Beacon volunteer leader says Greenway committee was terminated without warning; council offers handoff

Thomas Wright, chair of the Beacon Greenway Committee, told the city council he was “completely surprised by the news about the creation of a trails committee and the termination of the Greenway Committee.” Wright said volunteers who had worked for decades felt sidelined and asked why the city created a new committee instead of broadening the existing body or asking members to step down.

Wright pressed for transparency and urged the council to acknowledge the institutional knowledge the Greenway volunteers had built: “Keep in mind that our successful efforts for planning and implementing trails and Beacon have origins going back almost 2 decades,” he said. He added the group planned to issue a summary document to share its work with the council and the public.

Multiple council members responded that the city would offer a formal handoff and suggested inviting the Greenway Committee to present a final report. One councilor proposed inviting the committee to give a final presentation to recognize volunteers’ service and provide closure. Another councilor seconded the idea and asked staff to coordinate logistics, saying such a presentation would help inform the new trails committee’s work.

Mayor and staff comments during reports reiterated that the city is forming a new trail-perspective committee intended to improve collaboration and communication with the mayor’s office, but did not say the membership would be substantially different. The mayor said he expected many of the same faces to remain involved and encouraged interested volunteers to apply to the new committee.

Next steps recorded in the meeting timeline: councilors asked staff to invite the Greenway Committee to present a final summary, and to ensure the new trails committee receives the past committee’s materials as part of a formal handoff.