HI Bob:

First of all thanks for all the work you and the committee have done on this project. The presentation materials today were great. I know you have sensed the divisions in the community, and I am sure some of this has to be frustrating to the committee... Below are a few suggestions I would make as a person who is neither for or against the bike path without a lot more specifics.

This is a monumental project (witness the number of years it has been talked about). Your committee states that it is an idea committee, but for the project truly to move ahead there is a lot of work in addition to the basic path plans, and the final plans will need to be detailed enough for those not 100% on board with the concept to buy in.

1. Community relations - With a divided community, I believe it is really important to know to what levels people agree or disagree with various criteria to which the plan would be presented and built. As one person said, what are the deal breakers. This would need some fairly extensive survey and/or facilitated meetings. Unfortunately I think that these need to be done by an independent party so all sides of the community feel they are fairly represented. You will need to know how many people are opposed no matter what concessions are made; those who would support under what conditions; and those supporting no matter what design.

2. Funding - Huge issue since it will probably decide who dictates the final design and construction criteria. Also will need to have a clear picture of how the Town will participate both in construction and long term maintenance (I feel that some of the potential for increase accidents on the road come from a road with sand, crumbling pavement along the side where bikes ride, and potholes and cracks).

3. Abutters - I know this is a lot of work, but it would be helpful to know how all the people who are abutting the path feel - Would they be willing to allow easements to accommodate a path design that moves it away from the road.

My greatest fear when these types of initiatives surface is that it creates divides in the community, and many times there is no follow up to try and mend those. One side feels they won, the others feel they lost. Hopefully we can move away from a win loss situation, as well as the labeling of people who must fit into 1 or 2 camps... There are many great ideas out there and they need to be shared in a way beneficial to the whole community.

This all said I would like to suggest that the committee/community look into have a group like John Mullin from UMass School of Landscape Architecture come in and use this project as a case study for his students - We have had John do some work in the past, but it does not necessarily have to be them; hopefully some group like that that can look at all aspects of this very complex issue and be considered neutral by all community members. They will have the tools for design, surveying, and other tasks which take a huge amount of time, especially for a volunteer committee.

This should not be considered a slight in any way at your committee and all the hard work they have done. Everyone who has worked on this now and in the past is to be commended on all of the options and insight they have brought to the issue. But I think at a certain point the community becomes so entrenched in the ways each one views the issues, that it takes some outside objectives to move the issue along.

Woody Filley