By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A proposed warrant article headed to Spring Town Meeting on Tuesday, April 29 will ask voters to accept a portion of Ford Avenue that has not been accepted as a public way as a public way.
Article 7 will request Spring Town Meeting to accept a small portion of Ford Avenue as a public way that would serve as a public access point for the Lynnfield Rail Trail. Ford Avenue is at the end of Perry Avenue.
“A small portion of the original layout was not included when the street was accepted,” said Select Board Chair Dick Dalton during a recent meeting. “The acceptance of the way would require a vote at Town Meeting on Tuesday, April 29.”
Department of Public Works (DPW) Director John Scenna said the Ford Avenue area that has yet to be accepted as a public way would serve as a “connection point for the rail trail.” He said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has agreed to fund the project in fiscal year 2026.
“That is why it is imperative we act on this at Town Meeting in the spring,” said Scenna. “(The Select Board’s) actions would pave the way for an article to go on the warrant at Spring Town Meeting, which would allow residents the opportunity to make this portion of Ford Avenue a public way. Once it is made a public way, we would be allowed to connect it with the rail trail. The rail trail is proposing a connection there and there is also a proposed connection at the Lynnfield Middle School track right next to this location. There would be two locations where you could leave the midpoint of the rail trail.”
Scenna said he is not sure why the small portion of Ford Avenue has yet to be accepted as a public way.
“We have created a plan that allows that to take place right now,” said Scenna. “This is a technical step towards moving forward and bidding what could be started in fiscal year 2026 in terms of construction.”
Town Counsel Tom Mullen agreed.
“Even though we are only accepting a small part of Ford Avenue, which had previously not been accepted for some reason as a public way, we have to go through the whole process that would apply to any acceptance of a public way,” said Mullen. “To accept a public way means that the town accepts responsibility for maintaining the way and for paying damages should anyone be injured on the way because of a lack of maintenance.”
Select Board Vice Chair Phil Crawford asked if the remainder of Ford Avenue was built in accordance with the town’s “specifications.”
Scenna said yes.
“This part, which right now is undeveloped, will be developed by the project,” said Scenna. “There will be screening along both edges of it to protect the residents. There will be a natural buffer that will be installed as part of the project. As we move forward with construction, we will make sure that we share those plans with the abutters.”
Former School Committee member Phil McQueen said his home at 1 Ford Ave. is next door to the proposed rail trail connection point.
“It seems that the money that was going to be set aside for fences and screening for abutters is no longer there,” said McQueen. “Is that correct?”
Scenna said, “MassDOT has changed their policy on screening.”
“There is still some safety fencing in the project,” said Scenna. “Where there was screening before, we intend to meet with those residents and we will try to make everyone whole as much as possible moving forward. There are funds that the project has that were intended for the trail’s design, but we were able to get grants so those funds are available. We will likely use them to resolve these abutter issues on a case-by-case basis.”
In response to a question from McQueen, Scenna said abutters can contact the DPW about getting screening for the rail trail.
“Our town engineer is happy to go meet you on site and we will set up a time to meet in the office to go through that,” said Scenna. “I know that there is a resident on Westover who has already taken us up on that.”
While Scenna said MassDOT has nixed most of the funding for the rail trail’s screening, he said there are certain parts of the rail trail that will have screening.
“Once we move forward, we are still going to push MassDOT to try and go back to what they originally committed to,” said Scenna. “I don’t know how successful we will be, but our intent is to always do right by the abutters.”
McQueen asked if the rail trail access point on Ford Avenue will have landscape screening.
Scenna said yes.
After the Select Board closed the public hearing, the board unanimously voted to order the laying out of Ford Avenue.