblage of open space in Lexington. Ownership of the various parcels includes several Town properties most of which is in Conservation, as well as the City of Cambridge, NSTAR, the Boston Sports Club and individual property owners. Over the NSTAR parcels there are transportation easements. The work to develop this master plan began in the fall of 2006 with the formation of the ad hoc West Lexington Greenway Task Force representing interests on the part of the Lexington Conservation Stewards and the Bicycle Advisory Committee, which put together a proposal for funding utilizing Community Preservation Act funds. The proposal was approved by Town Meeting in the spring of 2007 and the firm of Vanasse Hangen & Brustlin, Inc. was hired to undertake the master planning process in the fall of 2007, with the project being managed jointly for the Town by Karen Mullins and Karen Simmons. After steady progress in the first year of the project, momentum was lost due in part to staffing problems at VHB, with the project successfully completed with final deliverables received in October 2012. Summary of Goals and Objectives of the planning process: • Layout and design the Minuteman Connector, a proposed bicycle /pedestrian path connecting the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway and the Battle Road Trail in the Minuteman National Historical Park, • Improve access and connections to all Town Conservation Areas located west of Route 128, • Improve the existing network of trails within the Greenway project area, • Use the Greenway as a means to preserve the existing historical, cultural and ecological resources, and as an educational tool to interpret these resources. • Complete the 25% Design Phase of the proposed Minuteman Connector route linking the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway with the Battle Road Trail in the Minuteman National Historical Park. Summary of Site Inventory Findings from the Master Plan document: An extensive inventory database for the study area was compiled by the consultant and distilled into a collection of maps supported by a written summary covering the following topics: • Land Use and Zoning • Open Space Preservation • Parcel Ownership including Existing License Agreements • Circulation Characteristics including Street Crossings, Public Transportation, Existing Trails, Wetland Crossings, Connectivity to Adjacent Open Space Resources within Lexington and Neighboring Communities, Access Points and Parking • Natural Resource Inventory including Wetlands, Plant Communities, Invasive Plant Species, Areas of Ecological Significance, and Wildlife Inventory • Inventory of Significant Historical, Geological and Archeological Features Summary of Recommendations from the Master Plan document: • Proposed Trail Alignments: Central Section/Minuteman Connector — Develop a trail south from the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway through the Tophet Swamp, Katandin Woods and NSTAR properties to Wood Street, cross Wood Street and subject to successful negotiations between the town and private property owner(s), continue the trail south of Wood Street to the Battle Road Trail in the Minuteman National Historical Park; or alternatively, continue along Wood Street to the Minuteman National Historical Park entrance in the absence of private property owner agreement(s). Northern Section — Work with Town planning for Hartwell Avenue improvements to develop a trail connection north of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, cross Bedford Street, and utilize town land along the power line corridor to reach Grove Street, cross Grove Street and utilize existing trails in the Paint Mine Conservation property to reach Turning Mill Road, cross Turning Mill Road and connect to existing trails in the Landlocked Forest parcel in the Town of Burlington. - Southern Section — Cross Massachusetts Avenue south of the Minuteman National Historical Park and connect to trails in the Cranberry Hill Conservation property and Cambridge Water Department property to reach Lincoln Street. Develop ancillary trail connections leading off of the main north/south trail throughout project area to provide additional access points and connections to adjacent and nearby open space parcels within Lexington and neighboring communities. • Street Crossings — Suggestions were made for the following street crossings: Wood Street — install user - activated signalize crossing Bedford Street — enhanced signalized crossing Grove Street — improved crosswalk markings with pedestrian crossing signage Design Guidelines — Trail Types: A range of trail surface types were suggested specific to various locations ranging from highly developed twelve -foot wide paved trails to natural surface recreational trails. • 25% Design Phase completed for the portion of the proposed Minuteman Connector from the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway to Wood Street only, due to the inability of the Town to reach an agreement with the private property owner of the parcel south of Wood Street extending to the Minuteman National Historical Park. It has been suggested by the Town Manager that a copy of the mapping data from this Master Plan and 25% Design Phase documents be filed with the Department of Public Works for incorporation with Town GIS information, in addition to copies retained by Conservation and Recreation. The Greenways Corridor Committee wishes to thank the Town for funding this Master Plan document and proposes returning to the Board of Selectmen at a future point in time with a prioritized list of recommendations for implementing various elements of this Master Plan. The Greenways Corridor Committee remains dedicated to the task of identifying, planning and recommending the implementation of non - vehicular access corridors for the public where appropriate to Lexington's open space assets. Keith Ohmart Chair, Greenways Corridor Committee cc: Community Preservation Committee Capital Expenditures Committee Conservation Division Conservation Commission Recreation Department Recreation Committee Planning Board Bicycle Advisory Committee Department of Public Works