Bike and Walking Committee April 16, 2026

Welcome everybody. This is the Westport Bike and Walking Committee meeting.

Today is April 16, 2026.

And um it is uh meeting starting at 5:31.

We'll start with the introduction. So maybe we can just say our first name.

Gail Rodri, South uh working uh the uh Westport Bike and Walking Committee chair. And to above is Megan.

Yes. Megan O'Brien. Yes. Thank you.

And under Megan is Ed and to my left is Shauna.

Hi, I'm Shauna.

Okay, Shauna. Welcome everybody. We're going to start with approval of a minutes. Approval for um I sent it in the email and um you just have approval of the minutes.

Oh, gotcha. Okay. So, you vote uh to motion to approval of the minutes. That was for the March 19th.

I I second that.

And Megan second. All in favor? I I I Okay, that's moved. Thank you for that.

Uh let's see. The next thing I wanted to mention was the um the May 21st meeting and um I am going to visit my daughter um in Brooklyn and so that Thursday is that meeting. So, my thoughts are I'm not sure if I'll be, you know, be able to I mean, anybody can do a meeting anywhere, but I was just wondering if people were open up to the idea of um

moving up a week or after or or back a week. What is some ideas about that?

I think the 14th would be fine.

Yeah, I'm going to be in California that day, so we'll both be out of the state.

Oh, okay. Um, so let's look at u let's look at me. So would the following 28th work for people?

It would for me too.

Okay. So great. So let's let's move that uh bike meeting to that date.

Okay.

Okay awesome.

Now, I just lost my my uh let's see if I can go back and find where my agenda is. I sent that today.

Oh, here it is. I got it.

Okay.

Okay, here we are. Uh standing items. Uh the back the bike rack survey. Uh now we talked about that being complete last month and then we're going to send it to the town planner. Um so that is something that I can take on. Um is anybody okay with that? I I can circulate it to everybody and then uh take a a view of it and then send it to Michael.

Okay. Thank you for doing that.

Okay.

Okay. Now, the uh other standing items is the cable TV panel series um which we're thinking of doing in from uh May.

So, we I'm wondering if we could get anything done before uh like in the next uh three weeks to get What is that, Gail? What are you trying to do? So, we we for um for uh bike month, we were talking about doing a a cable uh planning to tell people what we're up to and it would just be infor like informing the residents in town.

So um we we had more information on on a thing on the um the last meeting um talking about, you know, the bike racks, the Wata uh trail in our project to do bike racks in town. Um, so I think what we we talked about was that we would start like with a uh script.

Let's see. I got I think I have my old uh meeting notes up here. Here we go.

Committee planned a spring outreach letter and discuss TV panels for uh May bike month. they decide to proceed with a creative contest for bike rack designs once existing survey is complete. But that you know that won't be that grant won't be until next uh in the fall.

So um what how first of all how people feel about that? Are they comfortable talking?

Um, and so the person I know know does the filming is Val, and she's uh came to one of our meetings where we when Steve was still on board, we talked about the Wata PAR uh engineering project and that was at the library. Mhm.

Uh if people recall.

Um so I I would think that if we just stuck to the simple concepts of um like the uh the things where we accomplished with the mass ma mass trails.

Yep. And uh but I'm I'm willing to open up for inviting suggestions.

Maybe a re a review of what's been done might be helpful just to remind people.

Okay.

How how long do you think this would run?

Um I'm I'm thinking of attention span for people and I would say uh you know not more than a half hour.

Do you think we have enough material to speak to the town for 30 minutes?

Well, that's a good question. And uh the we can submit have people submit Q&As's uh in our uh like our email outreach and say we're going to be on TV. Is there any questions you have? That's something Val suggested that a strategy that I guess other uh committees have used.

So that's how I see it. We we would just probably break it between the the committee members and one would talk about a certain topic and then um and then at the end usually uh there would be some question and answering.

Um I don't see this as being an interactive uh you know TV cable thing. I believe it would just be um us speaking and then taking a few Q Q&As's that people have sent in.

I think what you did at the um the Westport Watershed Alliance uh day they had last year would be a good again just to review in case people didn't get to come to the library or come to that event if they're interested in knowing the plans because you did a great job presenting that people were interested and stopped by the table. Oh, so so but that's not till June. So that wouldn't

but but I'm just saying the same the same um you wouldn't have to start from scratch. You could present the same drawings that you had, panels that you presented and just update people on what you all have already done and what still needs to be done moving forward because again I was there with you for a little while. Yeah.

