Friends of Acton:
The GOOD NEWS is that GiantPeople's Change.org petition (Build Sidewalks On Forest Road For A Safer Acton (MA 01720)) today passed 400 supporters. Thanks to all who signed and shared!
The BAD NEWS is that it took 300 supporters to get on Acton's AGENDA, but we are still not on Acton's BUDGET! The North Acton Fire Station (NAFS) was completed in 2022 and included sidewalks for the SAFETY of the neighbors. Compared to the NAFS project, the DPW project is larger, has a higher volume of traffic, has more dangerous industrial traffic, and is in a neighborhood that has waited 55 years for sidewalks. Somehow the Acton Select Board had the political courage to fund sidewalks for NAFS but lacks the political courage to do so for the DPW project.
WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING ABOUT? How much money, exactly, are we fighting about? 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) is approximately $336 to the average single-family household, $196 to 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 48 cents/month, which is 1.6 pennies/day, and (2) for a condo household would be $3.33/year, which is 28 cents/month, which is 1 penny/day.
1.6 pennies/day and 1 penny/day. THAT'S what we're fighting about. Enough already, enough.
BUDGETS = PRIORITIES. As Fred Kent, co-founder of Project for Public Spaces, so wisely said, "If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places." With the $43M DPW project, you could build 43 miles of sidewalks! Our REASONABLE position is 1.7% for sidewalks and 98.3% for cars/trucks/traffic. Acton's UNREASONABLE position is 100% for cars/trucks/traffic, and 0% for people and pets. If "everybody wants sidewalks" (as I'm repeatedly told), then perhaps Acton's budget should reflect what everybody wants.
A CALL TO ACTON. (1) Please continue to sign/share the petition (https://www.change.org/acton-sidewalks (2) please email the Acton Select Board (sb@actonma.gov) (or, better yet, come to a meeting) and tell them to STOP DUMPING ON FOREST ROAD, and (3) please VOTE AGAINST THE DPW PROJECT at the election (April 29) and at town meeting (May 5-6) unless it includes sidewalks.
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.