The Trails Committee on Wednesday discussed two upcoming community events as well as several trail project priorities.

Clerk Linda Chuss discussed the trail networking event that will take place March 31 from 5:45-7:45 p.m. at the Hopkinton Public Library. Members from the library staff, Hopkinton Historical Society, Trails Club, Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC), Conservation Commission, Sudbury Valley Trustees and the Department of Public Works have confirmed their attendance, she said. Town Manager Elaine Lazarus also will attend.

The committee also is planning an event May 31 at the library to introduce the town’s trail networks to residents, explain the committee’s work and answer questions. This drop-in event will take place from 10 a.m.-noon. It will be followed by a two-hour walk along the Center Trail.

It originally was referred to as “Trails 101,” but members decided to change the name to “Intro to Trails.” It will include information tables, maps of the most popular trails, a trail inventory and talks about new projects and potential volunteer activities.

Members also discussed activities for kids on trails, an ongoing tree survey, trail etiquette, particularly for people with dogs, and useful equipment for trail walks.

The Trails Committee has an open seat, if anyone from the public is interested in joining, Chuss added.

Berry Acres trail project moves forward

Sean Kimball has spearheaded a trail project for improvements to the Berry Acres Trail. The Conservation Commission in January approved an exemption to allow a trail to be constructed from Berry Acres to the Chamberlain Street cul-de-sac.

The plan will reroute the existing nearby trail and then decommission it. The new trail was designed to provide better access for Windsor at Hopkinton Apartments residents. Kimball said the date for this work has not yet been scheduled.

A deteriorating footbridge at the site, which is across from The Communities at Golden Pond, will be installed next week, he added.

“I’m ready to go off to the races with it,” Kimball said of the project.

He intends to take information to the apartment complex later in the week and engage the residents. Kimball also mentioned sharing his plans with the Conservation Commission.

A future goal Kimball previously mentioned is connecting the Center Trail to the toe of the Loop Road sidewalk slope. This potentially would create trail access to the schools.

Weather, wetlands factors impact projects

Chair Peter LaGoy told the committee that a bid proposal for the project to construct a connector trail to Field 11 on Loop Road is expected to be completed by the end of April.

He also proposed a walk to survey access to a trail at Clinton Street. Chuck Dauchy, the director of the Hopkinton Area Land Trust (HALT), who walked the area before the recent snowstorms, explained that this area floods and has upland species growth that indicates wetlands. “A hard look” at the area should be held in drier weather to allow for a better assessment, he advised.

“There definitely is a significant stretch of it that would be under wetland jurisdiction,” Dauchy added. “So there’s a lot of complications on that route.”

The weather has been a factor in scoping out areas for other planned projects. Andy Proos noted that he and Jane Moran are planning to go to Legacy Farms North Road on March 23, weather permitting, to explore the best way to create a path that will bring improved trail access to this community. He suggested creating a footpath for the short-term and a trail as a future project.

Committee members agreed on a group hike from East Main Street to Legacy Farms North Road on April 11 at 9 a.m. LaGoy noted that a priority is to design and build a parking area at East Main Street for trail access.

Earlier that day, LaGoy looked at proposed parking areas for Berry Acres, Echo Trail and Center Trail with a consultant. The consultant determined that the use of crushed asphalt will make “a better parking area” for the Center Trail.

LaGoy noted that he will need to reach out to the Michael Lisnow Respite Center concerning proposed work on private land.

Said LaGoy: “It’s just a situation where it makes sense to the benefit of the town to have those parking spaces available for the Respite Center, too. But it is a shared parking use in a public-private partnership.”

Plans for the Echo Trail and Berry Acres parking areas will emerge shortly, he noted. Kimball pointed out that the Conservation Commission holds wetlands jurisdiction over part of the Berry Acres area. The OSPC oversees another section. Both will need to be included in discussions, he stressed.

E-bike discussion moves to Select Board

Committee members will discuss the proposed speed limit of 10 mph for e-bikes and similar electric mobility devices at the Select Board meeting on April 7. The Select Board requested more input from stakeholders at its March 10 meeting.

Members noted that the Hopkinton Police Department previously raised the issue of enforcement. LaGoy said speed limit signs would serve as a reminder for the public.

Vice chair Scott Knous, who will attend the meeting, said members should “push for the speed limit.”

“Without a speed limit posted, there is no speed limit,” he said. “Enforceability is a different issue. I mean, people speed in school zones. They know they’re breaking the law.”

LaGoy added that the teens who tend to go over 10 mph are driving “e-motorcycles” rather than e-bikes.

“There’s no enforcement by our police department,” he stressed. “Which is like, what are you going to do? Wait until somebody dies?”

This issue will be discussed and voted on at the May 2 Annual Town Meeting.