Bicycle trail advocates received some good news from Beacon Hill yesterday regarding $500,000 for engineering and design of the path through Reedy Meadow.
We're all for bicycling and exercise but we would suggest those who are really enthusiastic about it not pin their hopes and dreams on'this minor piece of news. There's too far to go, and money at the state level is getting extremely hard to come by.
The town's Beacon Hill delegation announced the "positive recommendation" of the $500,000 expenditure by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.
With this recommendation the funding for engineering and design costs for this project will remain in the comprehensive Transportation Bond Bill. This bill was previously released by the Joint Committee on Transportation and now awaits further approval by the House and the Senate.
State Rep. Mark Falzone, who represents Montrose and the North Ward, noted, "As a member of this committee I want to praise our entire Wakefield legislative delegation for their hard work to ensure a positive committee report. This significant state funding will be a big boost to our local rail-trail efforts and the committee's recommendation adds important momentum in favor of passage as the legislation is taken up by Ways and Means and the full House and Senate. The committee vote is a huge step forward for Wakefield and Lynnfield as rail-trail will provide benefits for the environment, transportation, health and recreation."
Selectman Albert Turco — a big backer of the new trail — emphasized that "If $500,000 of design and engineering funding remains in the transportation bond bill that is finally enacted by the legislature and signed by the Governor, we will approach Governor Patrick with an immediate request that those funds be released to the Towns. At that time, we will develop a request for proposal for the detailed design of the project."
The planned bicycle and pedestrian pathway would follow the rail corridor that runs from the junction on Main Street in Wakefield near the Galvin School to the intersection of Water and Vernon streets. It will then continue into Lynnfield and extend another 2.5 miles to the Lynnfield/Peabody border.