8-17-09 - Report about what happened at the Selectmen's meeting. 
The Selectmen refused to create a Town Bike Path committee as had been requested by the committee advocating a bike path for Chappy. The meeting was attended by 14 people who I identified as opponents and 8 including the leadership for the advocates: Dick Knight, Will Geresy, Bob Gurnitz, Bob Colvin, Melissa Kagan, Peter Wells, Gay Colvin and Shirley Dewing .
Instead the Selectman suggested that the advocates take the steps necessary by going through and involving the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Police, Highway Dept, Sheriffs Meadow Foundation, The Land Bank, The Trustees of Reservations, The Traffic commission, and the Finance Committee. Mike Donaroma said that there was no rush.
Arthur Smadbeck said that there is clearly opposition and that where paths were built elsewhere in town, all were in favor.
Rick Murray was a very effective speaker for the opposition, indicating that as a parent of four young kids, a selectman in Scituate and a former fan of bike paths, he now knows from experience in Scituate that there are many more accidents on bike paths, a different sort and some more serious than one would expect. He opposes this plan for Chappy.
Kagan said that they are committed and will keep moving on this.

Roger Becker