Selectmen question the timing of tri-town bike path
Published on December 27th, 2006
The town’s Board of Selectmen recently debated whether it should renege on its commitment to create the Tri-Community bike path.
During the last Selectmen’s meeting, a mere months after a state transportation agency reportedly earmarked millions of dollars for the recreation area’s construction, Selectman George Seibold challenged the wisdom of plowing ahead with the project.
According to Seibold, he had recently contacted officials from Arlington, where a similar bike path exists, and learned that several hidden costs were associated with the space.
And given the town’s precarious financial situation over recent years – anticipated to continue next year with what town officials estimate to be an approximate $2 million to $3 million deficit, the first time Selectman argued that proceeding any further would jeopardize Stoneham.
“The after-thought that will cost the town a great deal of money is that [Arlington staffed] a bike cop,” Seibold said. “I question this bike path being built. We have a $3 million deficit right now and can’t even fund the officers we have.”
Agreeing with his counterpart, Selectman Chair Bob Sweeney, a long-time opponent of the recreation area along with since-retired Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello, contended that local officials were dismissing a unique revenue-generating possibility by allowing the Tri-Community bike path’s construction to proceed.
Specifically, the veteran Selectman proposed approaching the plethora of business along Montvale Avenue and Main Street, two areas that border the planned recreation spot, to survey potential interest in leasing the land.
The bike path, which a number of proponents have lobbed in favor of for close to a decade, would be established along abandoned railroad right-of-ways that snake through Stoneham, Woburn, and Winchester.
“A couple of years ago, I actually offered to start at the beginning of the bike path and tell people that we would like to see them start paying for using it,” Sweeney recalled. “It’s an idea that could possibly materialize. I would imagine that the town could pick-up $15,000 to $20,000 a month for that.”
Urging board members to exercise some restraint, Selectman Tony Kennedy reminded the group that not only had Town Meeting repeatedly endorsed the Tri-Community bike-path, but the Selectmen had also supported it, authorizing Town Administrator Ron Florino to enter into a contract with neighboring Winchester and Woburn just months ago.
Seibold, interrupting Kennedy at one point to counter that only 150 people regularly show up at Town Meeting, retorted that we was more than willing to unglue those consents.
“It’s important to understand that over a number of years, Town Meeting has approved this multiple times,” Kennedy pointed out.
“Well, I think this is something that we should look into to see if we can overturn Town Meeting’s vote,” Seibold shot-back.
“I’m not going to argue with you George. I’m just pointing out that Town Meeting typically makes these decisions. They did make that decision and we voted for it. And Ron signed a contract with Woburn and Winchester a couple of months ago.”
According to Sweeney and Seibold, not only was the town ignoring a potential revenue generator by pursuing the project, but the permissions were allowing a significant safety hazard to arise along the busy intersections abutting the bike path.
Specifically, the pair insisted that two areas in particular, one along Montvale Avenue and the other at Main Street, presented a danger to cyclists and pedestrians, who would have to cross the roadways to proceed along the recreation spot.
Referring to his employment with the Middlesex Sheriff’s office, Seibold further warned against a potential increase in crime, such as jumps in the incidence of break-ins.
“If I didn’t work where I work, I wouldn’t feel this way,” Seibold commented. “But that’s the way society works. There are a lot of predators out there.”
“The only thing you can’t change is your name on the tombstone. Anything else that’s been agreed to before can be changed,” Sweeney added when Selectman Paul Rotondi again raised the issue of the prior endorsements of Town Meeting.
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