Erik J. Heels read the following prepared statement at the 2025-02-24 Acton Select Board meeting. Emphasis added.
Hello, Erik, E-R-I-K, Heels, H-E-E-L-S, 17 Forest Road.
I am here to make a NOW-FAMILIAR PLEA for Forest Road sidewalks for the SAFETY of the DPW neighborhood. The terms “DPW Sidewalk Project” and “Forest Road Sidewalk Project” are used interchangeably.
First, our Change.org petition (Build Sidewalks On Forest Road For A Safer Acton (MA 01720)) now has over 450 supporters (https://www.change.org/acton-sidewalks). I want to thank those on Forest Road, in Robbins Park, and in Acton at large for the overwhelming support that you have given to this project and to me personally. It is this support that keeps me going, thank you.
Second, there is at least one pizza shop owner on Great Road who is confused about what we are asking for. So let me clarify. We are proposing that the cost of building sidewalks on Forest Road be rolled into the DPW building project and bonded as a single unified project. The DPW project makes ALL OF ACTON SAFER, and sidewalks on Forest Road makes Robbins Park SAFER FOR DPW NEIGHBORS who are most impacted by the DPW (past, present, and future).
Third, regarding COST. Quoting from slide 34 of the 2025-01-10 Town Manager’s budget presentation, and based on a $43M DPW project cost, the “Current estimated taxpayer impact (based on FY2025 valuation) [of the DPW project] is approximately $336 for the average single-family household, $196 for the average condo household.” Using 1.7% as the estimated cost of sidewalks on Forest Road, the estimated taxpayer impact of sidewalks (1) for a single-family household would be $5.72/year, which is 1.6 pennies/day, and (2) for a condo household would be $3.33/year, which is 1 penny/day. 1.3 pennies/day on average.
Fourth, regarding SAFETY. The industrial DPW operation moved in to the residential Robbins Park neighborhood in 1969. In the 55 years since, the population of Acton has nearly doubled, and the traffic on Forest Road has increased at least that much. It is INHERENTLY DANGEROUS for bikers, walkers, joggers, baby strollers, wheelchairs, and dogs to traverse Forest Road – without sidewalks – side-by-side with dump trucks, snowplows, fire engines, and all of the other Acton vehicles that fuel up at the DPW.
According to my notes, there are only 4 regular Select Board meetings remaining before the April 29 Town Election and May 5-6 Town Meeting. I sincerely hope that the agendas and minutes of these remaining meetings reflect a commitment by the Select Board to (1) fix the broken DPW building and (2) fix the DANGER on Forest Road.
Erik Heels, 17 Forest Road, HEELS H-E-E-L-S at ALUM A-L-U-M dot MIT dot EDU (HEELS@ALUM.MIT.EDU), Actonian since 1995.
END
LEGAL DISCLAIMER & NOTICE: The “Sidewalks For Acton” campaign was started by and is funded by GiantPeople LLC, a single-person LLC founded in 1999 by Erik J. Heels (heels@alum.mit.edu). Erik has been an Actonian since 1995, an independent voter for 40 years, and a recent member of the MA Democratic party (joining 2024-09-11). Erik claims to publish the #1 blog about technology, law, baseball, and rock ‘n’ roll at giantpeople.com.
