The Town of Hubbardston Open Space Committee spent the bulk of its meeting discussing ways to deter unauthorized off‑highway vehicles and protect recent trail investments at Malone and elsewhere. Committee members debated three primary options: large boulders placed partially buried, wooden guide rails similar to Merritt‑Parkway style posts with steel backing, and steel posts set in concrete with removable locking hardware for maintenance access.

Unidentified Speaker 6 outlined costs and tradeoffs, saying wooden 8x8 or 12x12 posts with 4x10 rails cost roughly $50 per linear foot installed for the lighter wooden option and that the most rugged, highway‑grade installations could run substantially more. The committee considered an initial 120‑foot section of wooden railing near Malone’s entrance as part of a hybrid plan — railing at the immediate entrance with boulders farther along the perimeter — and estimated that 120 feet of railing would cost in the neighborhood of $6,000.

Committee members favored boulders for longer stretches because volunteer labor and local sourcing reduce out‑of‑pocket expense. "The rocks could be 5 feet on center and still be close enough together that they would impede an ATV, but not a wheelchair," Unidentified Speaker 6 said, noting the approach preserves emergency and maintenance access.

Members discussed grants and partners to share costs. Unidentified Speaker 2 reported that Mark (project lead for trail signs) estimated about $5,000 might remain in the MassTrails grant after sign orders, which the committee could reapply for or request as cost‑sharing for physical deterrents. Unidentified Speaker 3 suggested a three‑way split among the grant, the committee, and North County or similar partners to make an initial installation more feasible.

The committee also reviewed lower‑cost, flexible solutions used elsewhere: removable pipe posts set into a buried sleeve with locking hardware (used on many rail‑trails) and reusing salvaged structural steel where appropriate. Unidentified Speaker 5 noted potential material sources at a former airport site where the East Quabbin Land Trust is removing hangars; those materials would require state permission before reuse.

Members emphasized a trail‑by‑trail assessment rather than a single blanket solution. The committee asked Tim and other volunteers to map activity hot spots, estimate costs for specific trail segments, and produce a prioritized, costed plan that would allow the group to pursue funding or execute volunteer projects. Chair (Unidentified Speaker 1) said the goal is to "get this ball rolling" with a concrete plan for where, how, and when work would occur and who would do it.

Next steps include firming up perimeter measurements at Malone, confirming how much grant funding remains, producing a line‑item cost estimate for the hybrid approach, and scheduling volunteer work weekends to install boulders and short railing runs. The committee also agreed to track maintenance and emergency access needs while designing deterrents.