Students and volunteers seek school connection to Bruce Freeman Rail Trail; PTG and Friends pledge preconstruction funds

The School Committee heard a presentation from the CMS PTG sustainability committee on a proposed connector between the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and the Ellen Garrison building. Shelley, a sustainability committee member, described a conceptual quarter-mile route, identified sections with 5–30 feet of elevation change that require ADA-compliant designs, and outlined a phased plan: supplemental survey and design, grant submissions in the fall, construction next summer and five years of maintenance.

Shelley announced a $40,000 grant from Friends of the Bruce Freeman and a $10,000 commitment from the CMS PTG as fiscal sponsor to support preconstruction design steps. "We have a letter," she said about the Friends' award; the PTG will accept and hold funds and then donate them to the school for design and permitting work. The group asked the committee to approve the conceptual design and to authorize school staff to implement preconstruction work and accept the pledged donation up to $50,000.

Committee members signaled support and asked for additional documentation before formal approval: letters of support and evidence of funding availability, examples and lessons learned from the White Pond project, and checks with town natural resources and permitting entities. Several members recommended presenting the project to the Select Board for broader community awareness. The committee discussed placing approvals on a future consent agenda once required paperwork and funding transfers are in hand.

No final vote was taken at the meeting; committee members agreed to consider a first read and to include the item on the consent agenda at an upcoming meeting pending receipt of required documents.