Rumbling Towards Town Meeting

Welcome back!

Nothing like a little wintry mix in early April to make you question your optimism! That little blast of winter this morning was as jarring as those three potholes on the way to Market Basket in Maynard!

Here’s what we have for you this week:

1. Sculpture in Steel for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

2. 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution - Participate and Celebrate

3. Almost a Quarter of Voters Used Mail Ballots

4. 250 Years Ago

5. SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

6. Committee Roundup

Let’s get into it!

Sculpture in Steel for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

By Len Simon

The Framingham and Lowell Railroad that ran from Lowell to Framingham is long gone, and memories of seeing trains on it are fading fast.  The baritone steam whistles blow no more.  The Framingham and Lowell line is receding into history.  No trains have been seen on it for more than 25 years. We can read about the railroads in history books, and if you pay attention, you can see some railroad artifacts along the sides of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.  Although now silent, they witnessed the transformation of Sudbury from a rural outpost to a growing agricultural town on the verge of the industrial revolution.  It wasn’t that long ago.

Although the railroad is no more, the corridor has a new life: as the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.  Its main uses now are recreation and transportation.

SALVAGING HISTORY

As the rails and ties were being dissembled, I used photography to document some of the methods and specialized equipment used to clear the corridor. 

The disassembly work resulted in railroad components, such as pieces of rail, connector bars, railroad spikes, and plates remaining on the ground. Most of the remaining pieces of iron were collected and hauled away for reuse or recycling.   With permission, I was able to save a few pieces of the railroad. 

They sat in my garage for about a year.  Then someone asked, “What are you going to do with all that junk?”  How could the pieces be put to good use?

INSPIRATION

The Lionel model trains in my basement gave me an idea.

Maybe the salvaged pieces of railroad could be used in a sculpture for the BFRT.  Thinking about what the sculpture should be, four criteria came to mind.  First, it should pay homage to the historical character of the land as a railroad.  Second, it should contain at least a few of the actual pieces of iron from the railroad.  Third, it should reflect the current use of the corridor as a recreational trail.  Fourth, it should respect the wildlife that inhabited the land even before it was a railroad. 

CONCRETE PADS FOR ARTWORKS

Plans were included in the original MassDOT design for proposed BFRT art amenities. There are four circular concrete pads along the trail, each five feet in diameter.

This one is just north of the spur connecting the rail trail to Parkinson Field.

FINDING AN ARTIST/WELDER WHO WORKS IN STEEL

The next step was to find an artist who worked in welding and steel.  After a few dead ends I was put in touch with Walter Clark, a welder/artist at Stonybrook Fine Arts in Jamaica Plain.  We met and I described the vision and requirements for a sculpture.

Walter came up with some sketches and ideas.  Over time I learned that translating a vision into something tangible required patience and flexibility for both Walter and myself.  Each trip to the studio in Jamica Plain brought concept and reality closer together.  

One day, Walter asked me to take a look at something he had created. Thanks to Walter’s artistry and creativity I could hold my vision in my hand.   This is the model he made.  

Walter cautioned me this was the concept in miniature.  Fabricating the actual sculpture would not be as easy as making this model.  The final result might be different due to availability of parts and the need for structural integrity.  But it would meet the four criteria I had set out.

PROGRESS PHOTOS

These are progress photos of the sculpture at Stonybrook as it was taking shape and coming to life. 

FIGURES FOR THE SCULPTURE

The next step was to decide upon the specific figures that would represent the current uses of the BFRT.  The figures would be fabricated from a plate of steel using a plasma cutting tool.  Getting the proper scale for adults, children, and wildlife was a challenge.

APRIL 4, 2025, Walter Clark with prototypes of figures.

SIZE

The final sculpture will be about 5 ½ feet long, 5 feet high, and 3 feet deep.  It will weigh over 500 pounds and will be painted black.

LOCATION

Placement of the sculpture along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail has not yet been decided. 

COST

The cost of the sculpture itself has been underwritten by a generous grant from the Friends of the Bruce Freemen Rail Trail.  The cost of transporting the sculpture to Sudbury and installing it will be covered by funding previously approved at the 2022 Sudbury Annual Town Meeting.

WHEN

I anticipate the sculpture will be placed this summer after the formal ribbon cutting ceremony, and when the right of way is in the custody of the Town of Sudbury.

250th Anniversary of the American Revolution - Participate and Celebrate

By The Sudbury 250 Committee

As we are quickly approaching the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and Sudbury’s unique role in those events, here is a summary of planned events that are coming up soon or have already taken place.

Future Events

Past Event

Almost a Quarter of Voters Used Mail Ballots

By Nancy Brumback

Nearly one quarter of voters in the March 31 Annual Town Election voted using a mail ballot. Of the 2,411 total ballots cast and counted, 555 (23%) were mail ballots. Twelve additional mail ballots were not counted because they were received after the deadline of 8 p.m. on Election Day.  You can check the status of your mail ballot here.  

In contrast, for the 2024 town election, 1,685 people voted by mail, 48.9% of the 3,390 total votes cast. During state election years such as 2024, the Secretary of State’s office sends a mail ballot application to all voters. In Sudbury, 3,628 voters requested mail ballots for the town election in 2024.  

Mail ballot requests, including those for all elections, expire at the end of each calendar year. Voters had to re-apply to receive a mail ballot for the 2025 town election. In odd-numbered years, with only municipal elections scheduled, the state does not send a mail ballot application via U.S. mail. Instead, Sudbury’s Town Clerk included information about applying for a mail ballot on the back of the Annual Town Census.

As of March 18, only 301 mail ballot applications had been received by the Town Clerk. A concerted effort by the League of Women Voters to inform voters of the need to reapply for a mail ballot by the deadline, March 24, helped increase the total number of applications to 703 by that deadline.

