Southborough Trails Committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date: Thursday, September 16, 2020 Meeting Time: 6:30 PM Meeting Location: Virtual Meeting, https://www.southboroughtown.com/remotemeetings

Meeting Called by: Kathryn McKee Note Taker: Satyendra Sharma Attendees: Kathryn McKee, Satyendra Sharma, Tom Marcoulier, Isabelle Murphy Absent: Luisa Vargas Visitors: Sam Stivers

1. Call the meeting to order • Kathryn called the meeting at 6:34 PM • Roll call attendance: Kathryn McKee-present, Satyendra Sharma-present, and Tom Marcoulier-present; [Isabelle Murphy joined after initial roll call at 6:40 PM]

2. Approve minutes • Vote to approve July 29 and August 19 meeting minutes – Tom moved the motion, Satyendra seconded. The motion passed 3-0. Roll Call vote conducted. Kathryn McKee-yes, Satyendra Sharma-yes, and Tom Marcoulier-yes

3. Choate Fund Grant Project Status Update & Map Kiosk Install at Fayville Park

• 95 percent of the installation work is done. • Last ‘Southborough Trails’ sign to be installed on the 4th kiosk once installed after basketball court o Eric Hansen will install polycarbonate glass and molding after maps are installed • Thank you sent to Choate Fund Trustees • First deposit of fishing line to recycle o Who on committee to volunteer for which receptacle: . Saty: Rt.30; Tom: Middle Rd; Kat: Rt.85 • Had roughly $170 remaining from grant; confirmed with Trustees that we can use these funds for other signage on Bay Circuit/Boroughs Loop Trail; • Thoughts on signage for sign Rt.30 and Clemmons/Nichols new BCT/BLT • Southborough Trails Blaze – question for Committee: reconsider approach for blaze and be more focused on trail name rather than branding of Committee. All agreed. • We have a good inventory of markers for BCT, BLT and Aqueduct Trails • Mile Markers – idea to add these to the Southborough trails. Tom and Isabelle to propose plan on how best to approach mile markers; o Isabelle moved to use some funds to do mile markers on Southborough’s trail system and purchase signage for BCT/BLT; Tom seconded. The motion passes: 4-0; roll call vote:

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o Call vote conducted. Kathryn McKee-yes, Satyendra Sharma-yes, and Tom Marcoulier-yes, Isabelle Murphy-yes; • Use some funds to build fourth fishing line recycling receptacle; • Clean up the Rt.30 point on Sudbury Reservoir Trail near the causeway. Let’s pick a day to have the committee members pick up trash and fishing line. o Isabelle to circulate dates for clean-up day (in Oct) • Added DCR dog waste educational signage to kiosks.

4. Trails Maintenance Plan • No discussion – punt until next meeting. • Surveyed trails for maintenance; Deerfoot needed some trimming. • White Bagley update: J&J mowed in August; Isabelle has been maintaining this section of trail near Latisquama as well; flag this section - needs more attention in between mows; needs widening. • Ward Rd – no update; need to check mowing along open channel.

5. Bay Circuit Connector Trail Update • BCT – trail is now open! • Kathryn connected with Jim Snyder, Framingham Parks & Recreation Director, and confirmed it is ok to add 3.5”x3.5” post for blazes near side trail off Rt.30. set back a good distance from road. Add markers for BCT, Aqueduct trail, BLT o Called dig safe to confirm no issues; materials purchased and install forthcoming. • Abutter Notification – 7 letters have been sent to neighbors near the connector trail; letter reviewed and approved by Southborough Recreation, Southborough Conservation Agent, MWRA and Framingham Parks & Recreation. No feedback or comments received from the abutters. Invited abutters to reach out with questions and concerns. (letter attached) • Lots of trash along Rt. 30 at side trail entrance and around guard rail near bridge; cleaned up majority; consider including this section of trail for future Earth Day clean ups. • Advertise parking on Clemmons and Nichols; ask mysouthborough to share announcement for new trail; can also add announcement on trails e-alert system. 6. BOS letter to DCR requesting prioritization of the Public Access Plan for the Peninsula Trail • Kathryn to write draft Letter of Support to DCR to request moving forward with public access plan for peninsula plan; to do in near term and send to BOS for review/edit/vote. • Ask other communities involved in BLT (Marlborough, Northborough, Westborough) 7. Central Mass Regional Planning Commission Interactive Online Trails Map Opportunity • Mapped town forest trails on August 26th with the CMRPC; Sudbury Valley Trustees sent GIS information for BLT maps; • Aqueduct Trail – overlaps Sudbury Reservoir Trail – discussion about connection and route

