Sudbury CIAC recommends approval of Bruce Freeman and Feeley Field articles

SUDBURY — March 8, 2023 — Sudbury Capital Improvement Advisory Committee endorses $1.1M in town meeting articles for rail trail and Feeley Field. The committee voted 6-0 on March 8 to recommend Article 43, a $300,000 Community Preservation Act request to advance design of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail's southern extension, and Article 45, a $799,668 phase two renovation at Feeley Field. Select Board liaison Janie Drettler said the rail trail advisory task force is pursuing a MassDOT TIP project estimated at roughly $7 million, with the town on the hook for about $1 million in design and the state covering $6 million in construction. Park and Rec Director Dennis Mannone confirmed irrigation survived value engineering as "too important," and that $100,000 of the Feeley estimate comes from the Meadow Walk Mitigation Fund. Member Tom Travers pressed for caveat language, saying documentation "was insufficient" this cycle; the committee added a preface noting its support is "based on the estimates provided."