And people were interested and stopped by. So there's definitely definitely an interest. So, some people might not have been able to be at the library or go to that event, but may be interested in learning more about the bike and walking paths, what we already have.

So, Megan, that make that's a great point because I'm a visual person and um we did have the concept drawing so we could do a panel and have that and then present that. Okay. I love that.

Um, and then uh and then as far as the Q&A, how would you think about I think that talking about the project is good and I think that that would be well received. And then I think um talking about uh the bike exchange.

Okay.

What else would they get because not everybody knows about that.

Yes. I love that. Okay.

Um awesome. So, so what I can do is I can because B had done a review from um last year uh that as a year end I can take some of that uh content that she's already written and I can work on like a quick re review and send it out to you guys. Um, and then then go from there.

Once we get that planned, then get a time where everybody can get together and we can get together with Val to do u a cable presentation.

I've done it I've done it with Val before in in years past. And um we just go to the town annex usually and we sit and we get all miked up and we sit on the table where they have the planning board uh conversation and Okay, good. I'm getting excited about this.

Thank you.

That help that help me focus in on that.

Um okay, let's see.

And I apologize for this. I'm using my um big screen and I've got a lot of things open here.

Um let's see. I'm just looking for the agenda again.

I see bike month ideas.

I got it. Okay. Yes, that's it. Thank you. Okay. So, um I you know, we did talk about bike painting bikes orange in town and and that would be a a good thing to do. And then again, we said the outreach for the newsletter. So maybe we can take the content that we did to do this panel discussion and throw that into a newsletter which B has uh set up and I

can not reinvent the wheel and just get the emails to send that out too. So what what are your thoughts about um doing and this wouldn't be necessarily for May I would think. I think for me is this might be a nice project to do um like in June or July with the bike painting uh of the bikes and then put them in certain areas. It wouldn't be many I would imagine.

Ed I think did one that we had used in the past and um so what what are your thoughts about that?

And did you do the ghostbite the white one? Uh, no, it was yellow.

Yeah, it was yellow. And then we would put the we would put the four feet um distant, you know, this new state rule about that. Yeah. So, nice.

I think we talked about this being in in places that there has been bike accidents and certainly one's come to my mind is uh down near the head of Westport. there the student that got hit walking home uh near the um the little uh country what do they call it now? The country store at the head and and maybe two other ones. So this is how I I think we could manage this is

after we get through this panel thing for May then and we're not going to be meeting uh during the summer. these would be opportunities for us to meet and then uh you know just do a check-in and uh do the bike thing. What does other people think?

So bike month ideas is that what month is that?

Well, it's May.

Okay. Okay. All right.

I'm like it's coming up and I'm when I think about you know what I got in my life with my in-laws in the hospital and the nursing home, I'm thinking just do the panel discussion and we're good.

Yeah, sounds good. Yeah.

Okay, great. All right. Uh, new businesses. Oh, Keith is coming in. Hold on. Let me see. Outside of town joined.

Hi Keith.

Hello. Sorry.

Yeah, you're supposed to call me and remind me about these things.

I know.

That's right. Usually Keith is driving home from um over the let's say over the Washington Bridge, right? And uh it's a process. So, thank you. Thank you for joining in, Keith. Um, so we we just went over the minutes, Keith. We we had enough quorum to approve the minutes and we uh doing the bat. We did a bike ride survey that we're going to send to Michael and um he's going to help map it

out for us in in the purpose of us going for a Westport Council um grant like they did the uh seating Keith in in the village.

uh a grant that's considered when people gather that they will will apply uh for and get and put a project to be considered and then it would be funded.

Um we're also keep talking about a cable TV panel series from um in the uh cable department in town. Val Bane has offered to do us talking about what's been going on and we talked about doing a review of what we did with it certain grants we did and um we talked about um join a panel and then a Q&A and and limit it to about a half hour and we're

going to I'll I'm going to work on Bett's old review year and review content she and then I'll put that together and send it to everybody and people can weigh in on it. Maybe it might be a Google doc that people can um uh kind of suggest things and then we can formalize that and then um make a time sometime in May to do that recording so it can be on the government TV channel.

