Bill Montague
More affordable smaller houses so newly weds and retired folks can live here in Concord.

Bill Montague
Help Make Concord a user-friendly town. By having more benches in Concord Center, The Depot area, and West Concord, for people to sit and rest awhile or have a bite to eat.

Matthew Johnson
I have another suggestion here - Juniors and Seniors should have to earn a number of "green credits" to graduate. They can get these by riding the bus, biking/walking, carpooling or using electric vehicles. Alternatively, they could participate in other projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This would support Article 51 and might also reduce peak traffic, while improving teens' awareness and support for sustainability.

Joe Stein
Trees provide a number of important ecological and environmental services, as well as improve property values and "town character". But trees are experiencing increasing stress from road salt, infestations (pine trees are dying all over town), and climate (ie,tar spot due to prolonged wet conditions). I propose the Town consider creating a formal Tree Committee modeled after other successful committees within MA. The committee may be charged with promoting shade tree plantings, soliciting ideas for tree replacement, managing tree dedications, etc. Towns such as Lexington, MA have an active Tree Committee and dedicated town website. Concord should consider the same (I would happily serve as volunteer).

Mark Hanson
Coordinated bus feeder_distributor routes to/from the train depots that coordinate with train schedules is worth exploring as a way to make public transit more useful...and more used.

Cheryl Baggen
What recreational facilities do you enjoy, and what would help your family stay active? As global warming and associated weather patterns change, the Town should review how best to protect its still water ponds, wetlands and vernal pools. Practices that were sufficient in the past will most likely be insufficient going forward and thus ecosystems associated with these areas will most likely be adversely impacted.

Todd Kokoszka
We need a sidewalk all the way down Cambridge Turnpike. We need crosswalks for them to use. There are children that live here and would like to walk to their friends' houses.

Chris Hart
The new Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (under construction) runs right past Sanborn Middle School, but has no official path to the school. It would be great if kids who rode or walked the trail to school had easier access to the school.

Elissa Brown
Self guided walking tours and apps connecting historic areas and open space, like AcrossLexington.

Elissa Brown
The libraries! They are beautiful, peaceful, warm in winter and cool in summer, and full of interesting reading and listening material and programs.

Bob Andrews
I think that Concord needs to view sustainability not just as having more solar panels and heat pumps but as a critical facet of almost everything we decide as a town. What we do about managing public water and waterways, supporting local and organic agriculture, introducing carbon sequestration practices into out use and care of land, what kind of housing we have. Just about anything we plan as a town either adds a lot of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere or does not. Our actions remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or do not. Proper use of sustainability principles means that every decision is analyzed to pinpoint as closely as possible how it impacts climate change, which is our most critical threat as a community and a planet.

Bob Andrews
I think that one of the best ways for Concord to honor its history and culture is to follow in the steps of the transcendentalist writers and activists who were among its earliest community leaders. People like Thoreau and Emerson were students of the environment and nature; and they honored and respected it. They believed and preached that God was in nature. If they were alive today they would undoubtedly be advocates for applying the Town's four sustainability principles and in the APA sustainability standards which inspire this planning process to everything we do. Alongside of embracing technical sustainability measures such as solar energy, we need to put more emphasis on preserving nature. We need to put a halt to a relentless extinction of biological species that accompanies exploitation of nature. We need to return the soil beneath our feet to its natural state so that it will sequester carbon and grow good, nutritious food .We are doing some of this but sometimes preservation of nature calls for putting up something in a historical district that is not what is considered consistent with the historical monuments and houses. If we are to honor our past, we cannot just copy the past. We must act in the spirit of our forebears & do what they would do if they were alive today.

Nick Pappas
Please quantify "infrequently". I use this piece of roadway almost ever time I drive into Concord center. If you are driving from Lexington Road and want to go to the Milldam, West Concord, or Sudbury Road, this is the way to go.

Brian Foulds
Concord Light should work with commercial customers on the installation of energy storage systems to manage building demand and Concord Lights peak expenses. Additional this will allow companies like Crosby's market to remain open during blackouts and keep food from spoiling.

