Weston holds first public forum on Mass Central Rail Trail design and access

WESTON — September 19, 2017 — Weston residents weigh in on 3.3-mile Mass Central Rail Trail corridor ahead of spring 2018 paving. Rail Trail Committee Chair Jack Sands told a packed public meeting September 19 that Eversource and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation will cover the base surface cost of the trail — estimated at three to four million dollars — while the town focuses on determining what additional amenities it wants. Planner Tim Love of Utile Design, engaged by the committee for the pre-concept phase, told attendees flatly, "The rail trail is coming — our job as a town now is to make the rail trail work as well as possible." Breakout groups flagged parking limits, a planned underpass at Conant Road, dog leash rules, speed limits, and preservation of historic cattle crossings as priority concerns. DCR's Paul Janicki, director of greenways and trails planning, confirmed that the 104-mile Boston-to-Northampton corridor has a 99-year MBTA lease and that the Conant Road tunnel reopening is a DCR commitment, though cost-sharing with the town is unresolved. Sands said the committee has requested Community Preservation Committee funding to keep Utile Design under contract through the next six months and plans to bring a warrant article to November Town Meeting.