At the invitation of Senator Steven Panagiotakos and Representative Jamie Eldridge, many Senators and Representatives as well as head of various Massachusetts government agencies and several Town Managers and other town staff attended an educational presentation at the Statehouse by the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on Thursday, April 26. Sen. Pam Resor [Acton, Concord] introduced the various State Congressional attendees, shared a few very supportive remarks, and served as the “MC.” Sen. Karen Spilka [Framingham] also added her support at the beginning of the session, and Rep. Robert Hargraves, an abutter of the Nashua River Rail Trail spoke at length of his positive experience in Groton. Rep. Geoffrey Hall [Westford] thanked the Friends and the Massachusetts agencies for their continued cooperation and activity that has recently moved this long-planned and funded project toward construction.

Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky [MassHighway] then gave her thanks to the Friends for our visible and significant grassroots activity and advocacy on many levels for the BFRT, and she also shared how exciting it is that MassHighway has advertised for construction bids for Phase 1 of the BFRT – to be opened on June 26. There was some “friendly competition” between her and Tom Michelman over whose birthday (Sept 9th or 25th ) will be the date for the anticipated official groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 1.

Friends’ President Tom Michelman then gave an excellent, thorough and detailed PowerPoint presentation that covered how significant this project is in the long-range regional plans for commuter and recreational trails that will link into a much larger network for Northeastern Massachusetts. He also focused on the current design work begun on Phase 2 (Westford, Carlisle, and Acton), as well as the status and complications for the more southerly portions of the BFRT. His remarks conveyed the significant networking and progress that has been made in all of the BFRT’s towns, and outlined the specific legislative and bureaucratic help requested by the Friends, as we continue to work to ensure state funds are committed to the large remaining 2 Phases for construction.

At the end of the morning, it was clear to everyone in Hearing Room A-2 the BFRT is one that has high priority both in the legislature and in the governmental agencies who oversee transportation and recreation in Massachusetts. Participants then retired to a networking light lunch provided by the Friends. This day was a big success for the BFRT!