Article 23-1 asked the town for $300,000 to fund a design and engineering study to repair and upgrade Ayer Road from Route 2 to the Ayer town line. Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart explained that the study would include the feasibility of adding sidewalks and a bike line to that section of the road to follow the state’s Complete Streets guidelines, a necessary step toward getting state funds for repaving the road.
Residents wanted to know if the study would include design for a roundabout. Kilhart said the roundabout study completed two years ago would be provided to the engineers, who would use it as input in their analysis of that section of the road. If they thought a roundabout was called for, it would be included in the design. Kilhart also said that one of the goals of the study is to make recommendations to calm traffic and discourage truck traffic.
Bob O’Shea of Old Littleton Road proposed an amendment to include utilities in the study, specifically sewer lines. “Since I’ve lived here, Devens has offered free sewer service to that section of Ayer Road at least twice. If we’re going to do a study, we should include sewer service to the commercial district so it’s actually a viable place.” He said it would make financial sense to include sewer lines in the study, since engineers would already be looking at setbacks and gas line locations. But town officials said $300,000 would not be enough funding to cover the additional work needed, and its inclusion could jeopardize state funding. The amendment was defeated.
Lucas Thayer of South Shaker Road expressed the danger that he feels every day turning left onto Ayer Road from South Shaker Road. And he used that scenario to make a case for a town-supported bus that would run from the center of town to the Ayer commuter rail station, as he has at many town meetings in the past. Thayer proposed a friendly amendment to add the words “a bus” to the scope of the study, but the Select Board said Thayer’s bus was outside the scope of the article, which was for a physical study, not a traffic study.
O’Shea came to the microphone a second time to ask if there would be public hearings for the design and if the town would be able to vote on the project. Kilhart said public hearings are required throughout the design process, and residents would have a chance to voice their concerns and recommendations at those hearings. But Select Board member Stu Sklar said no town vote would be necessary unless the project needed more money than the state granted.
Margaret Nestler of Cruft Lane said the town should engage in community outreach on projects that residents will not have a vote on. Before the town votes on a study, Nestler said, “We should know if our citizens really want sidewalks on Ayer Road.”
Paul Cohen of Candleberry Lane, who is Chelmsford’s town manager, said he has been involved with Massachusetts Department of Transportation projects, and engineers will come back to the town with options. But he added that if the town doesn’t want the sidewalks and bike lanes that meet the state’s Complete Street standards, it would likely not get state funding for repaving Ayer Road. A two-thirds vote was required; the article passed easily.
