GiantPeople

07/31/2026

Friends of Acton,



It's been a slow news month for Acton, so let's play "caption this photo" for a change of pace! Picture taken on 2026-07-13 from the gas station next to Community Way, looking north on Route 27 (Main Street).

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

07/09/2026

Friends of Acton,



The Acton Select Board is having another secret meeting (AKA "executive session") regarding the possible purchase of a single-family home located at 24 Forest Road (https://actonma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/23051).

* 24 Forest Rd, Acton MA 01720 ($539,000)
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/24-Forest-Rd-Acton-MA-01720/57035262_zpid/

I don't recall Town Meeting ever authorizing the purchase of this property. It seems to me that the Select Board's priorities (and authority) should be specifically limited to what Town Meeting approves.

I have been told that the property at 46 Taylor Road had been on the Select Board's "wish list" for years. I checked the last 10 10-year plans and found no reference to this property, but at least it was approved at Town Meeting. What else is on Acton's secret wish list?

Given the current financial crisis, how do we actually convince the Select Board to reduce spending? For details, see FinCom's subcommittee, which is focused on eliminating/reducing the $30M multi-year town deficit (https://actonma.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=111). FinCom seems to be the only Acton entity actively working this problem. Perhaps we need something like "AB Forward" (the process that the School Committee used for reorganizing the school system) for the town side of the budget.

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

P.S. Erik Heels is an associate (non-voting) member of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Opinions expressed herein are Erik's individually, not the opinions of any Acton board or committee.

07/09/2026

Friends of Acton,



Since only about 3% of Acton's registered voters showed up for Town Meeting, maybe Acton should be a city. This could be the mayor's residence:

* 491 Main St, Acton MA 01720 ($1,685,000)
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/491-Main-St-Acton-MA-01720/57033967_zpid/

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

This 5012 square feet Single Family home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. It is located at 491 Main St, Acton, MA.

06/24/2026

Friends of Acton,



* America vs Europe: Two Ways To Build A City (2026-06-22)
"Architect and urban & computational designer Abhinav Bhardwaj made this great set of slides comparing urban design in the US and Europe."
https://kottke.org/26/06/america-vs-europe-two-ways-to-build-a-city

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

Architect and urban & computational designer Abhinav Bhardwaj made this great set of slides comparing urban design in the US and Europe, peppered with pithy

06/21/2026

* History Will Be The Judge Of Acton's Projects (2026-06-21)
Letter to the Editor of the Acton Exchange

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by Erik J. Heels* History Will Be The Judge Of Acton’s Projects Letter to the Editor of the Acton Exchange By Erik J. Heels First published 2026-06-20; ActonExchange.org; publisher: The Acton Exchange. On 2024-03-15, a de...

06/12/2026

Friends of Acton,



If you think that Acton should prioritize PEOPLE & PLACES over CARS & TRAFFIC, then I highly Streetsblog.

* Streetsblog
Since 2006, Streetsblog has covered the movement to transform our cities by reducing dependence on private automobiles and improving conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
https://mass.streetsblog.org

-Erik Heels ([email protected])
AKA "The Sidewalk Guy"

Recent featured stories and headlines from StreetsblogMASS.

06/02/2026

Friends of Acton,



Here's a counter-example to the cars-first mentality infecting Massachusetts towns.

* Town of Sandwich Opens New 4-Mile Segment In Planned Cross-Cape Pathway (2026-06-02)
The path fills in a large gap in a proposed 88-mile network of car-free trails that would traverse the entire Cape, from Provincetown to Bourne to Woods Hole.
https://mass.streetsblog.org/2026/06/02/town-of-sandwich-opens-new-4-mile-segment-in-planned-cross-cape-pathway

-Erik Heels ([email protected])

Last Friday, local officials officially cut the ribbon on the new Service Road shared-use pathway in the Cape Cod town of Sandwich – a four-mile trail alongside Service Road that partially fills one of the biggest gaps in the Cape's network of off-street bike and pedestrian trails.

04/21/2026

Friends of Acton,

* Erik's Picks For Acton's 2026 Town Meeting (2026-04-21) ://www.giantpeople.com/17831.html

-Erik ([email protected])

Posted on April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Erik J. Heels* Erik’s Picks For Acton’s 2026 Town Meeting Acton Town Meeting (2026-05-04) Of the articles in the Town Meeting warrant (warrant = agenda) this year, most are uncontroversial, so I’ll foc...

04/21/2026

Friends of Acton,



The Acton Finance Committee (FinCom) is having an important meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, April 22, 2026) at the Acton Senior Center cafeteria (30 Sudbury Rd, Acton MA 01720), including a discussion of the Town Meeting warrant articles and a Q&A session.

Agenda is here:

* Finance Committee Meeting - Agenda (2026-04-22)
https://actonma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/22774

-Erik Heels ([email protected])

04/17/2026

* Why Erik Heels Turned Down The Opportunity To Be An Astronaut

Posted on April 17, 2026April 14, 2026 by Erik J. Heels* Why Erik Heels Turned Down The Opportunity To Be An Astronaut This Is Our “17 Seconds” Newsletter #143: 17 Seconds = Useful Info Quickly. 1989-07-04, USAF Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas. 2nd Lieutenant Erik J. Heels shortly after soloing...