Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Friends Say Acton Extension is On Schedule For 2014

Few issues have galvanized a neighborhood as much as the topic of parking along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail here in Westford.

That issue may become moot soon, with the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (FBFRT) announcing construction will begin on Phase 2A of the trail next spring that would include a parking lot near, but not inside, Westford.

With the majority of the planning now completed for Phase 2A, FBFRT volunteers announced outreach to Acton residents and businesses abutting the trail was generally positive.

"We had a great time talking with commercial abutters," said FBFRT volunteer Gerri Abrams in the FBFRT newsletter. "They all bus hugged and kissed us when we identified ourselves. They want the finished trail to by their establishment tomorrow. Some of them gave us their life stories, it took so much of the day."

However, the FBFRT outreach efforts also indicated concerns over trail users parking in Acton neighborhoods or business parking spaces, and some residents asked if they could have privacy fences.

The effort marks the pending conclusion of "the Acton Plan," the proposed parking lot in Acton just a few hundred feet away from the border of Westford and Carlisle was a compromise between those looking for parking along the trail in Westford and neighbors who felt parking would not comply with zoning regulations and the character of the area.

Until financing for the Phase 2A portion of the trail came from the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (Boston MPO)  in the Summer of 2012, the Acton Plan seemed out of reach, necessitating a nearly two hour discussion on a $5,000 study on parking at the 2012 Spring Town Meeting that passed by just 11 votes.

In their newsletter, the FBFRT also indicated that the Boston MPO may revisit the issue of funding for Phase 2A, and that some details such as details on bridges and reviewing draining concerns are still pending.

Details of the FBFRT's abutters' survey can be found at this link.

In other Bruce Freeman Rail Trail news, the Board of Selectmen approved the construction of an informational kiosk and two benches along the trail, an issue that was also contentious during the 2012 Spring Town Meeting when it was pursued on the Vose Parcel.

The debate on that topic can be seen on the Westford CAT video of the May 14 Board of Selectmen meeting, which runs from approximately the 20:00 to 56:00 mark.