Council to revisit Cumberland Avenue design after residents raise tree-removal, safety and stormwater concerns

The town council agreed during a work session to delay acceptance of consultant plans for Cumberland Avenue after residents and council members raised process, tree-removal, accessibility and stormwater concerns. The council asked the mayor to meet with the consultant and scheduled town halls and a January work-session follow-up before making any decisions.

Several council members and participants said residents were surprised by the public charrette presentation and wanted more context before proposals were shown. "They were blindsided by this," Unidentified Speaker 3 said, summarizing resident feedback and urging more time and outreach. Unidentified Speaker 6 added that the presentation lacked a clear introduction about the problems the designs were intended to solve and recommended prior briefings for residents and council.

Unidentified Speaker 2 traced the matter's history: the initiative began with a letter from six Cumberland residents dated 02/21/2024, the council asked the public safety committee to review it, and a pedestrian safety working group followed. Speaker 2 proposed holding additional town halls in January and early February to develop a shared vision for Cumberland and to address concerns about tree canopy and perceived safety.

The consultant, identified in the record as Dewberry (transcript contains variable spellings), presented three options during the charrette that some residents believed assumed tree removal. Council members asked whether the consultant could evaluate a fourth option that preserves canopy trees entirely. "Can you do it? No canopy tree must be removed. Can you do it? Is it possible?" Unidentified Speaker 2 asked the group, pressing for a feasibility check.

Cost and regulatory constraints were raised as limiting factors. Unidentified Speaker 2 cautioned that a no-tree-removal solution might be infeasible or significantly more expensive: "Of course, it's gonna cost you $1,600,000 because that's how we do it," Speaker 2 said, describing the kind of cost estimate the council might receive. Unidentified Speaker 6 warned that sidewalk construction must address stormwater runoff and county code requirements, which could increase the scale of mitigation work.

Council members and participants suggested alternatives if continuous sidewalk construction proves impractical: traffic-calming measures, temporary closures during school hours, safety patrols, speed bumps and piecemeal sidewalks designed to avoid trees. Unidentified Speaker 2 also highlighted accessibility needs, saying the town must consider people who use wheelchairs or are visually impaired and cannot be told to "just pull yourself up off the curb." The council said these issues — safety, accessibility, canopy preservation, cost and stormwater — should all be considered.

Unidentified Speaker 4 (attorney) reported that the mayor, listening remotely, intends to organize more public information sessions and will meet with Dewberry and staff; council members were asked to forward questions to the mayor for inclusion on that meeting's agenda. The council agreed to add a next-steps item to the next month's work session and to hold town halls; Speaker 1 said the council would not accept the plans as submitted by Dewberry.

Next steps are procedural: the mayor will meet with the consultant and staff, town halls will be scheduled to gather resident input, and the council will discuss the consultant's feasibility responses and options at a future work session before taking any formal action.