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HomeMy Public PortalAboutCommunity Infrastructure Summary Paper 1 | P a g e BREWSTER VISION PLANNING COMMITTEE SUMMARY PAPER COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE July 2022 I. BACKGROUND The term community infrastructure is meant to encompass the variety of physical infrastructure and facilities that the town and other community organizations provide for public purposes. The June 2017 vision workshops showed the considerable value the participants placed in community infrastructure for recreation, public gatherings, and alternative transport. Frequently mentioned specific treasured places included the bike trail, the Ladies Library, Drummer Boy Park, Nickerson State Park, and the Stony Brook Grist Mill. However, the most frequently mentioned infrastructure issue, particularly as an opportunity, was a community center, combined with a new location for the Council on Aging. Participants expressed interest in having a place for community gatherings and events and where people of all ages could interact. Bike trails and sidewalks for recreation and as a means of alternative transport around town were the second most frequently mentioned infrastructure. The Vision Committee conducted a supplemental survey with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at the Eddy School to determine their priorities. While many of the issues they identified were similar to the general workshop findings, the need for active recreation sites such as skateboard parks and swimming pools stood out. Community infrastructure is, in many ways, a building block that supports many of the other building blocks, particularly community character, economy, and coastal management (beach access). This paper will focus on the issues of the community center, bike and pedestrian ways, and active recreation as high priorities. Community Space A variety of facilities are currently used for public meetings and gatherings. The main locations include the Ladies Library (meetings and events), the Brewster Baptist Church (elections and workshops), the Council on Aging (senior activities), the Eddy School (recreation), the Stony Brook School (Town meeting). Town Hall is used primarily for official board and committee meetings. There is no multi-purpose facility which allows a variety of uses and interactions. The Council on Aging’s 2017 Age-Friendly Action Plan indicated that many of the respondents to a background survey and participants in focus groups preferred a multigenerational community center in which COA would be housed. Bike and Pedestrian Ways The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) stretches 7 miles from south central Brewster to the northeast line with Orleans, linking to the entire 25 miles of paved bike/pedestrian trail. Maintained by the Commonwealth’s 2 | P a g e Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the CCRT is one of the most actively used recreational features in Brewster and serves as a center piece of Brewster’s “green economy.” In the summer, it also serves as a way for visitors and summer workers to get around the town. DCR also maintains the numerous bike and hiking trails in Nickerson State Park. Recent re-paving projects in Brewster have expanded both biking and pedestrian access around town. The Rt. 6A repaving in 2016 expanded the sidewalks in the center of town for bicyclists and pedestrians. There are now 7 miles of sidewalks along Rt. 6A from Nickerson State Park to Stony Brook Rd. Also in 2016, the Town completed the re-paving of Underpass and Snow Roads, extending the sidewalks and creating narrow bike lanes. The Underpass design may serve as a model for future re-paving of similar town roads. At a cost of $3 million, this project was completed using part of the $10 million bond that was approved by Town meeting in 2015. In 2018, the Town started the design of improvements to Millstone Road using road bond funds which includes re-surfacing, some re-alignment, drainage infrastructure and pedestrian and bike improvements. The design is the result of a substantial outreach program including several meetings with the Millstone Road neighborhoods. The Town also receives approximately $300,000 annually of Chapter 90 funds for road improvements. Over $1 million of these funds have been accumulated over several years. The next target for Chapter 90 funded improvements is Highway 137 from Rt 6A to the intersection of Rt 124, including re-surfacing, drainage improvements and accommodating bike and pedestrian traffic. While there have been recent improvements in bike and pedestrian access around town and more are planned, access remains problematic, particularly if road design is the primary avenue for expanding access. The main challenge to expanding bike and pedestrian ways is the narrow width of Brewster’s roads—both the pavement and the rights-of-way—which do not allow for easy addition of sidewalks and/or bike lanes. The extent of wetlands along town roads also constitutes a constraint on expanding roadways to accommodate bike and pedestrian facilities. On the larger roads, speed limits also dictate design standards: the higher the speed limit, the greater need for separation (distance or curbing) of vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists. Table 1: Summary of Roadway Ownership in Brewster Ownership Length Gravel (mi) Length Paved (mi) Length Unknown Type Total Length (mi) % of total Town-accepted roads 8.19 48.29 0 56.48 33% MassDOT-owned roads NA 13.86 0.21 14.07 8% Private/unaccepted roads 23.63 60.76 17.89 102.27 59% Total 172.83 100% Source: Brewster Pavement Management Plan, 2022 A considerable portion of Brewster’s road network is made up of private roads, which creates a degree of management confusion. The Town generally plows private roads and sweeps private paved roads where 3 | P a g e time and budget allow. However, creating public access (for a walking trail or identified bike route) on private roads requires getting easements from each landowner, which is a long and complex procedure. The fundamental challenge to expanding bike and pedestrian access in town is how to create connectivity: to link places around town without relying solely on the challenging public road layout. Active Recreation Facilities Town facilities for active recreation are spread out throughout