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Danvers awarded WALK Massachusetts grant; commission to plan accessibility walk audit
Summary
The Accessibility Commission reported receiving a WALK Massachusetts grant to run a community walk audit. The grant covers an 18‑month window; a pre‑audit meeting is expected in late winter and a community walk audit is targeted for the summer, with Liberty Tree Mall and Endicott Street corridor noted as potential focus areas.
The Town of Danvers Accessibility Commission heard an update Dec. 4 on a WALK Massachusetts grant to conduct a community walk audit aimed at identifying pedestrian accessibility barriers. Speaker 5, who attended a Nov. 20 meeting with WALK Massachusetts partners, said the program provides an 18‑month implementation window and will support local planning and community engagement.
Speaker 5 described the proposed timeline: a pre‑audit planning meeting with partners and stakeholders in late winter, a public walk audit in the summer, and follow‑up workshops where WALK Massachusetts would present recommendations and sample solutions. Potential audit corridors mentioned included downtown Danvers, the Liberty Tree Mall area and the Endicott Street corridor; Speaker 5 highlighted that inside the Liberty Tree Mall there are “no real sidewalks” and that changes to the mall layout make walking routes more circuitous.
The commission discussed outreach to local partners — Danvers Rail Trail, schools, town employees and the Department of Transportation — and noted the grant includes supports such as an intern to review existing planning documents. The next step is to coordinate the pre‑audit meeting and identify local partners to invite. No formal votes were recorded on the audit plan during the meeting.
