Bourne Select Board Discussion on Keith Field Access and Shared Use Path - May 20, 2026
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Bourne Select Board Discussion on Keith Field Access and Shared Use Path - May 20, 2026
On May 20, 2026, at 2:30 PM, the Bourne Select Board convened a continued discussion regarding Keith Field, access pathways, and parking associated with the Cape Cod Bridges project. The meeting included representatives from MassDOT, the Recreation Committee, and town officials. The board considered a de minimis impact determination letter for a shared use path and addressed community concerns about safety, parking, and long-term impacts.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Several members of the public, including residents and Recreation Committee members, expressed concerns about the proposed parking across Sandwich Road, citing safety risks for children and families. They emphasized the need for a safe, accessible shared use path and supported the Recreation Committee's recommendations for improvements to Keith Field.
- John York, a member of the public, raised questions about the scope of the 4F letter and whether it covers all impacts to Keith Field from the bridge project.
Discussion Items
- MassDOT Presentation: James David, Cape Cod Project Manager, and Louisa Kywski from MassDOT summarized that after receiving overwhelming concern from the town, they withdrew the proposal to replace informal parking at Keith Field with formal parking across the street. They proposed a permanent bicycle and pedestrian link from Sandwich Road to the South Canal Service Road and sought the town's agreement in principle on the link.
- Select Board Comments: Members expressed support for the shared use path but raised concerns about the lack of comprehensive information on impacts to Sandwich Road, traffic, and other community aspects. They emphasized the need for a memorandum of understanding with MassDOT to address all impacts.
- Recreation Committee Recommendations: The committee presented a list of improvements for Keith Field, including ADA-compliant walkways, drainage assessment, expansion of accessible seating, and maximization of parking. They stressed the importance of safe access without requiring children to cross the street.
- Legal and Permitting Clarifications: MassDOT explained that the 4F de minimis letter is a federal permit requirement specific to the shared use path and not the entire project. The board discussed the need for town counsel to review the letter to ensure it is limited to the path.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Passed: The Select Board voted unanimously to concur with the determination that the use of Keith Field for the shared use path will not adversely affect the activities, features, and attributes that qualify the resource for protection under Section 4F, subject to town council concurrence. The board authorized the chair to sign the May 15, 2026, de minimis impact determination letter, contingent on confirmation from town counsel that the letter pertains only to the shared use path.
- Next Steps: The board agreed to continue working with the Recreation Committee and MassDOT on the committee's recommendations for Keith Field. A follow-up workshop was proposed to address other community concerns, including impacts on the north side of the canal and service road closures.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
I guess to orders. And it is 2 30. All right. Where do we start? Discussion on that. I'm not sure who should go first. Oh, yes. Yes, sorry. No, this meeting is being televised being recorded by Bourne TV. If anyone in the audience is recording a video taping, they need to acknowledge his time. All items on the meeting agenda are subject to liberation of vote. Thank you for the reminder. Okay. All right. Yeah, I mean, I don't know why this is the continuance of the discussion we recently had related to Keith Field and the access and the pathway and the parking lot. So I'm not sure where we want to start. So what board would like to speak, say those comments or if the um Scott would like to can we go first? Would um be recommended like the community. Do you have any comment? Would you want to start? Otherwise, I would say we could pick up where we left off. So can't Riley. We can go around and get comments from everyone. We're here today to do that. So I don't know. I'll start with the select board one. Maybe we just wrap up as it stands now because the public, not all the public may know of um about the letter Mass Gott's letter or even the recreation committee's recommendation. So perhaps we can start there with Mass God's letter. And that's just the summit above it. You can just summarize it if you want. Well, I mean, I'd like them to summarize that a little letter. That would that would be great. The first letter on the second. Well, we just received it more recently. The more recent prior to this meeting. Yes. The the uh the letter of um withdrawing from the parking. All right, that's not the most important thing. No, that's okay. Right. I didn't consider that a letter. I just considered an information based on that. Yes. I just wanted to maybe a withdrawal letter from the 12th point. All right. Um, I think you've met our team before, James David, and candidate, uh Cape Cod Project Manager on Louisa Kywski from SEOT Mega Projects Delivery. Um, thank you for having us back. This has been a really uh productive series of conversations, and I think we're getting to where we all want to be able to help move the project forward and address uh the town's uh desires and concerns around Keith Field. So after our last meeting uh that we had with you, we reflected on the comments that we heard from you. We heard from select board members, uh from town administrator, from the police chief, and from members of the recreation committee, as well as local residents.
openpublica.com