Sidewalks and the Rail Trail

What a beautiful day for an early morning run. Well, so I thought. It's been 3-4 days since the snowy weather, so I was hoping to finally get a chance to get outside. The 3 mile loop around my house is about 1/3 roads, 2/3 sidewalks and rail trail. I started off on the road and the road conditions were great - clear and dry. This is something that we've come to expect from our DPW department. Sure, people hem and haw during storms about whether their streets are cleared, but a few days later, things are usually well cleared. Unfortunately, about 1/2 mile into my run, I transition onto a sidewalk. Ugh. Big sections of snow with ice underneath. There were no signs of any attempt at clearing these walkways. And the unfortunate thing is that kids will be traversing these sidewalks tomorrow morning on the way to school. Cross your fingers for their safety.

Soon, I came upon the part of my run that goes along the rail trail. There are still snow and ice areas, but there are some areas where I can see the black trail...Ack, these are black ice!

Last week there was a citizen's petition regarding sidewalks in town. This was the 2nd (maybe 3rd) time that this citizen's petition has reached Town Meeting, and with every new petition, there is increased support. This one was only 30-40 votes shy of passing. I'm guessing there were at least that many people missing from Town Meeting who might have voted yes (Note: 100 signatures were required to even get it on the Town Meeting warrant.)

So what's my point? We have sidewalks in town, and we have a beautiful new rail trail. What's the plan for maintaining these for the winter months so that our kids can get to school safely and the community can use these paths to get outside, breath some fresh air, and be healthy!

For several years we've been allocating $50,000 a year for sidewalks and walkways. What has that money been used for? Is it actually being used for walkways, or is it just going unused and flowing to free cash at the end of the year?

It's time. It's time for the Select Board to facilitate the discussion. It's time for the Town Management to gather the relevant department directors and start to come up with a plan. Allocate funds to clear the paths in the winter. Develop a process for determining if we can add more sidewalks. It's time to do something.