If you build it...

Welcome back!

It looked like a quiet week, but Thursday night added a wrinkle to one of the major stories we’ve been following ahead of Annual Town Meeting. So here we are, publishing late in the day…

Here’s what we have for you this week:

1. Zoning Board of Appeals Will Not Support Firearms Business Bylaw

2. How to Watch Annual Town Meeting

3. Thoughts in Return? A Q&A with Glenn Pransky, Rail Trail Expert

4. L-S Building and Grounds Department Updates School Committee

5. SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

Let’s get into it!

Zoning Board of Appeals Will Not Support Firearms Business Zoning Bylaw

By Kevin LaHaise

On Thursday, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) met to discuss the Firearms Safety Business Use Zoning Bylaw proposed by the Select Board for Annual Town Meeting. The net result was a decision to take a position on the proposed bylaw amendment at Annual Town Meeting. The ZBA will not be supporting the bylaw amendment, but their position was more nuanced than just deciding if they were in support of, or opposed to, the bylaw.

Over the course of the meeting the ZBA members iterated on a position that will focus on the flaws they perceived in the draft and the need for additional work to make the bylaw viable and appropriate in their eyes. Members expressed a desire to make it clear they think it’s good the Town is taking action on this issue, but the current draft needs additional work.

The members raised a variety of concerns about the bylaw, including the fact that the Select Board, rather than the Zoning Board of Appeals, would be the Special Permit Granting Authority for firearms businesses if the bylaw passed. They felt it would be more appropriate for the Zoning Board of Appeals to play that role, and Chair John Riordan repeatedly voiced displeasure that the Select Board did not consult with the Zoning Board of Appeals at all during the development of the bylaw. That sentiment became more pronounced after Select Board Chair Janie Dretler commented to clarify that two members of the Select Board advocated for the board to engage the ZBA, but the Select Board majority declined to do so.

Other concerns included which local authorities should be tasked with enforcement of certain provisions of the bylaw, and the need for further review of the operating requirements, such as insurance minimums and video surveillance, laid out in the bylaw. Member Frank Riepe noted that there’s a section of the bylaw that refers to another section that doesn’t exist in the bylaw draft to demonstrate the need for additional work.

Members considered the possibility of supporting the bylaw and endeavoring to make the amendments later. The idea was that it might be better to have regulations to control firearms businesses in the zoning bylaw, rather than nothing, while those amendments are developed.

Ultimately the board reached a consensus that it was unlikely there would be any appetite to revisit the bylaw again if it were to pass in its current form; making it unlikely, in their estimation, that the amendments they would like to see would be implemented. They acknowledge that there may be some risk of a firearms business opening before the town had regulations in place if it took another year to work on the bylaw. Members felt that risk was relatively low since no firearms business has indicated in interest in opening in Sudbury as far back as any of the members could recall.

Select Board members Charlie Russo and Jennifer Roberts also joined in the discussion to add further context and answer any questions. Following the comments from Russo and Roberts, Chair Riordan asked the board if any members would like to change their position based on what they just heard.

None of the members were swayed and the board held its position.

Chair Riordan was tasked with drafting a statement articulating the board’s position. That statement is expected to be delivered at Annual Town Meeting, which begins on May 6.

How to Watch Annual Town Meeting

By The League of Women Voters of Sudbury

Annual Town Meeting begins Monday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the auditorium of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. All residents should have received a paper copy of the Warrant in the mail this week.

For those who cannot attend all or part of Town Meeting in person, the meeting will be broadcast live on SudburyTV via cable TV and Internet livestream.

Cable TV viewers can tune in on Comcast channels 8 and 1074 and Verizon channels 31 and 2130. The Internet livestream can be viewed on a computer, smartphone, or other device here; select either the “Government” or “HD” stream. A cable subscription is not needed to view the livestream.