And we talked about uh our offs uh our time that we don't meet during the summer that we could get together periodically. And we talked about uh putting similar to ghost bikes but um not white.

It's just areas of like painting them orange areas that are um had been known to uh be places where bike riders got hit. Maybe only three in town. just during the summer season.

And now we're on to Earth Day and that is um us our event is going to be the 25th and that's going to be at the transfer station. I sent a press release out that B had helped me write when she wrote it.

And then um we're I'm going to make a flyer uh this weekend and I'm going to send it around to you to you all and then I'm going to um I'll be able to put it up in town certain places, but I'll give you a digital file. And uh if you wanted to print one yourself, there there has been um Westport library offering the extension to make some extra copies since it's a town event

and so that's opportunity. I don't want you to use all all your resources at home and they have offered to do that for us.

Um that's nice.

So can you just remind us so the what the events entail?

Yeah. Let's see. I got to get to that.

Uh, hold on.

So, let's see.

Let me just get it here.

Okay. Spring cleaning.

It's a enticement for people to empty their garages. got bikes your kids have grown or maybe an old or new one uses up you trip over in the garage. Now you recycle those un wanted bikes right here in Westport. The committee will help with with the help from the Westport board of health. The staff at the transfer station have set up two ble recycling sheds on lot three and uh to celebrate Earth Saturday 25th

of 2026 uh bet put one 10 to 1 um which is fine with me that's a three-hour time span span these bikes um this bike recycling is open to all South Coast residents till the gate attendant, you're recycling bikes. They'll direct you and you're welcome to take a bike uh to leave a bike or take one as well.

So, if somebody wants to come from like Fall River and just get a bike for their kid, they can come and get one.

Absolutely. Yeah.

Great.

There's not there's not much down there that's worth picking up.

So, so that is I don't think there's anything down there that you could ride. That's true at this time. But what we found in the past, Ed, and sometimes we have Bill Tremble come um he's from Dartmouth and he works on bikes for the YOU youth youth kids.

Um sometimes he'll bring some bikes.

Sometimes Batton and I've been there and I've had a $3,000 bike show up. A uh Let me know next time that happens. I will. And And so people will will drop off bikes and then I I go I go down there every weekend. I go to the transfer station every weekend. And every time I go to the transfer station, I stop to see what's new and interesting at the bike shed.

And I got to tell you, I I've never never seen anything that was worth putting in my car. Right.

Really really there's nothing much this that's that's usable.

Right.

But I think th this prompt is is getting people to think about and that's that's a good idea.

Yeah, that's a good idea. Yeah.

But um how do we communicate that?

So, uh, are you saying that we should, um, do we want to tell people that at the moment there's nothing to No, no, no. How do if our goal is to encourage people to bring the stuff out of the attic and so forth?

Yeah.

How do we communicate that?

So, um, uh, now I sent this in, um, an email. I don't know if you got to read it, but the first three sentences it says, uh, do you have an old one no one uses and that's the message?

When are you are we advertising it? You said you had a press release, right, that you had a Yeah, and then flyers she wants to put up around town and then we're all going to get a digital copy that we can make for ourselves and and distribute. Can we put it on the website?

Oh, good. Yes. I forgot about that.

Thank you. I forget about that.

I think there's nowhere nowhere better than that.

Okay. Thank you for reminding me that.

Okay.

All right.

Is there any more questions about about that? Is Oh, I guess that my point now is I would ask is do people are they going to be able to be there? um that day. Do we want to pardon it?

I'm planning to be there.

Okay. Do we want to pick times or it's only a three-hour span? I'm I can stay in that last hour to to wrap things up.

I'm not usually an early riser, but um that would be the one to get there in the beginning. Um I I could be there from 10 to 1.

Okay. Thank you, Megan.

Uh 10 to 1.

I could also plan to be there from Oh sh, right.

Pardon?

We're mostly just taking drop off, right?

Uh drop offs and but you'll see the families that with kids will come and the the little girl drops off her own her little bike and then she sees a new one and her eyes light up and we're like take it.

So yes, so basically a drop off and that's what B would do. I think a couple years ago it was raining and we we helped them take it in the rain. We had our raincoats on. So, and um so that would be it. Uh and that that would be the entire and then we would have things there that um we had in the past give people information on what

we're doing in town. So, I can make sure that I can get that to you guys either beforehand or I'll be there at at like 10:30 and bring that up. It's just I'm not All right. Does that sound good?

