Erik J. Heels read the following prepared statement at the 2025-01-13 Acton Select Board meeting. Emphasis added.
[Erik J. Heels, 17 Forest Road, Acton MA 01720, heels@alum.mit.edu, attended in person.]
Hello, Erik, E-R-I-K, Heels, H-E-E-L-S, 17 Forest Road.
I have a prepared statement to read. I will keep it short.
As a young officer in the USAF, I was fighting against DoD fraud, waste, and abuse (which is why I decided to go to law school after active duty). My boss told me, “Erik, you can’t fight city hall.” To which I replied, “Jon, I’m going to fight city hall until the day I die!”
Fast forward about 35 years, and I am here today to fight for sidewalks on Forest Road for the SAFETY of the people and pets in the neighborhood. On Wednesday, I asked that the Forest Road Sidewalk Project be added to the agenda for tonight’s meeting, but it was not added to tonight’s agenda. An excellent precedent was set when sidewalks were included for the SAFETY of the North Acton Fire Station neighbors, so we ask that similar reasonable SAFETY accommodations be made for the proposed DPW project. I understand that there are concerns about the cost of the DPW project, and that you need voter support both at the election in April and at Town Meeting in May, but we the organized pro-SAFETY voters will be FORCED to oppose the DPW project without sidewalks. I note that our ongoing Change.org petition currently has over 184 supporters (and is adding supporters at the rate of about 8/day), so this is not just me talking. Do I have your assurance that the Forest Road Sidewalk Project will be added to the Select Board agenda going forward?
Erik Heels, 17 Forest Road, 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.
