The Select Board on Tuesday appointed nine members to the newly created Trails Committee, mixing the membership with previous trails advocates and new faces in an effort to create a unified approach to trail development and public engagement.

Last September, the Select Board voted to disband the Upper Charles Trail committee as well as the Trails Committee, formerly known as the Trail Coordination and Management Committee (TCMC). The two committees had an acrimonious relationship, including competing for state grant funding. Peter LaGoy, the former Trails Committee chair, had submitted a nonbinding article that passed at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting calling for the UCTC to be disbanded after the UCTC proposed a controversial trail segment that would have had multiple crossings on busy Hayden Rowe Street.

In May 2023, the Select Board voted to suspend the UCTC. After it circulated a townwide survey, the Select Board decided that August that the UCTC should remain a separate committee from the Trails Committee, not a Trails Committee subcommittee, as LaGoy proposed. In September 2024, the Select Board voted to disband the UCTC and disband the Trails Committee later that year once it completed its scheduled projects. Members agreed that a new iteration of the Trails Committee would bring a more focused approach on trail development and community outreach.

Chair Brian Herr said that because this is a new committee, there would initially be one-, two- and three-year terms. After those terms expire, the term length would be three years.

During the meeting, LaGoy clarified that the terms are actually for six months, 18 months and 30 months, respectively, because they are being created in January.

Thirteen people applied for the nine seats. Applicants included veteran members of both former committees as well as several newcomers.

“It’s great to have so much interest in this new committee,” said Town Manager Elaine Lazarus, noting the interest of new people.

“This Trails Committee is the culmination of work by those who have served on other trails-related committees in town,” said Herr.

Herr suggested that LaGoy and former UCTC chair Jane Moran be appointed, while member Joe Clark said he believed all former members should be appointed, with Moran and LaGoy having three-year terms. They included former UCTC member Scott Knous and Fran DeYoung, Linda Chuss and Charles Dauchy from the former Trails Committee. Applicant Ken Parker had served on both.

LaGoy told the board he was interested in the two-year seat. Moran was flexible, saying, “I serve at the pleasure of the board.”

Knous said he wanted a three-year seat, while Chuss preferred a two-year term. DeYoung requested a one-year term. Dauchy initially sought a two-year term but decided to withdraw his name from consideration after hearing the interviews with new applicants in order to free up a seat for one of them.

The board initially voted 4-0-1 for Moran, Knous and Parker for three-year-terms; Dauchy, Chuss and LaGoy for two-year terms; and DeYoung for a one-year term. Ritterbusch abstained, saying that she had hoped that more seats would have been available for new people.

After that vote, the new candidates presented themselves to the board.

Jack Buckley, a 27-year resident of Hopkinton, is retired from the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. He worked 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. One of his goals would be to make residents more aware of the trails throughout town and how they connect.

David Freed discussed a long-distance tour he took last summer on a couple of rail trails that stretched from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. He saw the creation of the Upper Charles Trail as the committee’s top priority. He also wanted to connect more trails throughout Hopkinton.

Sean Kimball is a 16-year resident of Hopkinton who 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 said a problem he saw regarding the trails is that “there is no single source of truth” because of the number of trail-centric committees and organizations.

Andrew Proos moved to Hopkinton about a year-and-a-half ago, with one reason being to enjoy the trails. The retiring physician’s goal in joining the committee would be to join trail systems together. He also suggested creating events on trails.

Applicant Anna Levit, who earlier in the meeting was appointed to a seat on the Cultural Council, noted that she did not have experience with trails but has utilized them during the pandemic. James Lennon was the only applicant who was not present.

The board voted unanimously to appoint Kimball to a two-year term. Buckley and Freed were selected for one-year terms.

Herr encouraged those not selected to reapply, as there may be turnover. Ritterbusch suggested that they also consider other committees with vacancies that fit with their skill sets and interests.

Other committee appointments

The board appointed Sharada Kunam, Carla Pepka and Levit to the Cultural Council to fill its three vacant seats.

It also appointed Ira Steckler to a term on the Council on Aging that would expire on June 30, 2027. Levit also sought this seat. There will be an upcoming vacancy, Lazarus noted.