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Selectboard discusses temporarily restricting rail‑bed access over safety and nuisance concerns
Summary
Board members discussed citizen complaints about a gated rail bed, saying the town has authority to restrict access temporarily because of trash, needles and speeding vehicles; no formal policy change or vote was taken, and staff will develop a revised approach for the board to review.
At the meeting, selectboard members addressed a complaint from a resident that the town has installed gates on the railroad bed and was restricting access. Board members said the gates were installed in part for safety and nuisance mitigation — picking up trash, finding needles, and limiting vehicle speed near bicycle traffic — and that the town has the ability to restrict access temporarily when safety concerns arise.
A selectboard member summarized the rationale: "We're sick of picking up trash. We're sick of picking up needles. We're sick of the nighttime drivers up and down there speeding." The board said they will start to draft a revised approach to rail‑bed access as a team and consult with each other and relevant stakeholders, noting that Mike (a staff member who handles related inquiries) and other board members have been corresponding with the concerned resident.
Members also discussed using extra Gateway Park signs on the rail bed or ball fields and technical details about gate hardware: some gates now have extensions and stainless locks designed so the fire department can retain its own lock and emergency access. Concerns about bypasses for small bicycles or tricycles were raised; a board member reported testing bypasses and said they were passable for a local resident's tricycle.
No formal motion or vote to change rail‑bed access was recorded at this meeting. The board said they will take the issue "as a team" and plan to revisit the policy with adjusted language to address safety, enforcement and access for emergency services.
