Bellingham Bikeway Meeting
March 4, 2009
7:00 PM
In attendance were: Clifford Matthews, Daniel Ranieri, Neil Standley, Wm. Roberts, Lori Fafard and Anne Matthews.
Cliff Matthews started the meeting by suggesting that the group should have a plan and bid document in place so that when the environmental bond money becomes available, we can take action.
Dan Ranieri suggested that the first order of business should be to get the group formally designated by the Board of Selectmen as a subcommittee of the Conservation Commission in order to avoid any conflicts in the future. He also stated that we should have a liaison from the Board of Selectmen as a member of the committee. Cliff Matthews said that he would contact Denis Fraine to initiate that process. Another question for Denis Fraine is whether the members need to be sworn in.
Bill Roberts said that the previous plan for the 2.3 mile trail was presented as a three phase project and that $50,000 had already been approved a few years ago through Senator Moore’s efforts. Dan Ranieri stated that the proposed phasing may be a problem since a $3.5m to 4m deficit is projected for the next fiscal year. Lori Fafard will be talking with Jen Callahan this weekend to get specifics on the funding details of the Environmental Bond money and report back to the committee. She said that she would also try to get some information on the Community Use Grant.
Neal Standley volunteered to contact Vanesse Hangen Brustlin Inc. to get more specific information on the costs associated with the construction of the trails. VHB surveyed and designed the RI trail system. Dan Ranieri also stated that we could get information
from the contractor who was involved with the Milford trail. The Rails to Trails Conservancy was another resource mentioned.
Cliff Matthews suggested that we schedule a site walk of the trail on an early spring Saturday morning as soon as conditions allow. The first part of the walk would be starting at Fox Run Road and walking towards Blackstone and the second part from Fox Run Road to the Franklin town line. Once seen, we would have to decide on the best use of the funding.
Bill Roberts suggested the use of the Parks Building as a possible site for our next meeting. Since there were conflicts with Mondays and Wednesdays, we tentatively scheduled the third Thursday in April for our next meeting. (This needs to be changed due to a conflict with the Master Plan Committee meetings.)
Meeting was adjourned at 8:00 PM
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