Southborough Trails Committee advances MassTrails- and CPC-funded signage plan, seeks tribal review

Trails Committee member Kat McKee said the committee is moving ahead with Phase 1 signage to close out a MassTrails grant and to install kiosks, interpretive signs and benches along the Peninsula Trail. "This is phase 1. We're talking signage closing out the Mass Trails grant," McKee said, and she asked members to review mockups that she will circulate to the group.

The committee reviewed a locator map and agreed on a primary kiosk site near the Route 30 parking and ADA parking area so that users "in a wheelchair" can roll up and view the kiosk. McKee said the committee will request vendor mockups and that all kiosks and interpretive signs should be designed to meet ADA specifications.

The proposed interpretive program would include three primary interpretive sites: a timeline of human history on the land (including the Nipmuc presence and colonial settlement), an explanation of local wetlands and watershed protections, and material about the construction and engineering of the dam and reservoir. McKee read draft text noting, "The Metropolitan Water Act of 1895 gave the state authority to seize the land for Boston's water supply. Dozens of Southborough families lost their farms and homes." She said facts would be presented carefully and that a QR code could link to a web repository with sources.

On tribal outreach, McKee relayed guidance from a DCR contact who recommended protocols for writing about Indigenous people and suggested that if the committee requests review from tribal representatives it is appropriate to offer an honorarium. "Leah mentioned that if we do request assistance from or review of the tribe... it's appropriate to offer an honorarium to pay for their time," McKee said. The committee confirmed that CPC (the town's Community Preservation Committee) could fund an honorarium, provided the tribe is set up as a vendor through the usual town process.

Committee members debated how to acknowledge sponsors on field signage. McKee showed a CPC mockup (PVC, 24 by 18 inches) and said a full-size posted sign would likely need a separate post and might be posted at a kiosk location; members asked whether a smaller attribution line on each interpretive sign or a single project sign at the trailhead would be preferable. The group did not finalize a decision and asked McKee to confirm CPC sign-size requirements with the vendor.

Next steps: McKee will circulate printer mockups and draft text for committee edits over the coming weekend, coordinate with Tom for final placement input, obtain cost estimates for any soil stabilization near benches, and proceed with a bid package for Phase 2 once prevailing-wage information is inserted. "We're gonna get a vendor to look at it," she said of stabilization alternatives such as crushed stone rather than poured concrete.

At the meeting's close the committee voted to adjourn. The vote was recorded as Satyendra Sharma — yes; Will Warren — yes; Kamaki — yes.