Bain gets bike path
Published on December 7th, 2005
STONEHAM, MA - The Highland Avenue resident grew a lot grayer and older awaiting the announcement, but his enthusiasm and dedication surely greased the slowly grinding wheels of government.
Earlier this summer, after lobbying well over a decade for the recreational trails, Mass Highway officials agreed to release the funds for the Middlesex Tri-Community bike path, which will snake through Stoneham, Woburn, and Winchester.
And while Cameron Bain admits that his aging bones might prevent him from enjoying the future trails the way he would have when he initiated the efforts some 17-years-ago, he's satisfied that a whole generation of Stonehamites can dust of their bike seats and grease their chains in anticipation of the path's creation.
"I'm particularly happy because as I worked on this project, I certainly grew grayer and older and developed some of the ailments that you see children getting today," Bain remarked in a recent phone interview.
"In spite of the fact that it took ten years to get this thing approved, the bike-path is no longer a luxury path for people to have fun on. This will become an important part of our health. And it's a real chance for us to improve the health of our children," Bain added, referring to America's well-documented childhood obesity epidemic.
According to the Highland Avenue resident, state and local officials met with Mass Highway in late June to discuss the status of the stagnating recreational path plans and were informed that the state transportation agency would release funds for the construction of the multi-city bike area.
Since then, Winchester officials have been designated as the lead agency for implementing the plans, and all three cities are awaiting engineered and final renderings from Fay, Spofford and Thorndike, an engineering firm chosen to consult local officials on how to put the visions of each municipality down on paper.
And while Bain has little doubt that actual construction and site preparation for the Tri-Community bike path lingers in the distant horizon - remaining perhaps some years away - the citizen advocate realizes that any progress is good progress, especially in the current fiscal climate.
"It's been a long-time. And the way the government works, it will be another couple of years yet. But it will get done," Bain said of what seems to be a perpetual state of waiting.
"But this will cost us nothing. Can you imagine if I even had to get $100 [from the town for this]? I couldn't possibly ask for money in this environment because funds are so scarce," the Stonehamite added. "The money we will receive is specifically earmarked for trails and greenways, so we're not raiding state house coffers for educational money or something else."
Although the bike path has historically received a wealth of citizen and local government support over the past 17-years, Bain did acknowledge that opponents of the project have argued against the recreational space for years.
One of the most outspoken voices of dissent, Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello has fought the project on safety grounds, worried that bicyclists might get hit by vehicles as they attempted to cross busy roadways.
Citing a personal experience where his own son was hit by a motorist while riding his bike, the veteran Selectman's concerns have centered on Main Street and Montvale Avenue, two areas where the mostly isolated nature trails couldn't avoid contact with traffic-choked intersections and roadways.
However, according to Bain, the plans being prepared by professional consultants will take those few encounters with modern society into consideration.
"You know, there's always those who say you can't do this or that, but 90 percent of the time, the people who say the words, 'you can't', know nothing about the project. I would never promote anything that's unsafe," the Highland Avenue resident explained.
"We've talked about smart lights, which are solar powered and tripped by a bicycle. So it will trip a light on Montvale Avenue only when a bicycle is coming down the line. And there will be other safety considerations as well."
According to a spokesman for Stoneham Senator Richard Tisei's office, the Wakefield Republican has recently proposed a state appropriation to address the other top concern with the bike path, which will be constructed along old railroad right-of-ways in the three communities.
According to Michael Smith, the State Senator's Legislative Director, Tisei has specifically co-sponsored an amendment to a $473 state spending plan which would pipe funding into city and towns for insurance policies protecting municipalities from litigation arising from environmental contamination of the railroad beds.
"It's actually in the Senate version of the economic stimulus bill. But it's not currently in the house version so that will have to be worked out in a conference committee," Smith explained, adding that Tisei will sit in on the conference group as the two legislative bodies work out a compromise.
"This issue has been around for a while. Throughout the district, there are various rail-trail projects that are in various stages of development. And one of the biggest concerns the Senator has heard is cities and towns aren't protected from contamination from oil and other products [along the railroad beds] that are hazardous."
According to the Tisei office spokesman, the local Senator hopes to have the amendment adopted and in-place for nearby cities and towns to utilize by the beginning of next year. The measure would work by contributing matching state funds for any money spent by municipalities to purchase a liability insurance plan for the various rails-to-trails projects.
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