Ragucci to explore potential sale of bikepath property
Published on June 11th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - The Selectmen authorized Town Administrator David Ragucci last week to examine the possibility of selling-off portions of the proposed Tri-Community Bikeway to abutting property owners.
During the Selectmen's meeting last Tuesday, Ragucci requested permission to approach state officials about slicing-off a portion of the proposed bikeway that he considered excessive.
According to the Town Administrator, initial plans for the recreational space call for the bikeway to be 50-feet wide. Ragucci believes that only a 20-foot wide swath is necessary, and that the remaining 30-foot area should be sold-off in some locations.
“They're generally very difficult to maintain and can pose a security [issue] for the town,” said Ragucci of bikepaths in general. “If you make a bike path 50-feet wide, you're creating a maintenance concern.”
The Town Administrator hopes to set-up some type of hearing on the idea this July.
Based upon current plans for the recreation trails, the bikeway would be created along abandoned railroad right-of-ways in Stoneham, Woburn, and Winchester.
All three municipalities, which designated Winchester as the lead community for the project, have inked a deal with engineering firm Fay, Spofford, and Thorndike to craft initial renderings for the bike path.
Last week, Selectman Paul Rotondi urged Ragucci to explore whether the land can legally be sold. The MBTA, which previously owned the property, deeded the area to the three municipalities, but with the stipulation that it remain open-space.
According to Ragucci, Town Counsel Bill Solomon raised that same objection to the proposal, but it was worth discussing the possibility with state officials.
“Before we end-up doing that, we ought to do our homework,” said Rotondi. “I'm not sure if we can sell that land. Before, we leased that and we got in trouble for it.”
In a phone interview this week, Highland Avenue resident Cameron Bain also contended that the land cannot be legally sold-off unless a series of local and state approvals were granted.
In particular, the Conservation Commission and Recreation and Open-Space Committee would have to sign-off on the plan, and a two-third's vote of Town Meeting would be required.
In addition, both houses of the State Legislature would have to approve the sale of the recreation land, which must be replicated somewhere else in Stoneham.
Bain, who has advocated for the bikeway for over a decade, also explained that the bikepath design already calls for a 20-foot trail, which would be complimented by adjacent benches, parks, and other resting spots.
“They can not sell that land. It is a parkland and it belongs to the people of the Commonwealth,” vented Bain, who made his opposition to Ragucci's plans clear. “It's just outrageous to even bring that up.”
“We own the land. But we have a condition on the deed that says all land and proceeds will go to the MBTA [if it's sold-off for another use],” the Highland Avenue resident added. “There is no way they can sell that and keep the money.”
According to Ragucci, even if the MBTA received the windfall from a potential land-sale, Stoneham would still receive the tax money from placing that property onto the books.
Rotondi and veteran Selectman Robert Sweeney later suggested that if the land sale was permitted, a special account could be established to offset the cost of maintaining the bikeway.
“That could be a good selling point to the proponents of the bike path,” said Sweeney.
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