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Westborough wins $130,000 active-transportation grant; plans bike racks across town
Summary
The Town of Westborough received $130,000 for an active transportation plan and a separate MassDOT/CMMPO microgrant will fund bike racks at downtown, park and lake locations; staff outlined locations, rack types, counts for some sites and a timeline targeting installation by June, subject to conservation and Select Board approvals.
The Town of Westborough has secured $130,000 to develop an active transportation plan and is using an additional MassDOT/CMMPO microgrant to install new bike racks at several town sites, Planning Director Jenny Jingres and Assistant Town Planner Kristen Bellinger told the planning board.
"We are able to formally announce now that we received funding for the active transportation plan. I have a $130,000, so we're very proud of that accomplishment," Jenny Jingres said, adding that "there are no matching funds involved in it." She said staff will contract with the state and prepare an RFP for board review before it is released.
Kristen Bellinger outlined specific locations for bike racks selected with input from the Department of Public Works, recreation and conservation. "We have a cluster in the downtown," she said, and listed sites that include the temporary library (three racks), West Main Street near ChaCha Beans, a location in front of Anthony Joseph Realty, a spot on South Street near the Westborough Suites, the community/senior center (four racks along a shared wall), the town beach (four racks), Lake Chauncey trailhead and Haskell Fields (three inverted U racks).
Bellinger described two rack styles: circular racks planned for downtown Main Street locations for aesthetics and inverted U racks for parks and recreation areas. She said the types were chosen for equal stability, maintenance and installation cost.
Staff provided an implementation schedule: execute the contract within November, order racks in December, expect arrival in roughly one to two months (January–February), pour concrete pads and install racks in March, then allow a buffer in April and May for DPW coordination with a target of finishing by June. Bellinger noted that conservation commission approval for specific sites is pending and the locations will need final sign-off from the Select Board.
Board members did not request further discussion at the meeting; Jenny Jingres invited members to send comments to staff for any follow-up before the conservation and Select Board steps.
Next steps: staff will complete contracting, circulate the RFP for the active transportation plan and return to the board with finalized microgrant installation details after conservation and Select Board approvals.
