The new iteration of the Trails Committee held its inaugural meeting Wednesday to review work completed by previous committees and to discuss its initial priorities and framework.

On Jan. 7, the Select Board appointed nine members to this committee, which replaces the defunct Upper Charles Trail Committee (UCTC) and the Trail Coordination and Management Committee (also known as the TCMC and Trails Committee). Some members from each former committee were appointed, along with three newcomers who spoke about their current trail use as well as ways of amplifying public awareness of the town’s trail systems.

Members highlight backgrounds, goals

Former TCMC chair Peter LaGoy, who later was elected president over Sean Kimball, opened the meeting by allowing the members who were present to introduce themselves and discuss their experience. He recounted running on trails since he was in high school, which prompted his later interest in trail development. He took the lead on the construction of the popular Center Trail and also participated in the development of the Echo Trail and Hughes Farm Trail. LaGoy also mentioned the previous partnership between the TCMC and the Trails Club with the Trails Club’s monthly volunteer days, which he hoped this group would continue to support.

Scott Knous, the former UCTC treasurer, was elected vice chair over Kimball and volunteered to be treasurer. In addition to running on the town’s trails, he has run in 14 marathons and has participated in triathlons. Knous also volunteered to help the TCMC develop a potential design for a family-friendly area on the Hughes Farm Trail and has taken courses on different approaches to trail development. His background is in financial and data management.

Linda Chuss, the former TCMC secretary, was elected clerk. She has been instrumental in working with the town’s Information Technology Department to update the trail portion of the website, as well as on the TCMC’s proposed trail signage. Chuss noted that she wants to focus on community outreach and women’s safety on trails.

Jane Moran, the former UCTC chair, had been a member for about 15 years. Her early interest in horseback riding and running led her to working on a way to connect Hopkinton to Milford and Ashland via an Upper Charles Trail. She would like to see “spark trails” branch off from this trail once it is completed, as well as trail connections to the western side of town. She would like the committee to pursue state and federal grants.

Kimball enjoys hiking and biking. He has volunteered in the past with youth sports and the Scouts as well as with the Trails Club and the Hopkinton Area Land Trust. He began backpacking in his 20s and helped develop water trails as a kayaker. More recently, Kimball has coached Eagle Scouts on trail-related projects.

Ken Parker has an extensive history with the town’s trails. He was a member of both the UCTC and the TCMC, as well as the Hopkinton Area Land Trust (HALT) and the Trails Club. He spoke about the social aspect of using trails and his hope that increased trail usage would reduce auto emissions.

Before moving to Hopkinton 16 years ago, David Freed was active in Westborough, serving on its Open Space Preservation Commission for six years. He described his early trail experience of taking bike tours of Canada and Mexico. Freed started mountain biking in 1986 and later developed a 35-mile route for the New England Mountain Bikers Association. He described Westborough’s “charm bracelet” of trails and hoped that something similar could be done here.

Jack Buckley is an avid runner and interested in trail connectivity and promoting the history of Hopkinton through its trails. He retired from the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, where he served as its deputy director from 1988-2015 and the director from 2015-18. From 2019 until his recent retirement, he served as the chair of the state’s Stewardship Council, which oversees the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Priorities include master plan, community outreach

Moran and LaGoy each discussed the need for a trail master plan. Moran, who also serves on the Planning Board and the Open Space Preservation Commission, mentioned that the Planning Board’s pedestrian connectivity study done a couple of years ago would be helpful to review.

Said Moran: “I think connectivity is the key to all of this.”

Buckley suggested opening meetings with a public comment period as well as outreach to groups such as Scouts and realtors. Knous added that members could “meet people where they are,” such as at the library and the Senior Center.

LaGoy suggested using a whiteboard at the next meeting to capture members’ ideas and priorities, and members appeared receptive.

Added LaGoy: “Part of the reboot is to get other people’s ideas.”

Knous added that the group needs a “really good structure and approach” in order to meet the goals of its mandate. He suggested establishing a priority list and a framework for its execution.

Added Knous: “I think it would be really easy with so many different things to jump from one topic to another to another.”

Later in the meeting, Kimball said he believed this meeting exemplified shifting topics as people spoke over one another.

“I have some serious reservations,” he said. “At today’s meeting we’ve been bouncing around, sharing a lot of ideas … but I feel like the next meeting’s agenda is starting to look like that.”

Kimball appeared frustrated by the focus on previous committee achievements and projects, preferring to concentrate on the list of tasks in the group’s mandate from the Select Board. He viewed the whiteboard as a chance to brainstorm ideas in a creative way.

Chuss said she had suggested input on short- and long-term goals to “help shape what we decide on that list.” LaGoy added that some goals could be met quickly because of previous work.

“If there are things we know we can do, we should do it and clear that up,” said Buckley, noting that there can be flexibility with longer-term goals.

LaGoy noted that it was clear from this meeting that developing a master plan was a top priority, with a structure similar to the town’s master plan. Knous volunteered to facilitate developing a framework and said members could email him with suggestions to “trigger conversations” at the next meeting on Feb. 12.

Chuss noted that the TCMC had done work toward developing a master plan and hoped it could be incorporated. Knous stressed that the master plan would be a “group effort” that would also incorporate public input.