During their November 3 meeting, the Planning Board unanimously voted to remove three trees and an additional tree if necessary along Ash Street as well as alter two stone walls in order to allow a sidewalk to be installed on the scenic road. At the last Town Meeting, $1.5 million was granted for the installation of sidewalks in different areas of town. Although it was the Planning Board who recommended the sidewalk be installed and it is a town project, abutters agree that this will help to make Ash Street safer. Present to speak on the issue was DPW director John Westerling.
The plan for the sidewalk is to have it connect to the additional sidewalks on Pike Street and in the center of town. To accomplish this, the sidewalk will be installed from Holt Street to Hearthstone Street on Ash. In addition to this, sidewalks will be added in front of Center School and two on Elm Street by the end of the year. The sidewalks will have six inch reveals and be 5 ½ feet wide, six inches more than what is required in subdivisions, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This will allow two individuals who may be in wheelchairs to pass each other if necessary. A crosswalk will also be installed along with an ADA compliant ramp on the Hearthstone side. The plan is to eventually have the sidewalk connect with the one on Blueberry Lane, but environmental issues are preventing that. Westerling stated he will take time over the winter to try and resolve these issues with the Conservation Commission.
In order to install the sidewalk, three trees and some saplings must be removed and two stone walls altered. Westerling stated that he tried to save as many trees as possible, but these three had to be removed. One stone wall was created when some previous construction was done on the road and the stones were stacked to keep them from being scattered. The property owner has no objection to the stones being moved. The other stone wall will have all of the stones moved, and the stones taken from both walls will be added to other existing stone walls. A dead tree is also near one stone wall and is scheduled to be removed by Verizon and replaced with a pole. If this work is not done on schedule, the tree will be paved around and a sidewalk segment will be added until the pole is in place. The removal of boulders was also a concern to Board member Claire Wright as the boulders also add to the characteristic of the scenic road, but Westerling stated that any boulders that were removed would be placed back into the right of way if possible.
When asked what would happen to the mailboxes on the side of the road, Westerling answered that he had spoken to the Postmaster and was told that there were setback requirements, height requirements and requirements for which direction they can face. Although Westerling did ask if mailboxes parallel to the road would be considered, they had to be perpendicular to the road. When Board Chairman Ken Weismantel suggested moving them to the other side of the road, Westerling responded that he would consider it, but it would depend on the opinions of the abutters. However, Weismantel did point out that the road is on a hill and a bicycle rider who is going downhill may be going fast and need to avoid obstacles.
Many abutters were in favor of the sidewalk due to concerns for safety. One abutter who is new to the area stated that walking from Colella’s in the dark and in the day would be a frightening experience, and stated that they can’t let their kids out of the house.
“It is incredibly needed in the neighborhood for us,” the abutter stated.
Another abutter agreed with the statements made, but added that there was another tree on their property that may need to be removed when construction began because the roots would be impacted, and stated that mailboxes that were parallel to the road may fill with ice and snow when the road is being plowed. Westerling responded to the concerns about the tree by saying that the engineers who made the plan believed that the tree could be saved, but it could be removed if necessary either with permission from the Planning Board or by the Tree Warden.
Another abutter was very pleased with the transparency of the process and how everything was explained so that the neighbors could understand the work that would be done and was also in favor of the sidewalk.
“We think a sidewalk is a step in the right direction to get the neighborhood walking around the beautiful downtown… and if we can do so safely, then I think it’s going to be even more enjoyable for us to raise our kids,” the abutter stated.
Although one abutter felt that the natural beauty would be impacted by the addition of the sidewalk, they did agree that the sidewalk would make the road safer. However, the abutter added that the bigger concern was the speed with which cars travel down Ash Street and the amount of traffic that travels on the road, and wondered if that could be addressed.
After hearing all of the plans for the tree removal and stone wall alterations, the Planning Board voted unanimously to allow the removal of the three trees and allow the removal of the fourth if necessary, and to allow the alteration of the stone walls with the condition that the stones be placed among other stone walls.
To see the full meeting, click here.
