Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Management Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richmond Trails Committee to ask Select Board whether management plan or trail plan should come first; schedules follow-up meetings
Summary
Committee members agreed to ask the Select Board which deliverable it prefers — a completed management plan, a combined management-and-trail package, or concurrent work — and to schedule extra meetings to finalize edits before any Select Board conversation.
The Richmond Trails Committee voted by consensus to ask the Select Board for guidance on whether the town wants the committee to submit a final management plan first, a combined management-and-trail package, or both together.
Committee members agreed to draft an email outlining where the committee is in the management-plan revision process, list outstanding questions (including whether the Select Board wants to fund engineering or be involved in trail design), and request the board’s preference and any directional guidance. Ian and Chase volunteered to consolidate and circulate the draft message this week.
Why it matters: the Planning Commission requested committee input on action items by the end of January, and the committee’s choice of sequencing — management plan first versus concurrent trail planning — will affect RFP scope, funding requests and the level of technical work required before public review.
Members debated two approaches: some urged completing the management plan first to set conservation and policy parameters that would guide later trail design; others argued for a phased trail plan (Phase 1: low-impact footpaths; Phase 2: engineered multi-use routes) so the committee can pilot smaller projects and learn the permitting process.
The committee also set near-term scheduling and work assignments: Ian offered to consolidate member edits into a single draft by Feb. 3, and members tentatively agreed on extra meetings (Feb. 10, March 10 and March 24) to review consolidated edits and prepare materials for a Select Board update. Members discussed seeking an engineering briefing to understand likely costs and feasibility before committing to a multi-use trail design.
The committee closed without finalizing the management plan but with clear next steps: consolidate edits, ask the Select Board for directional guidance, and hold special meetings to finish the draft for Select Board consideration.
