Above: The Trails Committee is holding a session to pitch its Town Meeting Article to close the last big gap in Southborough’s trail system.
On May 22nd, voters will be asked to support funding five projects out of Community Preservation Act funds. In preparation, one project proponent is holding an information session this week.
The Southborough Trails Committee will provide an overview and answer questions about their Peninsula Trail Project, ATM Article #22 “Trail on DCR Land”.
For those unfamiliar with the Article, it asks:
To see if the Town will vote to appropriate $47,011 from the FY22 estimated CPA annual revenue for the 1.6 mile Peninsula Trail for recreation purposes as requested by the Southborough Trails Committee (STC) with $42,737 in project costs and an additional $4,274 in contingency funding.
The zoom Listening Session with FAQs will take place this Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 pm. It will be open to the first 100 registrants. (It will also be recorded for later viewing by those who miss it.)
The Committee dedicated a special page to the event. It includes an overview of the project designed to close the last big gap in the Town’s trail system:
Project Scope:
- Open a 1.6 mile section of Boroughs Loop/Aqueduct trail near Fayville Dam referenced as the Peninsula Trail (tentatively scheduled for 2022)
- Add Wayfinding, regulatory, interpretive signage including:
- Trail kiosks w/maps, trail markings, permitted uses, educational and historical information
- Install fencing around existing infrastructure
A summary in the Warrant explains that funds will be used under the direction of the Trails committee for improvements to the trail segment that will:
close a gap in the 33-mile regional Boroughs Loop Trail (BLT) that connects the trail networks of Marlborough, Northborough, Westborough and Southborough. The trail will also be part of MWRA’s Aqueduct Trail system and will serve as a future connection to Framingham’s Aqueduct Trail on the east side off Pine Hill Road. The BLT is adjacent to, and intersects with, the Bay Circuit Trail, a 230-mile regional trail extending through 37 communities. Constructing this section of trail will help to close an important trail gap in Southborough and fulfill the town’s commitment to complete this initiative.
The summary also notes that parking will be available for 2-4 cars at the Rt.30/Central street location and that funding will allow the committee to apply for a state grant to improve Trail accessibility in that area.
The event page details the project goals, how it will benefit Southborough, and more. There’s also a link to the application the committee submitted to the Community Preservation Commission. You can check all of that out, along with the zoom registration details, here.
Updated (5/21/21 5:36 pm): You can find the recorded session and related documents here.
