FREEPORT – The Freeport Town Council has accepted the parameters of the Active Living Plan, a comprehensive but non-binding proposal intended to accommodate a more active lifestyle along Freeport’s roadways.
The document of more than 100 pages, put forth by the Active Living Task Force, is meant to serve as a planning guide, Town Manager Peter Joseph said. The Active Living Task Force Plan, endorsed last month by the Planning Board, also fits well into the town’s Comprehensive Plan, he said.
Kristina Egan, Town Council vice chairwoman and a member of the task force, vouched for council acceptance during the July 15 meeting.
“As the Town Council’s liaison to the Active Living Task Force, I saw first-hand how many residents have put their fingerprints on this plan and shaped it,” Egan said. “The town formed the task force, requested it develop this plan, and then provided the resources for the town to hire a top-flight expert to translate the ideas of our residents into proposed actions. This plan will improve safety in Freeport. It may even help save lives.”
Egan said the plan “responds to the hundreds of residents who told us that they want to have more options for walking, biking, running and hiking in town. The priorities of 800 residents are incorporated. Volunteers have invested over 1,000 hours.”
She acknowledged that not everyone is going to agree with everything in the plan, and that programs and projects will be shaped by residents through the public process.
“This initiative attracted good-hearted, knowledgeable and committed volunteers seeking to make positive change in Freeport,” Egan said. “This initiative may well prove to be one of the town’s most successful initiatives to engage the community in improving the quality of life of Freeport.”
Town Planner Donna Larson served as an ex-officio member of the task force. In her report to the council, Larson wrote that many people in town don’t walk or ride bicycles because they don’t feel safe. Wider bicycle lanes and improved trails are part of the proposal.
“Implementation of the plan would increase the number of people using facilities,” Larson wrote.
Among concerns that have been raised by the public, Larson wrote, is the practicality of creating bike lanes on a Main Street that is “already congested,” and the cumulative costs of the projects.
“It was suggested that every attempt be made to identify simple, inexpensive measures that make a big difference, like tree and brush trimming and street sweeping and that our parks and open spaces need more volunteer efforts to get jobs done,” she continued.
The plan also was faulted for not recommending areas for more handicapped-accessible trails, she said.
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