Our new community center now under construction could use some additional access points for pedestrians and bicyclists – and I'd like to suggest one that can be built cheaply and quickly.

The Old Colony Rail Trail extends through Belcher Park and then along the edge of the town land where the Community Center is under construction. There's a steep unpaved embankment behind the DPW site that connects the two. Wouldn't it be nice to attend a soccer game in Belcher Park and then be able to walk to the COmmuntiy Center without crossing any streets?

You can see the route by going to the leaf dropoff site off of Pleasant Street. Walk past the signs about how to drop off your gardening debris, past the DPW buildings, and you'll see a pile of dirt. Climb up that, if your boots and your balance are good, and you're on the Old Colony Rail Trail, which goes through Belcher Park and then under Main Street to the old rail depot.

The DPW has numerous "Keep Out" signs and gates blocking access between Belcher Park and the Community Center. Those signs should instead welcome pedestrians and bicyclists, and guide them from one recreational site to the other.

The Town Council should make the DPW embankmen a welcoming path rather than an intimidating hike. With a little earth-moving, some better signage, and maybe a set of stairs, there would be pedestrian and bicycle access, to add to the already-adequate automobile access to the Community Center.

The Old Colony Rail Trail is a wonderful barely-used resource – this could be the first step in making it part of Randolph's recreational resources.