Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Needham officials hope to take advantage of the state's updated legislation to renovate Greene's Field and add to the Bay Colony Rail Trail.
Just one month after the governor signed legislation updating the state’s Community Preservation Act, Needham officials are ready to take advantage of the changes to help fund two parks projects. The new language allows for towns that have adopted the CPA surcharge to use the funds to renovate and upgrade existing parks and recreational areas, not just build new ones as allowed under the original legislation, which was passed in 2000. The update does exclude purchase of turf fields. Needham has had “several projects in the queue” under the town’s capital plan, but the projects have been set aside in years past as other priorities arose and as officials waited eagerly for the legislative update, Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. …
42.28028
-71.23447
Greene's Field
Pickering St & Great Plain Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/cpa-funding-sought-for-parks-projects
222929
/locations/7618977
42.28049
-71.23606
Needham Town Hall
1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/cpa-funding-sought-for-parks-projects
2004019
/locations/7618978
Monday, June 18, 2012
The program will involve a partnership with Newton.
Newton has been selected to receive free technical assistance this year to help create a more sustainable community and study options for an old railbed in the city. According to a press release issued by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Newton will partner with Needham in the grant program to evaluate options for the defunct railbed that connects the two communities. The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance and the Building Sustainable Communities Consortium will award the grant through the U.S. EPA Office of Sustainable Communities' Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. The technical assistance looks to help communities achieve the following goals: “We are excited to lend our expertise to a wide range of …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Volunteers are needed to help with many aspects of the project, including a feasibility study, fundraising, event planning and more.
Those interested in helping to develop the Bay Colony Rail Trail through Needham are encouraged to attend a meeting on Wednesday, May 30 at the Public Services Administration Building. "There has been some good progress on the trail over the past six weeks [since] we last met—including town meetings in Medfield and Dover, each of which passed an article to provide funding for additional research on the rail trail," Bay Colony Rail Trail advocate Tad Staley wrote in a letter sent out via the town's listserv on Monday morning, May 14. "Needham town officials continue to move fast, and we have an opportunity to get 1-3 articles on the warrant for a special town meeting in October," Staley continued. "Because the rail trail is on the town's …
42.267797
-71.218353
Public Services Administration Building
500 Dedham Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/bay-colony-rail-trail-meeting-set-may-30
154801
/locations/7004190
Friday, March 2, 2012
Selectmen are seeking a lease from the MBTA for 2 miles of abandoned tracks
Needham could have a new two-mile recreational path within the next few years if plans for the Bay Colony Rail Trail move forward as projected. On Tuesday, Feb. 29, selectmen unanimously voted to authorize Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick to send a letter to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which owns approximately two miles of abandoned railroad tracks running through Needham, requesting that the MBTA consider drawing up a lease for the property. Tad Staley, founder of the nonprofit Bay Colony Rail Trail Association, said the MBTA has expressed interest in the reuse of the property for this purpose and in the past has leased land for similar projects for $1 per year over 99 years. Needham is one of several communities looking …
42.28049
-71.23606
Needham Town Hall
1471 Highland Ave, Needham, MA
/articles/needham-moves-forward-with-bay-colony-rail-trail
2004019
/locations/6495669