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8. CPC Application Update • CPA funding for peninsula trail – fencing, arrow fencing to give a quote; attempting to connect; they missed call, following up • Reached to CPC Chair, Andrew Mills, to confirm Committee is submitting application; using older application until told differently. • Funding to cover fencing and historical marker signages for some or all of the project • Maybe able to use CPA funding to help with matching portion of future DCR grant • Reached out to Mark Purple regarding bidding process and CPA funding for additional guidance on how process works • Historical markers; reached out to Historical Commission & Society and asked if they would work with us to help make suggestions on fact-checking, requesting a letter of support. Hoping to get on Historical Commission’s Sept 22nd meeting. • Potential to expand scope for historical markers throughout trails in Southborough. • EDC talks about linking downtown to trails…we have interest in adding historical markers throughout downtown and connect to trails (Rt.85/Latisquama/Middle Rd). Discussion punted until we establish other historical markers for Peninsula trail. • Will send draft application to Committee members for review and comment; no group replies • May need letter of support from DCR and MWRA to provide with application • Other funding for application; we don’t have other funding; any organizations that we could approach: o Other organizations: EDC, Rotary Club, other? o Any way to approach other organizations for funding? 9. Website Updates • Project website updates done; need to add additional permitted uses and restricted activities to align with DCR regulations • Resource Page: work on in coming months to add important information: trail maintenance, best practices. 10. Other Topics: • Aqueduct Trail – overlaps Sudbury Reservoir Trail – discussion about connection and route • Breakneck Hill – connecting trail to Woodland Road, the town forest needs a directional arrow to help navigation to town forest across the road • Punt until next meeting; 5-year plan – To be discussed during October meeting • Hunting Season is opening, bow hunting opening youth day: Oct 3rd, Oct 5th (adults); Nov 30th (firearms) put notices up on kiosks. • Link to hunting map: https://mass-eoeea.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=d8c82c7e758240c8bbce9fe9bbc7bbbc

7. Schedule next meeting • Schedule next meeting: Oct, Wed 14th, 6:30 PM 8. Meeting adjournment

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• Tom moved the motion to adjourn the meeting. Isabelle seconded. Passed unanimously: 3-0 Roll call vote: Kathryn McKee-yes, Satyendra Sharma-yes, Isabelle Murphy-yes, Tom Marcoulier-yes.

Meeting adjourned at 7:52 PM

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TOWN OF SOUTHBOROUGH TRAILS COMMITTEE 17 COMMON ST ∙ SOUTHBOROUGH, 01772 http://www.southboroughtrails.org

September 4, 2020

First Name Address City,State Zip

Dear Neighbor:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Southborough Trails Committee, with the cooperation of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), to share some exciting news about a reconstructed section of the (BCT)/Boroughs Loop trail (BLT) in your neighborhood that will be available to you and community members for recreational use.

As you may know, Framingham and Southborough are among a long list of municipalities who are fortunate enough to have a segment of the BCT extend through their communities. The regional BCT includes over 230 miles of trails from Plum Island to Kingston Bay. In our communities, the trail provides passive recreational opportunities such as walking, running, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. To learn more, you can visit the BCT website at: www.baycircuit.org and look for Section 8 on the interactive map. In addition, this trail is also part of the regional Boroughs Loop Trail, a 33-mile loop, which overlaps the existing Sudbury Reservoir Trail in Southborough and the BCT in Framingham. Please visit https://www.svtweb.org/properties/page/boroughs-loop-trail to learn more about this new regional trail which opened in 2019.

The purpose of this letter is to let you know that another segment of the BCT/BLT is now open near you. This connecting segment can be accessed off Pleasant Street near Thomas Drive in Framingham and at the intersection of Clemmons and Nichols Street in Southborough (where there is parking available). This forested trail (.7 miles) is located near the Sudbury Dam Historic District and includes stunning views of the reservoir, Fayville Dam, and Stony Brook. This is an important connection that joins two existing BCT/BLT segments, eliminating the need to walk along Pleasant Street, Pine Hill Road, and Clemmons Street. A map of the connecting trail is included below for your reference.

The Trails Committee is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the trails and addressing any concerns that may arise. As a trail neighbor, we are inviting you to help us stay informed by providing us with any suggestions for enhancements or alerting us to any concerns. I’ve provided my contact information below and encourage you to reach out with any questions, feedback, or if you would like to participate in our adopt-a-trail program which allows the Committee to work with community members to stay aware of trail happenings such as maintenance issues and usage concerns. We would enjoy the opportunity to partner with you to make this a successful experience for you and other trail users.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. Happy Trails!

Kind regards, Kathryn

Kathryn McKee Southborough Trails Committee Chair [email protected]

CC: Sean Navin, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tim Davis, Director, Southborough Recreation Department Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Melissa Danza, Conservation Agent, Southborough James Snyder, Director, of Framingham Parks & Recreation Conservation Commission

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