Published in the March 8, 2017 edition

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

LYNNFIELD —The Recreation Path Committee (RPC), an advisory committee to the Board of Selectmen established over a decade and a half ago for the purpose of identifying off-road options for activities such a bike riding and walking, was expanded to nine members at the board’s Feb. 27 meeting.

The RPC was also issued a charge and mission statement drafted by Selectmen Chairman Phil Crawford and adopted by a unanimous vote.

The meeting opened with the board interviewing the last of five new candidates for the board, Sheila Aronson of 3 October Lane, who said she has lived in town since 1991, has a professional background in the high tech industry and is an avid bicyclist. Improving the safety of cyclists has motivated her to seek a role with this committee.

“The reason I want to be an advocate of the bike path is my brother-in-law was hit by a car” when he was riding in an area near the Charles River in Boston. “He was hit from behind and (now has a) rod in his leg. And his daughter also got into an accident. She thinks she hit a pothole. She doesn’t remember, but she fell on her face and she ended up in the hospital,” she said.

She cited another accident in which the cousin of a dear friend was killed while riding his bike in Keene, N.H. “They put in a new bike trail in the street and someone opened a car door, he fell and he died,” Aronson said, adding, “I have fallen off my bike too, hitting potholes, so I’m very reluctant to ride in the street. And we have two little grandchildren and they only ride in my cul-de-sac in a circle. I can’t take them out on the roads. And I don’t think riding on sidewalks is a good idea because of cars backing out of driveways, so I think the pathway would be a great asset to the community.”

Aronson also has a friend in Bristol who lives on the bike path in that town. “He lived there before the bike path was built and he was against it initially. And he fell in love with it. He said when people who live on the bike path advertise their home for sale they always list that they’re on the bike path because people want that. They want to have that safety and the beauty of riding on a bike path. I want to give back to the community and I would be honored to be a participant on this committee,” Aronson said.

Committee expanded

Crawford proposed to expand the committee by asking his board members to appoint all five current candidates, expanding the membership to nine.

Crawford explained he came to the conclusion that expanding the membership to a larger, odd number would be beneficial after researching how other towns, which have already gone through this process, organized their committees.

“Many of these other towns that have already gone through this process, whether they put a bike path in or not, or a rail trail, usually the committees are much larger than what we have in town – 9, 10, 12 members. It’s very uncommon to have committees of three, four or five members. We currently have four members on the committee and I would propose that we have five people who have come forward to also join this committee,” he said.

“You’d have a committee of nine; you always want an odd number so you can have a majority vote on different items.”

“I would also like to present a charge for this committee,” Crawford said, explaining that when the ad hoc committee was originally formed 15 to 20 years ago that it was never given a charge by the Board of Selectmen.”

“A path committee is not a rail trail committee. It is not specifically for this one particular project. It’s a path committee that is supposed to be looking for anything in town that could be construed as a way of adding to our trail system in town,” Crawford said, although currently the Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail project happens to be the only identified path.

The charge drafted by Crawford is comprised of four parts – a mission statement, responsibilities and functions, membership and officers, and compliance with state and local laws. If necessary, it can be amended in the future, he said.

Mission statement: “The mission statement of the Recreational Path Committee (RPC) is to identify linear corridors that offer opportunities for conversion into trails, assess potential for development and study the feasibility and design of such a trail conversion. The Committee is to help identify and address the many questions and concerns that the residents of Lynnfield may have regarding any potential project.”

Responsibilities and functions: “There are a number of issues on which the town must come to a consensus that will affect how a trail conversion proceeds. These issues include, but are not limited to:

•Conceptual design of the trail, including dimensions of the trail and materials used to construct the trail.

•Financial resources to design and construct the trail.

•Environmental issues

•Impact on and concerns of abutters to the trail

•Engineering and safety concerns, including street crossings and bridges

•Parking and other amenities needed to support a recreational trail

•On-going maintenance and other costs the town must consider.”

The RPC is charged with developing a process “for addressing all of these issues and concerns through public meetings and public hearings” which may “include the commission of a formal study by an engineering firm that specializes in trail conversions.”

Membership and officers: “All appointments shall be for an indefinite term, until the Board of Selectmen feels the mission of the committee has been accomplished, or that the membership needs to be changed in order to keep the work progressing.”

The charge also outlines the process by which the committee’s officers will be selected. Initially, the selectmen appoint a temporary chairman. Subsequently, the newly formed committee will vote to elect a permanent chairman and a clerk. The clerk’s responsibilities include ensuring that: “all meetings are properly posted and that minutes of each meeting are kept.” The clerk is also responsible for ensuring that the committee’s work “shall be prepared and made public by the committee promptly, with copies filed with the Town Clerk and sent to the Board of Selectmen on a regular basis.”