Yep.

Awesome. Thank you. Um Okay. And then um the next thing is this is some good news.

Uh the Westport wata connector mass trails grant the Bay Coast Bank update.

So um this is this is a a grant that we get uh a couple times and my I just want to tell you the backstory of this just because it might inspire you to people that you know that have in a position to to uh you know give some grants out or or consider some grants. So, this is a friend of mine that I worked at the Y

with and it was her idea to do this uh fundraising at the Y for years and I and and I used to help her and and everybody we just all volunteered and then I saw her about two years a three probably three years ago and she said Gail what are you doing because you're you know you're working volunteering with the Y said not so much and and when I talked

to her about my bike group South Hills bikeway group. She's like, "Tell me more." And she worked for she worked for Bay Coast Bank in that philanthropy department and she said, "Apply, apply."

And South Coast Bikeway had some attempts to apply, but because of that connection, not to say it was just that, you know, that this is this is somebody I know who I've known to be volunteering forever.

And so I'm asking, you know, to maybe this might enlighten you and go, "Oh, I know somebody like this." So anyway, uh we got the $10,000 grant to match congratulations for um this next this grant we had just applied for.

That's awesome. Congratulations.

Yeah. Well, thank congratulations to us, right? Yeah. It's pretty exciting. So, Michael did and Michael and the planning department applied for this this time.

Last time I applied, but they did it all and and Michael let us know we got it.

So, I just want to get everybody, you know, because we know in this town we have to find the money and and so I I love this. The the next thing I'm going to talk about is the Buzzard Bay rolling uh grant. We talked about it last time and I was supposed to um kind of look into it and do a little bit more but I I haven't. So I will put that on the back

burner for this grant that we're talking about the mass trail uh or tapa year 2 grant and also we will pl be planning to go for a CPC grant uh in the fall. We'll p we'll pitch the idea to CPC and then and then the plan has to be in four months before town town meeting to to approve. So those will be things we're going to start in the fall. Okay. We just want to relax

during the summer. The next thing any any other questions on that?

The next thing is the um uh oh the watershed uh river day and so that's Saturday June 20th that's 10 to 2. Um anybody's welcome to volunteer if they're able and um I I usually set up a table and this time I'm going to put a like a booth because I think it was Was it hot last year? Megan it was hot. Yeah. and try to find shade.

Yeah.

Yeah. And I was too optimistic to think that that was going to be a deterrent.

So, I'll bring a um tent, you know, that we could sit under.

And we we had the board of health person next to us warning us about skin cancer.

Oh, yes. Yeah, that's right. That is right. Yeah. I love that. And I think they offered some skin.

Yeah, she did.

Yeah.

Okay. So, you're you're all welcome to um you know, show up if you want to. It it's like Megan said, it's the town has lately when I've been there very hungry for information about this and what we're doing in town. And I just saw it on Facebook where um they talked about the Northern Scenic Green Route were working and people are in Westport, you know, the Westport Facebook page and

they're like, "We've never heard of this before." Of course, I had to chime in and um and let them know and come to River Day to talk about it. But yeah, so that's great. Any other uh comments on that?

Okay. in interested time. Let's see.

We're doing good. The Mass Trails Northern Se Scenic Green Route, the RFP is now um has almost I think a hundred um people or or interested parties into tackling that um that RFP. And the the amount of funds are uh 352,500.

That's with all the matches. That's what's what we we got from uh Mass Trails and um also uh the matches. So the interviewing process is now going to be in late May.

So they asked me to be on the interviewing process, but um Ed, you certainly you were our South Coast person. I'm not sure if you're getting those emails that if that's something you're interested in uh for that RFP consideration, um just let me know or Sandy and then uh okay, now we're we're getting to the end and so we're just talking about the uh bike committee member status update and these are

things like um sworn in uh open meeting uh trainings is there or is there any way I can help anybody um if that hasn't been done yet? So, oh uh I know I put put I did mine about a month ago, my open meeting.

Uh is anybody not gotten to that point yet?

Yeah, I still have to do mine too.

Sorry.

Megan, no problem. Um so you have the information.

I have it. Yeah, I have it in my email.

And I did I went into the town hall.

They they basically want people to be sworn in is what their main focus is.

Oh, I got sworn in.

You did? So, yeah.

Yeah. I think I from my understanding it would be I haven't but I I will do that.

