Boxborough Planning Board tells consultant to cut traffic study cost to $60,000

BOXBOROUGH -- April 1, 2024, Boxborough Planning Board presses consultant to cut town-wide traffic study to fit $60,000 warrant limit. The board, meeting April 1 via Zoom with four of six members present, directed Town Planner Alec to ask the study consultant, identified in discussion as Corinne and her team, whether the firm can deliver its revised proposal within the $60,000 appropriated at Town Meeting, after an updated scope came in at $63,675. Chair Mark White framed the ask plainly: "How can they give us effectively what we're asking for but not crack the $60,000 barrier?" Absent member Cindy Markowitz submitted written comments urging the board to preserve an alternate scope adding Hill Road and Liberty Square Road intersections, an area members said has become severely congested, while trimming concept plans to find savings. The board also heard a brief public update that the town's zoning enforcement officer has identified two zoning violations at 984 Mass Ave, 996 Mass Ave, and 38 Sarah's Way, with a formal letter sent to the potential violator.