ONE2017finaledits 08-03-17

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Trail mix Abandoned railroads become vibrant paths but some communities voice concerns BY DAVID LISCIO A national initiative to transform abandoned railroads into public bicycle and walking trails is stirring controversy in at least two North Shore communities. Lynnfield and Swampscott residents remain divided, but recent ballot votes in both communities favored trail construction and authorized partial funding. Those who embrace the Rails to Trails concept contend such paths enhance abutting property values, create healthy recreational opportunities and put the land to better use. Detractors are concerned the trails will bring noise and traffic, encourage a parade of strangers through their neighborhoods, increase local taxes to pay for maintenance, damage environmentally-sensitive areas and lead to crime. Bicyclists, pedestrians and runners of all ages typically gravitate to the trails. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. Several local communities have successfully built trails at little cost to taxpayers and no discernible spike in crime. Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Revere and Saugus all have some form of bicycle/ pedestrian trail and few problems have arisen. The Rails to Trails initiative encountered stumbling blocks in Swampscott and Lynnfield, although the respective boards of selectmen and voters in both communities subsequently authorized bicycle and pedestrian trail projects. LYNNFIELD In Lynnfield, voters on April 24 authorized the town to move forward with plans for a 4.4-mile Wakefield/ Lynnfield Rail Trail that begins at the Galvin Middle School on Main Street in Wakefield and extends to the Lynnfield/ Peabody town line. Those opposed to the project, like Citizens of Lynnfield Against the Rail Trail, contend it’s a mistake and plan to challenge the vote outcome. The project mustered strong community support and will be funded by $7 million in state and federal grants. Friends of the Lynnfield Rail Trail will raise $5,000 annually for trail maintenance. Lynnfield resident Thomas Grilk, CEO of the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Marathon, posted a personal statement on the Friends group website, www.lynnfieldrailtrail.org, that outlines the benefits of a fitness trail. As Grilk put it, “Whether as nearby as Peabody or Lexington, or in more distant locales such as New Hampshire, Michigan, California, Germany or countries in Asia, I have yet to see a fitness trail that did not become a treasured asset of the communities privileged to be served by it. I welcome it 08 | ONE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017
Walkers, joggers and cyclists enjoy their morning exercise along the Danvers Rail Trail. PHOTOS: MARK LORENZ to my backyard.” Vince Inglese, a member of the Friends’ group Leadership Team, said the funding meets the state Department of Transportation estimate. “The trail cost is between $7 million and $9 million. Lynnfield’s trail will not be surfaced with stone dust. It will be paved with asphalt and be ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliant,” he said. Inglese said the $5,000 in annual trail maintenance amounts to $2,000 per mile and is modeled after successful trails in Topsfield and Danvers where support groups are composed of volunteers, as it would be in Lynnfield. He noted those communities raise maintenance funds through sponsors of one-tenth-mile trail markers. “The marker would have the donor’s or the business sponsor’s name on it,” he said. Not every Lynnfield resident was pleased by the pro-trail vote. Robert Breslow posts statements on the opposition group’s website www.nofor lynnfield.com. After the April vote, he announced the group plans to continue its fight, adding that any structure built in Lynnfield Conservation Commission. Breslow also pointed out any potential grants for the project likely would not be made available from the state or federal government until 2021. The opposition group has warned Lynnfield taxpayers they could be responsible for construction budget gaps, extra policing and emergency medical response costs, fence maintenance, storm damage repairs and additional parking expenses, all without any guarantee of future funding. Breslow decried the trail will increase town traffic, put more bicyclists on the roads, create a need for traffic lights, heighten the risk of fire and crime, cause noise and water pollution, result in litter and dog waste, and present a threat to the environment. Lynnfield and Wakefield in 2007 conducted a joint feasibility study on whether to build the bike path along property owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The corridor was once part of the southern section of the now defunct Newburyport Railroad. The subsequent plan showed 1.9 miles of trail in Wakefield and 2.5 miles in Lynnfield. Once built, it would become part of a 30-mile trail plan linking eight Essex County communities. Reedy Meadow has also complicated Lynnfield’s efforts to create a bike trail. The meadow was once a marsh and during storms it still floods the railroad tracks that cross it. The flooding has clogged culverts beneath the rail bed, curtailing the flow of water. The situation has raised questions about potential environmental damage, and the cost of building and maintaining a wooden walkway across the wetlands. Wakefield residents have expressed concern about the lack of parking for trail users, particularly near the town’s alreadycongested business district. Two additional parking areas on town-owned land have been examined as solutions. SWAMPSCOTT In Swampscott, a measure to spend $850,000 on design, engineering and the legal costs of acquiring property rights to the proposed trail, was passed by Town Meeting on May 15. The vote was 210-56. The outcome was quickly challenged by a citizens’ petition that gathered enough signatures to put the appropriation to a ballot vote on June 29. Forty-six percent of Swampscott voters turned out, resulting in an outcome of 2,741 to 2,152 in favor of the trail project. “I’m very happy that plans for a rail trail 09 | ONE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017
Page 1: Rails to trails LYNN: The great Wal
Page 4 and 5: FROM THE PUBLISHER Publisher Edward
Page 6: 04 | ONE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017
Page 9: JOYCE SELLS HOMES PROFESSIONAL •
Page 13 and 14: STATEWIDE Richard Fries, executive
Page 15 and 16: compositions, this was her tenth mu
Page 17 and 18: The sweet spot Peabody firm bakes t
Page 19 and 20: “As political director, my goal i
Page 21 and 22: were others that scatter in the qui
Page 23 and 24: Lynnfield native Heather Hegedus ba
Page 25 and 26: NICOLE MARCIANO straw hat, $12.99 (
Page 27 and 28: 50 YEARS AGO, BEANBALL CUT SHORT TO
Page 29 and 30: HOT DIGGITY DOGS 3 takes on a summe
Page 31 and 32: You feel human again.” Over the y
Page 33 and 34: Your table is waiting. Bring this a

ONE2017finaledits 08-03-17

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?