Sudbury registered voters must be present at Town Meeting to vote; there is no remote or absentee voting. Votes are recorded in real time using handheld clickers. Learn more about the clickers here and why all Town Meeting voting is only live, in-person here.

Find out more about Town Meeting here and what to expect at Town Meeting here.

Information about accessibility at Town Meeting is here, and the screen-reader accessible web edition of the Warrant is here.

The deadline to register to vote for the May 6 Annual Town Meeting is Friday, April 26.

Check voter registration status or register to vote here.

Thoughts In Return?

A Q&A with Glenn Pransky, Rail Trail Expert

Glenn serves on Sudbury's Rail Trails Advisory Committee, and is a rail trail expert who has traveled extensively to explore rail trails from coast to coast.

1. Rail trail activity in Sudbury has never been higher in Sudbury. Can you give readers a sense of the status of the two rail trails today? 

Kevin, we’re literally at a historic crossroads – with two trails under construction that could be completed within a year, with a total of 9 miles of new pathways in Sudbury. (Map here.) Now that the initial paving is complete on the Bruce Freeman, and almost all of the grading is done on the Mass Central, we have a better sense of what the end result will look like. Many of us have walked along these corridors, and enjoyed these areas, but it hasn’t been accessible to most residents – that’s going to change soon. We will have access to wonderful natural areas that include wetlands, glacial landscapes and unique environments that have previously been inaccessible to most residents.

2. The BFRT is on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in May. Can you provide some background on those articles? 

There are two articles, both requesting Community Preservation Grant funds. The first one (Article 36) will provide the remaining funds needed to complete the design work on phase 3 of the Bruce Freeman rail trail – from the intersection with the Mass Central (just north of Rt 20) south to the Framingham town line – the old CSX corridor that we purchased. Sudbury is responsible for the costs of design and permitting; the state Dept of Transportation will cover all the construction costs. This is the same way that we funded completion of the Bruce Freeman north of the Diamond. Although we’re not scheduled for State construction funding until fiscal year 2029, once we have the design complete, we’re eligible to get moved ahead in the schedule – this happens often with rail trail projects. Fingers crossed!

Article 40 is also requesting CPC funds to figure out how best to improve access to the Parkinson Field parking lot, located next to Ti Sales just north of Hudson Rd. This parking lot connects directly to the Bruce Freeman Rail trail via a paved ramp, the Parkinson recreational field, extensive trails on Town land, and is near Town Center. We actually designed this ramp specifically to provide an ADA-accessible pathway directly to the rail trail. There’s room for at least 25 cars there. For a town like ours, where walking or cycling on streets is not great, most trail users – especially with children - will be driving to a trailside parking lot like this one, then walking or cycling.

The problem is that the town-owned driveway from Hudson Rd. to this lot is one lane, unpaved, and has bad sight lines. The alternative is driving through the Ti Sales parking lot, with potential conflicts with heavy trucks. We don’t know what is the best answer, what’s feasible given wetlands, land ownership, traffic patterns – so this article will support a study to look at alternatives and help us plan next steps together.

3. Residents have heard a lot about the BFRT, but less about the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT). Can you give us a general background on the MCRT? What makes it significant, and what will be unique about Sudbury’s portion of the trail? 

The Mass Central is a 104 mile corridor from Boston to Northampton (map here), and is a State priority for completion as a pathway across the state. What’s unique about the Sudbury portion is the variety of landscapes we have along the MCRT – wetlands, pine barrens, forest – including some spectacular areas behind Mill Village that have been inaccessible until now. And what’s also unique is our commercial area right at the intersection of two major long trails – a great economic opportunity for stores and restaurants. We’ll soon be able to ride or walk to Hudson along the MCRT, all off road, giving us access to more trails, restaurants, and open space. And a few years later, a ride all the way to Waltham entirely off-road will become a reality. (See DCR plans here)

Other parts of the MCRT have become a major alternative transportation and recreation pathway from Wayland to Boston, with lots of enthusiastic users in every town along the way. I’ve recently discovered parts of the MCRT that are open in central Mass – much more rural, very scenic, connecting small towns and protected watershed and conservation areas - some photos here. Check out the Wachusett Greenways sections here. Community organizations in Hudson, Berlin, Clinton, Rutland, ware and Belchertown are all moving forward with plans to complete their portions. So we’re becoming part of this chain, and will see more people in Sudbury interested in experiencing the whole corridor by walking or cycling.