The Town Clerk received 19 absentee ballot requests, with 17 of those ballots returned. No-excuse mail ballots have largely replaced the use of absentee ballots except in specific circumstances.

One request for an accessible ballot was received, and that ballot was returned by the deadline and counted.

Two people cast provisional ballots in the March 31 election when their names were not found on the voting rolls. According to the Town Clerk, both of those provisional ballots were later rejected because there was no record of the individuals having registered to vote in Sudbury. Provisional ballots are frequently used when people think they are registered but are not listed in poll books.  Massachusetts does not have same-day voter registration, which would allow qualified residents to register on Election Day and then cast a ballot. 

While no more elections are currently scheduled in 2025, a special election may be held if spending articles approved at any town meeting also require a ballot vote. Voters who did not request a mail ballot for all elections on their application for the town election, and voters who have not yet requested mail ballots for 2025, can apply for a mail ballot online, using a downloadable form, or by requesting a paper form from the Town Clerk's office. 

To be eligible to vote at Annual Town Meeting, which begins May 5, residents must be registered to vote by April 25. Check your voter registration status here.

Nancy Brumback is a freelance reporter living in Sudbury.

250 Years Ago

By Jan Hardenbergh

250 Years Ago, Concord Road did not lead to Concord; it only led to Nine Acre Corner. The bridge over the Sudbury River would not be constructed until 1802. The attached map shows the likely routes taken by the six companies of the Sudbury Minute and Militia as far as we know today.

The map also shows where each captain lived at the time. We can assume that Captain Nixon and the West Side Minute Company would have assembled on the common in front of the West Side Meetinghouse, as would Captain Stone and the South Militia. Once assembled, Lieutenant Colonel Ezekiel How would lead them north to be joined by Captain Haynes of the North Militia along the way. They planned to cross Concord's South Bridge, but somewhere near the location of Emerson Hospital today, they were intercepted by Colonel Barrett's son. They were redirected to cross the Assabet River into what is now West Concord, and then proceed north to Barrett's farm to join the militia from other towns that were assembling.

Captain Cudworth and the East Side Minute Company, along with Captain Smith and the East Militia, would assemble at Sudbury's East Side Meetinghouse, which is now Wayland's Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse. They would then march north through Lincoln to Concord. It is unclear if Captain Loker and his troup of horse went to the east or the west.

For more about the map see: https://jch.com/history/250/RoutesToConcordApril191775/

SudburyWeekly.com News Roundup

Committee Roundup

By Kevin LaHaise

Tri-District School Committee Meeting

• The Lincoln School Committee, Sudbury School Committee, and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee held a joint meeting this week.

• They are endeavoring to conduct a calendar review, which might bring each district into closer alignment in terms of holidays or start and end dates for the school year.

• They’re creating a group with reps from each committee to continue working on this effort.

• This may take some time to study, as each district has their own complicating factors that impact their calendars.

Planning Board

• The Planning Board voted unanimously to endorse the Housing Production Plan.

• Though it still needs to be voted by the Select Board, this vote was a big milestone in the process.

• The consensus building process has meandered through various boards and committees over the last year. It wasn’t clear that it had majority support from the Select Board when it was last discussed.

Energy and Sustainability Committee

• They’re in a bit of a holding pattern as they wait for the Sustainability Coordinator position to be filled, but there’s still forward momentum on several fronts.

• The electric vehicle charging station project is moving forward at the Goodnow Library. Combined Facilities Director, Sandra Duran, told the committee they have done a kickoff meeting, they’re finalizing the schedule, and will start soon. (27:38)

• Duran also informed the committee that the two roof projects on the Town Meeting warrant for Sudbury Public Schools would be pushed out to a Fall Town Meeting. This is consistent with discussions in the last Sudbury Public Schools School Committee meeting.

  • The project is moving forward, but the process they have to follow for Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA") reimbursement didn’t end up aligning with the timing of Sudbury’s Annual Town Meeting. (1:19:30)

Zoning Board of Appeals

• They discussed the latest version of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw developed by the Planning Board. It’s on the warrant for Town Meeting next month. Members voiced some concerns about the approach of the bylaw, but did not take a vote to support or oppose it. (3:34:00)

Sudbury Housing Authority

• They discussed upsizing their proposed duplex project into a baroque-style quadplex project.

• Just kidding!

• Members expressed concern about getting information back from their architects with enough lead time ahead of Town Meeting for them to fully review it and decide if they want to proceed with the article at Town Meeting. (17:29)

Parting Thoughts

Ahh the smell of Town Meeting is in the air.

There are a few articles that may end up being “indefinitely postponed” at Town Meeting. In saying the SPS roof projects are being pushed out to a Fall Town Meeting, we might be burying the lede… residents now know a Fall Town Meeting is a very real possibility, if not quite likely, this year.

It does appear that information will be developing quickly in the final weeks before the May Town Meeting. That could increase the odds of some articles being pushed to the fall. The Select Board is meeting Tuesday, and that’s the best place to get the latest information on Town Meeting articles. Sudbury Weekly will have coverage of it next week, too.

The meeting packet also includes an agenda item for “Capital Article Closures and FY25 Budget to Actuals.” Jump over to page 4 of their packet. Sudbury’s new Finance Director, Victor Garofalo, went deep into history to close out long-ago completed capital projects and recapture the remaining, unused balances. That amounted to a good amount of cabbage: about $700K. His memo states:

With free cash likely to remain strong next fiscal year, enhanced financial monitoring and reporting in place, and the Select Board slated to review an exhaustive facilities assessment in late April, it appears Sudbury is on the path to a more systematic approach to capital improvements… with a Fall Town Meeting on the horizon.

It could end up being a very busy year in Sudbury.

Onward!