07/15/09
Council looking at September for hearing on Shore Road Pathway proposal
The Town Council is planning to take public comment on the Shore Road Pathway Report, accepted by the council this April, at its September meeting.
At their July 13 meeting, councilors informally agreed to have a public hearing on the Shore Road Pathway Study report at their September meeting. Formal scheduling of the hearing would be made next month.
Consensus for a September hearing was reached after Councilor David Sherman said a number of citizens had been asking about the plan.
"If we're going to have a vote to move it forward or not, I would like to see that this occur before the elections in November," Sherman said. "This council has been struggling with the issue more so than, obviously, the next one would. It seems to me to be logical to have a vote before the election," Sherman said.
Four Town Council seats, including an unexpired term held by Paul McKenney, will be up for election Nov. 3, 2009.
Council Chairman Jim Rowe said he too had fielded questions from citizens on the pathway, but was sensitive to those who may be away during the summer and would like an opportunity to speak.
Councilor Anne Swift-Kayatta said she also believed a pre-election hearing and vote made sense. "Sometimes after one particular group has done all the prep work - reports and meetings and such - it's a lot easier for that group to decide, if there is a decision to be made," she said.
The 52-page report, the product of months of study by the ad hoc Shore Road Pathway Study Committee, is a concept plan recommended by the committee for a pathway for non-vehicular use parallel to Shore Road. It may be downloaded on this Web site, and is also available in the town's planning office for $11 per copy.
Estimated cost of the project in 2009 dollars is $883,000. "Financial support from the Town Council may be combined with grant funding and private fund raising to fund construction of a path at the appropriate time," the report says.
Councilors accepted the report in April, and reviewed it at their June 15 workshop.
More information about the Shore Road Pathway Study Committee is also available on this Web site.
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