Park and Rec backs $250,000 accessibility grant bid, names Atkeson Vice Chair

SUDBURY -- May 18, 2026, Sudbury Park and Recreation backs $250,000 state accessibility grant bid for Haskell and Fairbank. The commission voted 5-0 May 18 to support a Massachusetts Office on Disability grant application due June 12, with Chair Mara Huston and Vice Chair Laurie Eliason drafting the letter of support. Combined Facilities Director Sandra Duran said the consultant, Activitas, has identified a $125,000 shortfall on accessible pathways within the existing $500,000 CPC-funded scope, and the MOD funds could also expand the planned outdoor pavilion. The commission separately approved a Planning Board-recommended reduction of a 120-foot Feeley Phase 2 fence segment from six feet to four feet, and re-elected Huston as Chair while elevating Granger Atkeson to Vice Chair. Member Bobby Beagan reopened Article 97 questions on the Town Meeting-approved Haskell solar canopy after learning a 30-by-30 Eversource enclosure would sit on the parking lot, saying the information "would have changed the vote of this commission to 5-0." Geotechnical drilling is scheduled Aug. 10 through Aug. 14.