Post by Concerned guest on Oct 22, 2019 17:17:22 GMT
I respect the concerns of the residents that live downtown but I respectively disagree that there is anything substantial enough to derail this project. I completely understand their frustration if they are having a hard time getting information from the town but I would like to make a few points as to why this is great for the town and the residents who live on Main Street. I am a resident of Hopkinton but do not live downtown. Like most residents, I am downtown often and commute directly through it daily to work. I have been following this project in the local paper and by watching the Select Board meetings online. Hopkinton is growing at a tremendous rate and we need to tackle that growth with the improvements this project will bring.
- This project is mainly funded by the State and Federal Government and the town’s contribution is very small. I believe we are basically getting $18 million in improvements to our downtown and only having to spend about $3 million. This is unbelievable return on investment for the town. In addition, my guess is hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent to get this project to the state it is at now and cancelling it would make that money wasted by the town.
- Regarding the bike lanes, I agree that it seems unnecessary considering there are no bike lanes feeding either side of main street, but I think but and am certainly not sure that they are required to receive the money from the State. If this is the case, I can live with bike lanes to receive this large subsidy from the state.
- Regarding the bike repair station, from my understanding as soon as a resident objected it was moved to near Center Trail. Not sure if ours is the same, but I have seen these before and it is basically a bike pump with a few tools hanging from it.
- Disruption has been mentioned a lot here but the majority of this project needs to happen as soon as possible and the will be happening eventually either way. Main Street is in desperate need of being repaved, new sidewalks and the intersection at 85 needs to be fixed. The awful state of the sidewalks is a liability to the town. The right hand and left hand turn lanes being added are necessary and the most cost effective way to reduce traffic downtown. The intersection at 85 is a serious safety issue and will benefit all in town when finally fixed. For example, heading North on 85 is very dangerous, as cars not familiar with the intersection will sometimes be in the left turn lane when they are actually trying to go “straight”, posing significant safety hazards to vehicles in the correct lane on the right. Additionally, have you ever headed east on West Main Street only to have a single car try to turn left at the light at Wood Street and back everyone up. This proposed left lane is one example on how traffic will be greatly improved.
- The landowners on Main Street will actually be realizing big benefits when this project is complete. First, their property values will increase when this project is complete due to the improved Main Street. Second, they will be gaining a huge advantage when the power lines are buried. Their properties will look better without the poles and lines and during a power outage they will not be at risk of losing power due to the line failing from the pole to their property. During a power outage, lines that fail from the pole to a single home are last to be repaired. This risk will be eliminated for them free, as well as the entire town gaining resiliency in our power grid. In fact, when I searched from my house having the power liens already buried was on my list of “nice to haves.”
- The improvements to the downtown are also an effort to help the existing business and attract new ones. This combined with the recently approved municipal parking lots will give us a more vibrant downtown and help diversify our tax base.
- Since when are power lines and poles worth saving. Hopkinton residents always talk about preserving the small town character of our town, which I 100% agree with. What is charming about telephone poles and power lines? We are actually bringing downtown in line with this vision.
- Lastly and what seem to be the major point here is the easements, most of which are temporary and no ownerships rights are being given or taken away. I read the concerns of this group and the town’s responses and there still seems to be a some confusion.
- From my understanding, the first temporary easements that were sent out was when the design was in its early stages and since then the temporary easements have shrunk considerably. This was due to changes in the plan and once the utilities identified where they would be burying the lines.
- The 5 year temporary easements is often mentioned and seems to cause a lot of concern to the residents. I believe the project is only 18 months long (Including one winter of about 6 months that no work will probably be done). The 5 year period of the temporary easements is to protect the resident incase the town needs to come back in because they lawn they repaired or bush they replaced after burying the utility lines did not take. Peoples, lawns, gardens, stone walls all have to be put back to their original state. The 5 year temporary easements are a benefit for the residents and will not impact their property rights or ability to resell their homes.
- 5 West Main Street seems to have a lot of confusion here and I certainly do not have the answers. After watching the September 24th Select Board Meeting it is clear that the town is not taking 15 feet of property as has been put out there. The town is using several feet of town right of way property to be able to construct the left turn lane. The reason for the 15 feet temporary easement is for grading purposes and so the town can re-build the rock wall on the property. This seems to be one of the biggest points of contention and hopefully the town and resident can come up with a compromise. The left hand turn lane to Wood street would be great but I don’t think it needs to be that long and maybe can be moved up a bit to minimize the amount of town property being used directly in front of the house. Not that many cars should be turning left there, if they wanted to get to Wood Street most should have turned left well before that at the Dunkin Donuts.
Hopkinton is home to the greatest marathon in the world and each year our downtown takes center stage on a worldwide scale and I think that the improvements that this project will bring will add to that day. I hope the Main Street residents and town officials can continue to come to understanding so we can move forward with this project. While I have not lived in town as long as others I do believe that this will be overall a great project and asset for the town. I urge all residents to do their own research and look at the facts regarding this project before they sign a petition or vote in either way at a potential special town meeting if it happens. I also hope both sides can resist the urge that is prevalent in our national politics to promote false information to make their point and stick to the facts so we can all make an informed decision. I heard that this project has been talked about for 20 plus years, we are at the finish line now, we may realize some short term pain but will enjoy some serious long term improvements. Thank you.
