Concord Select Board Approves Rail Trail Mural, Conservation Amendment, and Dozens of Appointments

CONCORD — July 20, 2026 — Concord Select Board approves rail trail mural, conservation amendment, and dozens of reappointments at wide-ranging July 20 session. The two-member quorum — Chair Wendy Rovelli and Member Paul Boehm, with Mary Hartman absent — unanimously approved a nature-themed mural by artists Jane Holland and Laura Buscemi for the Powder Mill Road underpass on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, funded through ARPA dollars, with MassDOT approval still required because the state owns the bridge. The board also approved a conservation restriction amendment for a 2.9-acre agricultural parcel at 216 Westford Road after trustees of the Concord Land Conservation Trust explained that a 2023 resurvey revealed the property's vegetative screen was not on the owner's land; the amendment adds an 18-foot planting buffer and updates the survey plan. Community Development Director Alyssa Sandoval reported that a 542-response public survey on the MCI Concord redevelopment master plan found nearly equal support for two illustrative plan options, with residents enthusiastic about new housing and retail but concerned about traffic, school capacity, and density; a refined illustrative plan goes to public presentation September 9. Town Manager Carrie Zolan disclosed that the Novo 40B development's building permit fee alone is $734,133, a second 40B project will generate another $529,147, and the town will receive $279,796 in state supplemental winter-operations aid and $205,000 in additional FY27 state aid above estimates.