Erik J. Heels read the following prepared statement at the 2024-12-16 Acton Select Board meeting. Emphasis added.
Hello, Erik, E-R-I-K, Heels, H-E-E-L-S, 17 Forest Road.
I have a prepared statement to read. I have seven points to make.
First, since September, I have been attending DPW Building Committee meetings to advocate that sidewalks be constructed on Forest Road in conjunction with the proposed $40M DPW building project for the SAFETY of the people and pets in the neighborhood. I am here today because I believe that the Select Board can actually make the Forest Road Sidewalk Project happen. I estimate the cost of adding sidewalks to Forest Road to be about $950,000, or about 2.5% of the current DPW building project budget.
Second, sidewalks on Forest Road would make biking and walking SAFER for all of Robbins Park, not just for Forest Road. With sidewalks on Forest, Robbins Park residents east of Hosmer Street would be able to walk from the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, to Alcott Street, then to Whittier Drive via Longfellow Park, then to sidewalked Forest Road to both the Acton Arboretum and the Luther Conant School. From 2013 to 2019, two of our children attended the Conant School, but even though we live only about 3,000 feet from the school, they were not able to SAFELY walk to school due to the lack of sidewalks on Forest Road.
Third, I respectfully request that the Select Board commission a sidewalk survey and plan so that it can be brought to Town Meeting in conjunction with the DPW Building Project. I note that the property line on “my front lawn” is about 10 feet from the roadway, about twice the space needed for sidewalks. The width of Forest Road in front of my mailbox is about 27 feet.
Fourth, I understand that sidewalks were provided for the SAFETY of the neighborhood near the North Acton Fire Station, which was completed in 2022. One of the reasons for prioritizing the North Acton Fire Station sidewalk project was that a new governmental function was being introduced into a residential neighborhood. By this standard, sidewalks on Forest Road are now 55 years overdue. Also, the minutes of the April 5, 2021, Select Board meeting (https://actonma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/14517) state that there was a “Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) … to create new connections to the Nathaniel Allen Recreation Area [AKA NARA Park] and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail by building a sidewalk on the north side of Harris Street connecting the new North Acton Fire Station to the existing sidewalk on Main Street.” May I get a copy of this approved grant application so that we can use it as a model for the Forest Road Sidewalk Project?
Fifth, I understand that “everyone wants sidewalks,” but not everyone has had 55 years of industrial traffic in a residential neighborhood, speeding traffic going to the dump, Town of Acton vehicles fueling up, the very dangerous Hazardous Waste Day traffic jams, and a $40M multi-year construction project.
Sixth, it does not take a lot of imagination to understand that those most impacted by any construction project are those in the neighborhood of that project. Perhaps we need a “Pedestrian 2 1/2” bylaw to permanently set aside 2.5% of a construction project’s cost for the SAFETY of people and pets. Residents should not have to beg for SAFETY improvements in their neighborhood. The DPW stands for SAFETY, sidewalks stand for SAFETY. As Project For Public Spaces founder Fred Kent so wisely said (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2001770363606799/posts/2044431276007374/): “If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.” What is true for cities is true for towns.
Seventh and finally, for Acton residents who do not have the luxury of attending meetings like this one in person or via Zoom, I have summarized the history of the Forest Road Sidewalk Project on one of my company’s websites: https://www.giantpeople.com/acton. GiantPeople LLC was founded in 1999 and is a single-person LLC owned by me.
Thank you.
Erik Heels, 17 Forest Road, Actonian since 1995.
END
LEGAL DISCLAIMER & NOTICE: The “Sidewalks For Acton” campaign was started by and is funded by GiantPeople LLC, a single-person LLC founded in 1999 by Erik J. Heels (heels@alum.mit.edu). Erik has been an Actonian since 1995, an independent voter for 40 years, and a recent member of the MA Democratic party (joining 2024-09-11). Erik claims to publish the #1 blog about technology, law, baseball, and rock ‘n’ roll at giantpeople.com.