- This project is mainly funded by the State and Federal Government and the town’s contribution is very small. I believe we are basically getting $18 million in improvements to our downtown and only having to spend about $3 million. This is unbelievable return on investment for the town. In addition, my guess is hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent to get this project to the state it is at now and cancelling it would make that money wasted by the town.
- Regarding the bike lanes, I agree that it seems unnecessary considering there are no bike lanes feeding either side of main street, but I think but and am certainly not sure that they are required to receive the money from the State. If this is the case, I can live with bike lanes to receive this large subsidy from the state.
- Regarding the bike repair station, from my understanding as soon as a resident objected it was moved to near Center Trail. Not sure if ours is the same, but I have seen these before and it is basically a bike pump with a few tools hanging from it.
- Disruption has been mentioned a lot here but the majority of this project needs to happen as soon as possible and the will be happening eventually either way. Main Street is in desperate need of being repaved, new sidewalks and the intersection at 85 needs to be fixed. The awful state of the sidewalks is a liability to the town. The right hand and left hand turn lanes being added are necessary and the most cost effective way to reduce traffic downtown. The intersection at 85 is a serious safety issue and will benefit all in town when finally fixed. For example, heading North on 85 is very dangerous, as cars not familiar with the intersection will sometimes be in the left turn lane when they are actually trying to go “straight”, posing significant safety hazards to vehicles in the correct lane on the right. Additionally, have you ever headed east on West Main Street only to have a single car try to turn left at the light at Wood Street and back everyone up. This proposed left lane is one example on how traffic will be greatly improved.
- The landowners on Main Street will actually be realizing big benefits when this project is complete. First, their property values will increase when this project is complete due to the improved Main Street. Second, they will be gaining a huge advantage when the power lines are buried. Their properties will look better without the poles and lines and during a power outage they will not be at risk of losing power due to the line failing from the pole to their property. During a power outage, lines that fail from the pole to a single home are last to be repaired. This risk will be eliminated for them free, as well as the entire town gaining resiliency in our power grid. In fact, when I searched from my house having the power liens already buried was on my list of “nice to haves.”
- The improvements to the downtown are also an effort to help the existing business and attract new ones. This combined with the recently approved municipal parking lots will give us a more vibrant downtown and help diversify our tax base.
- Since when are power lines and poles worth saving. Hopkinton residents always talk about preserving the small town character of our town, which I 100% agree with. What is charming about telephone poles and power lines? We are actually bringing downtown in line with this vision.
- Lastly and what seem to be the major point here is the easements, most of which are temporary and no ownerships rights are being given or taken away. I read the concerns of this group and the town’s responses and there still seems to be a some confusion.
- From my understanding, the first temporary easements that were sent out was when the design was in its early stages and since then the temporary easements have shrunk considerably. This was due to changes in the plan and once the utilities identified where they would be burying the lines.
- The 5 year temporary easements is often mentioned and seems to cause a lot of concern to the residents. I believe the project is only 18 months long (Including one winter of about 6 months that no work will probably be done). The 5 year period of the temporary easements is to protect the resident incase the town needs to come back in because they lawn they repaired or bush they replaced after burying the utility lines did not take. Peoples, lawns, gardens, stone walls all have to be put back to their original state. The 5 year temporary easements are a benefit for the residents and will not impact their property rights or ability to resell their homes.
- 5 West Main Street seems to have a lot of confusion here and I certainly do not have the answers. After watching the September 24th Select Board Meeting it is clear that the town is not taking 15 feet of property as has been put out there. The town is using several feet of town right of way property to be able to construct the left turn lane. The reason for the 15 feet temporary easement is for grading purposes and so the town can re-build the rock wall on the property. This seems to be one of the biggest points of contention and hopefully the town and resident can come up with a compromise. The left hand turn lane to Wood street would be great but I don’t think it needs to be that long and maybe can be moved up a bit to minimize the amount of town property being used directly in front of the house. Not that many cars should be turning left there, if they wanted to get to Wood Street most should have turned left well before that at the Dunkin Donuts.
Hopkinton is home to the greatest marathon in the world and each year our downtown takes center stage on a worldwide scale and I think that the improvements that this project will bring will add to that day. I hope the Main Street residents and town officials can continue to come to understanding so we can move forward with this project. While I have not lived in town as long as others I do believe that this will be overall a great project and asset for the town. I urge all residents to do their own research and look at the facts regarding this project before they sign a petition or vote in either way at a potential special town meeting if it happens. I also hope both sides can resist the urge that is prevalent in our national politics to promote false information to make their point and stick to the facts so we can all make an informed decision. I heard that this project has been talked about for 20 plus years, we are at the finish line now, we may realize some short term pain but will enjoy some serious long term improvements. Thank you.