4. There’s a lot of history in the two rail corridors. What are some of the more intriguing historical aspects that you have come across in your work? What’s the importance of that history? 

Both the Old Colony Line (Bruce Freeman) and the Mass Central Railroad (MCRR) were initially developed to bring agricultural products and people from rural areas to cities. These lines never had high volumes of trains, but had a major impact in opening up markets for milk and produce to Sudbury farmers. And later, they enabled the start of suburban living in Sudbury for people working in Lowell, Boston or Framingham. There’s a lot of history – its covered in great talks on the MCRR by Ed Sterling here, and one by our local historian Steve Greene on the Old Colony line here. Some highlights include Gov. Calvin Coolidge taking a private rail car from Northampton to Boston through Sudbury, Babe Ruth getting on the MCRR at the Dutton Rd/ Wayside Inn stop and regaling passengers, and the importance of the MCRR as a transport pathway for munitions from the Maynard Ammo Dump to Charlestown during WW2. The cattle crossing reminds us of the ‘milk run’ on the MCRR that brought milk to Boston every day. And the Old Colony Line trains crashing into Mass Central trains at the Diamond intersection before the installation of electric signals brought some infamy to Sudbury.

Living in the suburbs today, it’s easy to forget our agricultural roots, and what the landscape was like for tens of thousands of years before Europeans arrived – the environment that indigenous peoples would have experienced. Walking these trails and understanding the history brings us back to an appreciation of our origins as a town, and our historical environment. We’ve got two knowledgeable railroad historians locally – Steve Green and Rick Conard – they know much more, and I’d encourage you to interview them about railroad history in subsequent issues. There’s also a great book about the Mass Central Railroad published by the B and M RR Historical Society, and a recently published book about the Ammo Dump (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/201921123 ) that some of your readers might enjoy. And we have excellent archives at our Town Historical Society that record our town’s railroad history.

5. The trails have the potential to have a transformative impact on Sudbury. How might the opening of these two trails shape the community in the future? What needs to be done to maximize their value to the community?

I’ve travelled up and down the East Coast looking at rail trails, trying to learn from others what we might anticipate. In almost every community, there were initial concerns – will this bring unwanted traffic, visitors, crime, noise? But after the trail opened, the attitudes have become much more positive – traffic was managed, visitors were welcomed, noise was minimal (or decreased with less traffic) and crime actually was less. These communities benefited greatly from becoming more walkable, less car-centric, and developing more amenities that encouraged people to get outdoors and interact (some examples here, here, and a summary report here). Take a look at this article on impact of shared use paths in Massachusetts). And these impacts seem to be consistent across different states, rural and suburban locations.

Our commercial center -at the intersection of two major long-distance trails – is a prime location for this sort of transformation. I think we’ll have to see what happens, and hopefully that will stimulate a dialogue as a community about what we want the area around Route 20 to look like in the future. It’s a great opportunity for all of us. And I should mention that we on the Rail Trail Advisory Committee are meeting more people who tell us that the rail trails were a major reason for moving to Sudbury – they recognize this unique opportunity for safe recreation that other towns don’t have. They have different expectations than us long-time Sudbury residents about walking, interacting with others outside, non-car transportation, kids riding their bikes to school – and that’s going to change our town in a good way, improving our health and quality of life.

We on the Committee are eager to hear from residents and encourage people to attend our meetings – we hope to shape this future vision collectively.

6. You have experienced a number of trails across the country. Can you put Sudbury’s position on these rail trails in a regional context? What is the vision for the completed corridors? 