the town. They include the Freemans Way baseball and athletic fields, the Town Hall ball fields, Gage’s Field (behind the Fire Station), a ball field and soccer field at the Eddy School, and the community tennis and pickleball courts off Underpass Road. Playgrounds are located at Drummer Boy Park, the Eddy School, and Stony Brook School. II. RECENT ACTIONS BY THE TOWN Community Space In 2018, Town Meeting approved funds for two studies: a School Consolidation Study to evaluate the potential for consolidating the Eddy School and the Stony Brook School, which might allow one of the facilities to be repurposed. The second study focused on the development of a Community Center, including possible locations and programming needs. While both studies were slowed because of the COVID pandemic, the School Consolidation Study has recently concluded that the two schools could be effectively consolidated and recommended that they be housed at an expanded Stony Brook School. This would make the Eddy School available for re-purposing. The funds for the community center study have been repurposed for the study of the Cape Cod Sea Camps. The recent purchase of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps properties, particularly the bayside property on Main Street, offers significant potential as an alternative site for a community center, beach access, and a variety of recreation activities. The property housed the main facilities for the Sea Camps including a large administration building, an outdoor pool, dormitories, a dining hall, and arts center, and a variety of playing fields. The Town has established planning committees for both the Bayside and Long Pond properties, each charged with the development of a comprehensive plan for the respective properties. The Town undertakes a robust capital planning program annually which serves as a road map for planning and funding critical infrastructure investments. Bike and Pedestrian Ways In 2015, the Town completed a Pavement Management Plan (PMP) which assessed the conditions of Brewster’s roads and the long-term financial liabilities of the road network and recommended improvements. Based on that assessment, the Town approved a $10 million road bond in 2015. The bond proceeds funded the repaving and improvements of Underpass Road at a cost of $3 million in 2016-17. The PMP has been up-dated in 2022 and will help the Town determine future priorities. The Rt. 6A re-paving and improvements were completed in 2017 and funded entirely the State. 4 | P a g e In 2016, the Board of Selectmen approved Biking Brewster: a strategy to enhance biking in Brewster, prepared by the Bikeways Committee. The strategy identifies alternative biking routes for transport and recreation, proposes safety improvements, and recommends public education measures. The Town also completed a Beach Access strategy, which includes expanding bike and pedestrian access to Town landings as a way to reduce the need for more beachfront parking. Because beach access on landing roads is a high priority yet the rights of way are narrow, the DPW’s evolving approach has been to maintain a smooth road surface suitable for bikes and pedestrians and mow the road borders to allow pedestrians to move off if necessary. This approach has a traffic calming effect on vehicle drivers. In 2017, Town Meeting approved $100,000 for the installation of warning lights at the four CCRT crossings in town: Rt. 124, Rt. 137, Underpass Road, and Millstone Road, a recommendation of the Biking Brewster strategy. The lights were installed in 2018 to enhance safety at the crossings. The Town’s Natural Resources Department has made a proposal to the State Department of Conservation and Recreation to create a Rail Trail spur from the current location near the entrance to Nickerson State Park to the beach between Crosby and Linnell Landings to expand bike and pedestrian access to the beach. The design is currently 75% complete, but funding sources have not yet been identified. In 2019, the Select Board approved the Complete Streets program which provides for design options that include pedestrian and biking facilities. It also provides access to state funding for improvements. Active Recreation Facilities The up-dated Master Plan for Drummer Boy Park was approved by Town Meeting in 2021 and includes improvements to the walking trails and playground, additional and more formalized parking, and a restructuring of the storage structure into an open gazebo for picnicking. One of the goals of the plan is to improve the accessibility of facilities at Drummer Boy Park. Similarly, Town Meeting approved funds to improve accessibility at the Freemans Way fields. Phase 1 of the Freemans Way accessibility improvements is anticipated to be completed in 2022. The two properties of the former Cape Cod Sea Camps represent a significant opportunity for active recreation facilities. As stated above, the bayside property contains a variety of recreation facilities such as an outdoor pool, an arts center, an archery range, a variety of playing fields, and beach access. The planning committees for the properties will consider all potential uses for the property to develop a master plan consistent with community needs. III. KEY ISSUES MOVING FORWARD There are several areas of development in the coming years: 1. Implementation of the Master Plan for Drummer Boy Park; 2. Decision on consolidation of the Eddy and Stony Brook Elementary Schools; 3. Identification of a location for a multigenerational community center and plan development for implementation; 5 | P a g e 4. Completion of comprehensive plans for the development of the Bayside and Long Pond properties for approval at Town Meeting followed by implementation; 5. Continued expansion of bike and pedestrian trails and paths, including the Rail Trail spur from the current location near the entrance to Nickerson State Park to the beach between Crosby and Linnell Landings; and 6. Continued implementation of the Complete Streets design as appropriate In future repaving projects. IV. BUILDING BLOCK GOAL Maintain and expand town infrastructure in an environmentally and economically sustainable way that supports government services, opportunities for community interaction , the local economy and culture, public health, multi-modal transportation options and expanded recreational opportunities.