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Select Board accepts $498,877 MassDOT Complete Streets grant for Blake/Pierce project in 3‑2 vote
Summary
After extended public comment and internal debate about sequencing, the board accepted a $498,877 MassDOT Complete Streets grant for the Blake/Pierce streetscape and authorized the planning director to expend the funds; the roll-call vote was 3–2.
The Select Board voted 3–2 on Nov. 3 to accept a $498,877.10 MassDOT Complete Streets grant for the Blake/Pierce Streetscape Improvement Project and to authorize the planning director to expend the funds on behalf of the town.
Planning staff explained the award funds would support sidewalks, ADA ramps and a limited number of LED street lights along Blake and Pierce; the project was presented as one part of a larger downtown revitalization plan. Laurie (planning staff) told the board the Complete Streets grant is restricted to the projects applied for and that diverting funds to other streets would require declining the award and reapplying. She also said the Safe Routes to School grant (average awards $2–3 million) would be a better fit for Maple Street sidewalk work that town residents also prioritized.
The agenda item drew sustained public comment and debate among board members about sequencing near 4 West Main redevelopment, potential duplication of recently installed private sidewalk work, and long‑term maintenance responsibilities. Resident John Bourgeois and other speakers urged the board to seize the state funds and use them to spur downtown revitalization; others urged caution, warning the town could build sidewalks that might later be altered if adjacent redevelopment occurs.
The motion to accept the grant, moved by Mike Teegan and seconded, passed on a roll‑call vote: Laura Zieten, yes; Mike Teegan, yes; John Ray, no; Jacob Jones, no; Julianne Hirsch (chair), yes. The board recorded the vote as 3–2 in favor.
Staff said the project could go to bid in January with construction possibly beginning in spring and finishing before year-end, subject to environmental permitting and final design. The planning director also noted the town has two years to spend the grant and that schedule adjustments may affect costs.
The board asked staff to pursue public outreach on design decisions, to consult with the conservation commission for wetland-related approvals for Maple Street work, and to return with construction timing and any additional budget implications.
