by Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
The ayes had it in a 475 - 334 vote on Monday, May 2. The vote on Article 18, the controversial piece of legislation that proposed turning the neglected footprint of an MBTA artery into a pedestrian trail, passed with nearly 60 percent support.
The Greenway, a recreational path, will enable Dover residents to travel from the middle and high schools to the center of town without worrying about road traffic.
Its passage was far from a unanimous decision, however, as some of Dover's residents had preferred to see the trail idea scrapped to preserve the town's pastoral nature. Concerns still remain about the privacy of homeowners whose properties abut the former rail line, not to mention maintenance costs and other environmental issues. Dissenting voices still remain.
Indeed, this will not be the last that Dover residents hear of the Greenway. A final vote of approval is still ahead before construction on the path begins in earnest.
This is not the first such rail trail to be passed in the area, as Needham's Bay Colony Rail trail opened just two weeks ago. There is additional consideration being given to taking similar action in nearby Medfield, as well. Some are hoping that the three trails will eventually connect, producing a greater Bay Colony Rail Trail that links the towns.
That remains something of a dream at the moment, however, with Medfield yet to approve its own trail and a bridge across the Charles River needed to link Needham and Dover.
Still, for the moment, there appears to be optimism for those in Dover who want to see the trail become a reality. The vote on Article 18 was, as it has been characterized by the Friends of the Dover Greenway, "a step in the right direction."
