10/02/2026
10/1 OFR East West Project Update - While you can always check the Town Council Minutes, here are a few highlights and thoughts from last night’s meeting:
1) Town secured an additional grant of ~$500K toward trails/connectivity associated with the proposed E/W project and believes it may be able to secure as much as $13M.
2) Engineering shared that the design consultant found a solution to support the passage of reptiles across the Thompson road portion and the vernal pool on the north side. Some thoughtfulness.
3) Inland wetlands review is next. Full permitting and design are not expected to be done until late summer 2027. Referendum would be some time after that and the corridor would be closed for the duration, impacting commutes, emergency response/ safety, etc for at least a year.
4) Once again, the term "rural feel" was used to describe the hundreds of feet of retaining walls and fencing that will line a wide open corridor that replaces a unique and scenic roadway as the defining features of our town continue to tranform from natural to engineered.
5) Once again, we got to see an aerial photo of the state-funded Fisher Meadow highway bridge that now symbolizes our community in a new town publication.
"Free money" is never an easy opponent. And a "kinder and gentler" Oncler is still going to take all of the truffula trees.
Stay vigilant.
