Finance Committee splits, gives no recommendation on sidewalk study
Natick Finance Committee gives no recommendation on sidewalk snow study, refers $1.24 million park plan.
Finance Committee · Meeting of September 15, 2026
Natick Finance Committee gives no recommendation on sidewalk snow study, refers $1.24 million park plan. A 7-5 vote on Angela Chen's citizen-petitioned sidewalk snow removal study committee fell one vote short of the panel's eight-vote threshold for any recommendation, sending Article 16 to Fall Town Meeting without guidance either way. Chair Todd Gillenwater's committee separately voted 12-0 to back $37,500 for the Natick Historical Society to digitize about 1,000 photos and 9-4 to recommend $42,375 for an accessible path connecting the rail trail to the Modera apartments.
Members voted 8-5 to refer a $1,243,500 South Natick Parks construction request back to the Community Preservation Committee, with one member warning it was "the ultimate of hubris" to design around a Charles River channel still settling after dam removal. The committee did approve $150,000 unanimously for early design work at Murphy Park.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,656 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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