The Bruce Freeman is very close to becoming a long-distance recreational trail across MetroWest, and more and more people are enjoying it for walks or day-long excursions. The Mass Central is now recognized as a potential tourist attraction for multi-day travel across the state, much like the Erie Canal Path or the Great Allegheny Passage. Take a look at this recent report on the potential economic, community and health impact of developing the MCRT: https://www.nnnetwork.net/_files/ugd/92f6ae_e3570328d6974c3c9dfcb512eaf91425.pdf 

Of course, all of this development will create opportunities for us who live in Sudbury, to enjoy more services and amenities.

7. What are some of the remaining challenges for Sudbury’s two rail trails? 

First, getting them completed – good news is that we’re close. And thanks to the efforts of our Town staff, the amenities that will come along with these trails in Sudbury are excellent. The next big step for us will be addressing the Rt 20 area along both trails – enabling people to visit stores and restaurants safely, including residents who aren’t using the trails very much, but also want to walk more instead of driving everywhere.

We should also think about connections to side trails, neighborhoods, stores, and recreational areas – these have become major features on other trails.  It’s consistent with our Town Master Plan, and a great opportunity for all of us – I feel very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to help move this effort along.

L-S Building and Grounds Department Updates School Committee

By Kevin LaHaise

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Building and Grounds department presented a high-level update on their work to the L-S School Committee on Tuesday. Kevin Rossley, the Director of Building and Grounds, walked them through the broad strokes of their efforts to maintain an environment that supports the academic and athletic activities at the school.

In addition to the overall conditions of the building and grounds, the committee and administration lauded the high quality of the department staff, their engagement in the school community, ongoing efforts to pursue new trainings and certification, and the efficiency of service provided to the school community when requests are made. Here’s a slide providing an overview of the department’s responsibilities:

Notably, Rossley conveyed to the committee that the building is aging. While many in the community still refer to it as the “new building,” it’s now 20 years old. Much like the other school buildings in Sudbury, Rossley said they would need to start planning for a roof replacement, which is a major capital project. In addition to aging infrastructure, he also indicated that inflation and technology updates present some challenges to the department. That’s consistent with comments from the Town of Sudbury and Sudbury Public Schools.

The list of upcoming projects/needs is significant, and includes an HVAC system upgrade, wastewater system upgrades and track resurfacing in addition to the roof. Here’s a slide of the projects coming in the future:

The administration emphasized that Rossley’s team works closely with the administration in the capital planning process. He also explained how the department tries to maximize the shelf life of any given asset and works to prioritize projects with the administration.

Kirsteen Patterson, the high school’s Director of Finance and Operations, emphasized that the good work of the department creates some flexibility in the capital planning process, pointing out that a well-maintained asset may not need to be replaced as soon as planned, which allows them to address unexpected or emergent maintenance needs when they come up.

SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

Parting Thoughts

Buckle up for next week. The Select Board will be covering a little bit of everything in their meeting, and the Town calendar is jam-packed, including a Finance Committee meeting on Monday.

Both the Finance Committee and Select Board may take additional positions on articles. One “hanging chad,” if you will, is the article sponsored by the Goodnow Library Trustees to fund the installation of electric vehicle chargers at the library.

That article was described as unnecessary by Town Manager Andy Sheehan in prior meetings, largely because they’ve identified a funding source that doesn’t require Town Meeting. So the Select Board has been holding out to hear what the Finance Committee has to say about it. Meanwhile, the Combined Facilities Director has already stated publicly that the project is moving forward, but will take some time due to the process required to take advantage of incentives available for such projects. The Trustees have opted to keep the article even after that information became public, which seemed to add to the confusion for the Select Board on Tuesday. (1:36:20)

So how much money is at stake with this storm in a teacup? The estimated cost to the town after the incentives is expected to be about four-thousand bucks, with an intent to pay for it out of the Solar Revolving Fund.

Onward!