Okay, Ed. Thank you.

At least I don't think I don't remember, but I I guess I remember uh we talked about uh that you going in and Kristen, but they they can tell you that in the office if you Right. Right. Right. I I'll follow up.

And now the p now the election's over at this point the uh they're not so uh backed up with other things. So this will probably be a good time for them and you if it won't be so uh chaotic.

They they're working on that in the town meeting, but the election's over. So Okay. Thank you for that.

Um, anybody else have any updates there?

Okay, now we're at the point where we're talking about South Coast Bikeway um events which we like to share and there's the tour to Creme and that is uh May 31st. Registration I think has it said from March 15th but they're looking for volunteers.

Um, and that's a that's a bike ride that goes from one ice cream shop to the other.

So, it's a fun thing. But I think in this Sandy is asking at our meeting Tuesday night is if anybody's um interested in volunteering.

And the next one is the bike and beers New Bedford at uh at Cisco's. Okay. So, we had one at Buzz Buzzard's Brand uh Buzzards Bay brewery a couple years ago, but this is in Cisco. Uh, and it's June 25th, 26, and registration is live. Sy's looking for volunteers um for that event as well. I think I did it at at the brewery and um we were at a table and people

would come and and in before the ride or um and coming back they would just come back and and it's it's really not hard.

The good thing is that that money uh matching funds goes into goes into the South Coast Bike Way and it and it funnels down to us as a Westport uh group through we benefited for a couple matching funds and one of them was this year for the what type of connection. So it might be fun if families are interested that they take you don't have to be a member. I

mean it could be family members and if you have Keith I think your kids are already grown now but if they need u community service points too sometimes that's good at for it. And the next thing is the pedal of the path is moved to August 30th. It's traditionally September 9th or 6, but it is going to be August this year. That that was updated. And that's uh just the South Coast Bikeways um

uh main event to try to get money and sponsors and then that money goes into the South Coast bike way and um that's used for different projects in the South Coast community.

Um so then also this Ed, you might be I think you participated in this before the Buzzards Bay watershed ride.

I did.

And that's going to be October 4th.

Okay.

And now I'll be quiet and because I'll take any more any more insights or any suggestions and and then we'll be done with this in about Keith. Did you have anything you wanted to add? I don't know if you're driving, so I wanted you to be careful. Um, well, I I I did do my online trainings and I got my certificates.

Awesome. Okay.

Um, but I do have to get sworn in, I guess.

Okay. So, that's Yeah, which is hard for you because you work Yeah, it's you got to be there during um Yeah, I'll I'll figure it out.

Okay.

Um Yeah. One thing I just maybe we can put on Michael's radar is um the complete streets. Yeah, I don't think we've talked about complete streets in a while and looking for opportunities to apply for uh you know masdot grants and funding for our priority our prioritization list because I think when we signed up and agreed to be a complete streets community, we were supposed to produce

that prioritization plan and then start moving forward with you know the projects that are on that list.

Yeah. So, so you know we we got um something for Sanford Road, right? And then um Oak County Road that Sir Ped, I can send that to that information to you. It was um Oh, it escapes me. I don't want to give you the wrong information, but they they're they did a uh Serpent did a uh moving uh survey on how fast people were going from Oak College Oak County Road

down into the head of Westport and uh people were speeding and then they decided that that was more of a need and money is going to be spent for that. And then on Sanford Road, it's going to be um a bike path or sidewalks.

But let me let me send you that information if you didn't already hear about it.

Yeah, I don't think I did.

Okay. Okay. So, I will send that. And uh and I think I think it was substantial because Pam Hazard congratulated us, you know, and she was the engineer for Masdot and I want to say 250,000, but that's just in my back of my brain. I don't know if that's true. All right. I'm going to send that to you. Okay.

Okay.

Send that to all of us if you will.

Oh, sure. We we did talk about it in uh um one of the meetings, but I'm not sure if you were here, Eric. That might have been one where um I think you might have been on vacation, Lauren Rodriguez.

So, I'll send that to uh everybody.

Okay. And now it is I got a phone call coming in. Hold on. It is 80 uh 608 and we're gonna have a motion to adjourn. Is everybody okay with that?

Yes. Second.

Second. Okay. Oh, so I I can't I can't Oh, motion to adjurnn.

Okay. Oh, Shauna and then um Megan second. Okay.