Brian Foulds
Concord Light should work with Emerson Hospital to install utility scale energy storage. This system can be used to lower CL rates and ensure the hospital continues to operate during a natural disaster. State incentives are available.
https://www.mass.gov/energy-storage-initiative

Brian Foulds
The Harvey Wheeler Center is a shelter for the elderly when a heat emergency or storm hits Concord. Utility scale batteries should be installed there to ensure the building has power when a during one of these unfortunate events. These batteries can also be used to lower the cost of electricity when operated by Concord Light.

Brian Foulds
Sterling Municipal Light is using utility scale battery storage to reduce the cost of electricity and provide backup electricity to their police and 911 service for up to 2 weeks during a blackout. This will ensure that the police and fire departments can provide essential services when they are needed most. http://www.cleanegroup.org/ceg-projects/resilient-power-project/featured-installations/sterling/

Brian Foulds
The Blue Bird All American RE electric bus is being developed this year and should be available in 2019. Currently Concord is operating the diesel version of Blue Bird All American so no change in size, shape or function other than fuel. https://blue-bird.com/blue-bird/Press-Releases/Blue-Bird-Introduces-AllNew-Electric-School-Bus-So-104.aspx

An in-bound commuter rail stop after 9 am would be fantastic. There are no inbound trains between 8:51 am and 10:26 pm. As a parent who has bus stop duty, I cannot make the early trains and 10:26 am is too late :(

OARS Sudbury-Assabet-Concord Rivers
This is very important--we need to invest in building resilience in the long term. This includes recharging storm water, incentivizing water reuse and conservation, reducing impervious cover. These things will pay off in the long run in terms of healthy aquatic systems, less flooding, and sustainable drinking water supplies.

Leslie Pelton
There are stunning numbers of kids who drive to CCHS. The car parking should be limited and expensive. We need multitudes of bike racks, scooter racks. We could collaborate with HubWay of other organizations to make even electric bikes available to our kids. And then give them huge incentives for using them. And, of course, we need safe biking lanes throughout Concord!

Josh Burgel
While the winter can be cold, cleared bike paths are useable 95% of the year.

Josh Burgel
Pedestrian/Bike connections to the east of the Willard School do not exist, please explore and implement grade school appropriate infrastructure.

Brian Foulds
By 2030 transition 80% of our school bus fleet to electricity.

Mark Hanson
And park the buses under solar panels to keep them out of the weather and over the course of a year generate the power they'll use. And don't park them here, but park them under solar panels at the schools. It's a good way to educate our children about conservation and reduce our bus transport operating costs at the same time.

Brian Foulds
Add 5 MWh of energy storage to the solar array at WR Grace to balance load and allow more solar installations throughout town.

Rick Hedeman
Love the fact that the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is happening! Would LOVE it if there was some way to connect it with the trail from Concord center to Bedford...

Gary Kleiman
Continue to increase access to the West Concord waterfront through trails, interpretive features, picnic spots or boat launches/fishing piers, but maintain natural aesthetic.

Mark Hanson
Parking is needed. And more frequent and flexible trains. Current trains are only efficient for the AM and PM commute. At other times smaller train consists or individually powered cars could provide more frequent service economically. The tracks are valuable infrastructure making more use of them by running rail traffic makes sense. Smaller trains would not block intersections in Concord as long and frequent daytime service would be helpful to commuters who might need to return to Concord during the day.

Leslie Pelton
We need safe biking lanes for people of all ages throughout Concord

Brian Foulds
Install 1.5 MW of solar over the Water plant filtration beds.

Tanya Gailus
East Concord could use a bulletin board for neighbors to communicate

Would be great to have a mirror here so drivers can see southbound traffic around bend. Folks tend to speed on Old Bedford rd and it is difficult to see them when pulling out of Merriam Rd.

Ruthy Bennett
Some kind of shuttle all over Concord so people dont have to drive their car for a short trip or kids can have another option besides being driven.

More parking for commuters, please.

I'll add - we use this route (cutting through the cemetery) to get to the playground at Ripley. Riding on the sidewalks on Bedford St and Old Bedford road is not safe for children or inexperienced bikers. Some parts are very narrow or have tree branches in path.

I would also support guarded bike paths

Crosswalk light for bikers and pedestrians coming from Reformatory Branch Trail. Cars traveling very fast and can be a harrowing experience to cross with children.

A safe bike path for kids to bike to school would be terrific.