Trails, paths, sidewalks—they’re all hot topics in Guilford. On Sept. 26 a large crowd of residents and town officials came out to the community center to discuss a potential pathway connecting Adams Middle School and Guilford Lakes School, more commonly known as the Nut Plains Pathway.

Reactions among residents were mixed with some strongly in favor of the path, others strongly against, and others seeking more information. The meeting was listed as a public information session as a way to solicit public input on the path before any formal designs are made.

To set the backdrop for the path, Town Engineer Jim Portley explained that the catalyst for this proposal came about three years ago when residents from Tupelo and Oxbow lanes and Nut Plains Road West submitted a petition to the town for a path to walk to Adams Middle School.

The path, as envisioned, stretches over two miles, beginning on the State Street side of the Adams Middle School property, running up to Nut Plains Road, crossing Goose Lane, eventually turning on North Madison Road and ending near Guilford Lakes Elementary School. Portley said the path will likely be made of concrete and about six feet wide—wider than a sidewalk, so any residents with the path in front of their property would not be locked into providing snow removal.

The project is estimated to cost $1.6 million with 80 percent funded with federal dollars, leaving the town to cover 20 percent or roughly $290,000. Portley said the town had already approved $140,000 for the project and the rest of the funds be pulled from the Inland Roads bond.

Portley said this path would also follow the 2002 Transportation Plan, which provided a blueprint for transportation including sidewalk improvements in town.

“They [those involved with the plan} wanted to as part of this plan re-establish the habits of people in the past when people would get out and walk,” he said. “They also talk in this plan about interconnecting certain areas with paths for both pedestrian use and bike use.”

While there are very few details for the path now, Portley said the path would run up the west side of the street because there are fewer street crossings and would have to include a few accommodations.

“One of the aspects of the transportation alternatives plan is that it be designed to be handicap accessible and every sidewalk we put in these days we put in the handicap accessible paths for ease of access, but it would also have to have some component to allow bicycle use,” he said. “We have decided to approach it by painting what they call sharrows on the pavement...they are there to advise motorists that they have to share the road with other users.”

Portley said a lot of decisions need to be made before this plan moves forward, but that the town wants to hear from residents.

“There will be challenges, but we feel that we can come up with a design that will be acceptable to the people who live along the route,” he said. “…You are all neighbors and when we design these roads we have made every effort to accommodate you. Tonight we are just going through the concept.”

The meeting was then opened to public input, but before allowing residents to speak, First Selectman Joe Mazza—likely remembering the heated debate surrounding the Shoreline Greenway Trail earlier this year—asked all residents to be respectful.

“Basically the concept is a route that we are proposing and nothing more,” he said. “We really have no design and the reason we have no design is because we have not had any public input yet. I just want to remind everyone that we are all friends here and we are going to remain friends after the meeting.”

Nut Plains Road resident Elizabeth Evarts said even though she walks on the street every day, she is opposed to the path because it is not a good fit for the neighborhood.

“I am very much opposed to this project...The very large maple trees along the front of my property are more than 200 years old,” she said. “If the bike plan goes through, it will be a sad day to see these beautiful large trees destroyed. These trees along with the stonewall represent the historic beauty of my neighborhood.”

Nora Beckwith Robinson of Nut Plains Road said she, too, is opposed to the path because of what it would do to the character of the road.

“Nut Plains Road is one of the last remaining country roads south of Route 80...The construction of a pathway between Adams and Guilford Lakes could last years, disrupt lives, take down trees, fences, stonewalls, cut into properties, destroy history, and turn a winding country road into a speedway shortcut,” she said.

Other residents said the path would be an asset to the community because it would allow more kids to walk to school. Resident Melissa Shaw said she knows the number of people walking and biking would jump if there was a path.

“To be able to have that pathway where more people could take advantage and connect this section to the green—that would just be amazing and you would see the numbers increase,” she said. “I firmly believe that.”

Resident Peter Yoon of Nut Plains Road said he wants the path for safety reasons. As a father of four, he said the road is not safe for his kids to even walk to a friend’s house.

“My family and I are strongly in favor of the trail or sidewalk,” he said. “When we moved to Nut Plains Road, we thought we would be able to walk to town and walked to our neighbors’ houses. I thought it would be safe to have my children wait by the mailbox for the bus and the short answer is it is not.”

Shirley Girioni came to speak on behalf of the Guilford Preservation Alliance (GPA). While she said the GPA is not opposed to the plan, there are questions that need answers before anything moves forward.

“There needs to be a stakeholders committee working with the town engineer and that should have representatives from the Tree Advisory Committee, landscape architects, etc.,” she said.

Mazza thanked people for their input and said a decision moving forward would be up to the new Board of Selectmen after the November election.