Letter: HALT THE BWALT PROJECT

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Letter to the Editor iconWESTBOROUGH TAXPAYERS did you know:

The Town has already spent close to $800,000 taxpayer money on a public town funded project that has NOT been presented to the voters. And, there is little to show for it!  This money could have been better spent on making streets, sidewalks, and intersections safer in line with the Town’s Complete Streets Policy and Safe Routes to School initiatives. Many areas of the town still lack basic pedestrian and cyclist safety. 

The full scope, cost and details of the project have NOT been disclosed to the voters.

The feasibility study is NOT valid.  It is biased and completed by those involved in the project.  It was awarded to a firm not experienced in trail work and awarded without seeking other proposals.  The study is outdated as it was conducted during covid and key variables such as office occupancy rates, project costs, and interest from neighboring towns have changed. Lastly, the study does NOT provide clear data on trail usage.

This trail is isolated.  Neighboring towns Shrewsbury, Northborough, and Southborough show no interest connecting to it. Furthermore, the trail offers no meaningful connectivity for Westborough residents and serves only a small portion of the town, with most residents unable to safely access it.

Total costs of this project and maintenance expenses are unknown. There is no clear information on what will be funded by grants, and given grants are not guaranteed, the project’s estimated cost of at least $24.4 million (as of 2021) is unrealistic. 

In summary, BWALT is a “want” and not a “need”.  How can we justify spending millions when the Town has multiple on-going expensive projects and needs like the Community Center, library renovation, and facilities maintenance?  How can we justify spending on a “want” when our taxes increased again this year over 5%?

BWALT needs to be HALTED and a new, objective feasibility study conducted.  Any completed feasibility study, in its entirety, must be presented to taxpayers for approval and input before moving forward.

There is a public hearing January 16, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall at the Town Forbes building where project concerns will be discussed with Westborough Select and Planning Boards.  We urge you to attend.

Jo Anne Aramini

Kevin Barry

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