Resent-From: From: Pat Brown Subject: [RTCAC] Recommendation concerning the "Bring the Trail to Sudbury" offer Date: October 24, 2011 8:58:16 AM EDT To: Selectmen , O'Brien Larry , Haarde Bob , Drobinski John Cc: Rail Trail Conversion Advisory Committee To the Board of Selectmen: At the September 27, 2011, meeting of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen, Tom Michelman, President of the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (FBFRT), presented an offer to "Bring the Trail to Sudbury" on behalf of the FBFRT. He had initially described this offer to the Board via e-mail on June 29, 2011. Mr. Michelman also presented the offer to the Rail Trail Conversion Advisory Committee (RTCAC) on September 22, 2011. Selectman O'Brien stated at the September 27 BOS meeting that the Board would formally request a recommendation concerning this proposal from the RTCAC. We have not received such a request. Nevertheless, the RTCAC met on October 13, 2011, to consider a recommendation for the Board of Selectmen. We had understood from the comments by Selectman O'Brien that the BOS would be making a decision within 30 to 35 days following their September 27 meeting and wanted to present our input in a timely fashion. The RTCAC voted on the following motion: Bridget Hanson moved that the RTCAC recommend to the selectmen that they accept the proposal by the FBRFT to raise and donate $50,000 for the initial (25%) design of the BFRT for 0.5 miles in Sudbury from the Concord/Sudbury line to the sidewalk along the south side of route 117, including a self-actuated signal at the 117 crosswalk. The motion was accepted 5 to 3 on a role call vote, as follows: Pat Brown -- No Madeleine Gelsinon -- No Bob Hall -- Yes (Bob is a Board member of the FBFRT) Bridget Hanson -- Yes Jennifer Pincus -- Yes (Jennifer is a former member of the FBFRT) Eric Poch -- Absent Nancy Powers -- Yes (Nancy is a member of the FBFRT) Dick Williamson -- Yes (Dick is a Board Member of the FBFRT) Carole Wolfe -- No (Carole is an abutter to the right of way south of the proposed extension.) Please let us know if you would like further comment. We would welcome the opportunity to share our reasoning and address any further questions or concerns at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen. Respectfully submitted, Pat Brown Chair Rail Trail Conversion Advisory Committee Three relevant documents which formed the basis of our discussion--the proposal letter and the cover letter e-mailed to the Board of Selectmen on June 29, 2011, and the slides presented to the RTCAC on September 22 and the BOS on September 27--are posted in the "Rail Trail" section of the RTCAC documents: Proposal to "Bring the Trail to Sudbury" Proposal to "Bring the Trail to Sudbury" (cover letter) Proposal to "Bring the Trail to Sudbury" (slides)