u/Illustrious-Ask1779

Hi neighbors! 👋

Thanks to everyone who has already shown up or sent an email about saving our

access to the Forest River trails behind the Salem State South Campus. We’ve got

some serious momentum going into tomorrow night's (April 23) Planning Board

meeting, and we need your help to bring it home!

If you’ve walked the trails lately, you’ve seen the new "DANGER — UNSAFE BRIDGE

CONDITIONS" signs posted at the rotting pedestrian bridge. We don't know exactly

who nailed them to the tree, but we do know they aren't wrong.

However, at Tuesday’s ConCom meeting, the developer (AvalonBay) went on the record

saying they "can't speak to the condition" of the bridge and *"don't know anything

about it"*... even though their massive 473-unit project will send over 1,000 new

residents across it.

Tomorrow at 6:30 PM is our chance to ask the Planning Board to mandate three

reasonable conditions (A bridge fix, 10 deeded public parking spots, and fixing the

severe outfall erosion).

🛑 Let's Preempt the Naysayers!

The developer has practiced their talking points. So, let’s get ahead of them. If

you hear these excuses tomorrow night (or in the comments!), here is the factual

reality:

Excuse #1: *"The bridge isn't on our property, so it's not our problem."*

The Reality: The Planning Board can (and does) condition approvals on the impact a

project creates. When you route 1,000+ new residents across a failing bridge, you

mitigate your impact. Your responsibility is the impact, not just the property

line!

Excuse #2: *"The City should use the state's 40R incentive money to fix it."*

The Reality: Nope! That state money is for our schools, fire departments, and

municipal capacity—not to subsidize a private developer’s infrastructure liability.

The taxpayer is not their backstop.

Excuse #3: *"Our parking is just for our residents."*

The Reality: Exactly why we need 10 deeded public parking spaces. Taking away the

campus parking doesn't eliminate the public's need to access these 140+ acres of

woods—it multiplies it. The trails shouldn't become a gated amenity just for the

new development.

Excuse #4: *"Fixing a bridge is too complicated and requires crazy engineering."*

The Reality: We aren't asking them to build the Golden Gate! We are asking for an

in-kind repair. The concrete piers are already there and solid. We just need a

materials contribution to replace the rotting decking and stringers with

off-the-shelf hardware. It's a weekend job, not a capital project.

🌟 How You Can Join the Momentum:

This is actually working, and your voice is the leverage we need.

having 50+ neighbors in the room changes the entire vibe of the meeting.

The campus is changing, but our access to the river shouldn't. Let’s make sure they

hear us tomorrow night! See you there! 🌲✨