Compliance with state and local laws: The RPC is “responsible for conducting its activities in a manner which is in compliance with all relevant state and local laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Open Meeting Law, Public Records Law and Conflict of Interest Law.”

Selectman Chris Barrett said he believes the RPC “has done a pretty good job” to date.

“I was speaking to one of the members, Joe Markey, and they really have been aggressive in looking for opportunities for all of Lynnfield,” Barrett said. “I think the group has been as active as they can be looking at opportunities in Lynnfield for recreational paths.”

Barrett agreed that expanding this committee in order to get “as much input as we can to really look at all there is in Lynnfield, and to really focus on their charge, would be great.”

“Expanding the committee is the proper thing to do,” stated Selectman Dick Dalton. He added, “More importantly is the charge that they receive from us with respect to them understanding specifically what their duties and responsibilities would be going forward.”

The board subsequently voted to expand the committee to nine members and also voted to appoint Angela Addonizio, Robert Almy, Sheila Aronson, Marian Orfeo and Randall Russell to the RPC to join the existing four members who are Mark McDonough, Joseph Markey, Michael D’Amore and Leah Hook. The path committee’s former chairwoman, Janet Long, as well as Richard Simmons Jr. are no longer members of the committee.

Conflict of interest prevents abutters from serving

Patricia Campbell of Patrice Lane asked the selectmen if they had accepted every application from everyone who has expressed interest in joining this committee. “Some people have told me that if you were known to oppose (the rail trail) they were told they could not be appointed,” Campbell said.

“That was not the case,” Crawford said, explaining the reasoning behind having to decline a couple of interested candidates was strictly due to these individuals being abutters to the rail trail.

“If you were an abutter you can’t be appointed because you have a conflict of interest. It has a financial aspect to it and the state doesn’t allow it, so we have to know if you’re an abutter or not,” Crawford said.

There were a couple of direct abutters who applied to be on the committee who had to be told that they could not serve on the RPC, Crawford said. At the same time, the five candidates the board just appointed had expressed interest in serving and do not abut the trail.

“I’m not sure if they’re in favor of it or not. I don’t think they all are and it does give us a cross section, but other than direct abutters, this (expanded committee) will be a good cross section of the town,” Crawford believes.

Debbie LaConte of 86 Perry Ave. told the board she would like to know if the RPC committee members joined the committee because they favor creating the rail trail. “You just answered my question by saying you are not sure if the people you just appointed are opposed to it or for it. This lady here just told us she is pro bike trail,” LaConte said, referring to Sheila Aronson. “Shouldn’t there be an equal number? Shouldn’t we know? What if we have nine people for it?”

Crawford replied, “That’s fine too, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

Dalton added, “It’s an advisory committee. At the end of day, it’s up to the Selectmen to draw their own conclusions.”

Karen Hohmann of 171 Salem St. said she saw a conflict in the fact that the selectmen were not allowing abutters to joint the RPC. “You are now giving that committee a further charge for broad projects,” she said.

Crawford said, “If they were members of the committee and (a conflict) came up afterwards, they would have to come off the committee. It’s the same problem no matter which way you do it,” either in advance by prohibiting abutters from being appointed to a committee when it is known a particular path would abut a member’s property or after a potential path is identified as abutting the property of a sitting member of the committee.

She agreed that this explanation made her feel better about the process of appointing members.

Regina Mongah of 1 Sylvan Terrace asked, “Will all the members of the committee be residents of Lynnfield?” Crawford said they would be.

Crawford added that he was “pretty impressed” by the resumes received from all five candidates. His choice for temporary chairman was Randy Russell due to his “very extensive educational background” and the fact that being a retiree, he has the time to devote to this committee. The vote to appoint Russell temporary chairman was unanimous.

Public comment

During the public comment period held later in the meeting, Gill Giugliano, 1 Giugliano Terrace, asked to speak about the RPC and her concerns over both crime and accidents that occur on bike paths. Just as some have spoken about the benefits of bike paths in keeping cyclists safe from harm, there are instances in which accidents happen on these paths that cause serious and sometimes mortal injuries, she said.

Giugliano recalled a story about a friend who had moved to New York City whose 38-year-old husband was an avid cyclist and died from injuries sustained on a bike path. Upon riding his bike through a puddle, he fell and hit his head. “By the time help arrived he could say his name and he loves his wife,” Giugliano said. “Crime happens on bike paths. There was a shooting in Everett, an attack in Marblehead. There (are) accidents on a bike path, and we need both sides,” she said.