The new roads built during the Route 2 project (click to enlarge).
Editor’s note: This article and map were updated on January 18, 2016 to reflect corrections.
By Alice Waugh
The fourth and last of the new roads adjacent to Route 2 has been officially named, but not everyone is happy with the choice.
Mary’s Way, formerly known as Service Road 4, is on south side of Route 2 starting near Crosby’s Corner and ending at Deerhaven Lane. Normally, when a new road is built, it’s part of a subdivision and the builder gets to name it, but in this case the task fell to the Board of Selectmen, who approached the road’s residents to ask for their input.
“Consensus quickly emerged in case of other roadways, but unfortunately in the case of Service Road 4, there was some divided thinking,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted at the board’s December 21 meeting.
Several area residents had suggested the name “Mary’s Way” as a nod to several women named Mary who have lived in the area. Selectmen voted to adopt the name on October 5 and it became official on January 1.
But David Segal of 39 Cambridge Turnpike, one of the residents whose mailing address has changed to Mary’s Way, took issue with the process at the board’s December meeting.
“There was a list circulated by Tim, and the next thing I know, it’s already been decided,” Segal said. “We submitted names but were not consulted. Let’s not whitewash it. I think the whole process was wrong and we should rethink it. Why does it have to be personalized on my mail every day? Why do I have to live by Mary’s way or Mary’s rule? I just think it’s kind of ridiculous.”
Segal added that when he polled 31 residents on Deerhaven Road, Partridge Lane, Old Cambridge Turnpike, and Horseshoe Lane, 27 said they preferred Great Meadow Road and only four preferred Mary’s Way.
Kathy O’Brien of 27 Cambridge Turnpike was one of several residents who attended the December meeting, one of whom held a sign saying “Let Mary’s Way Be.” O’Brien’s father and month, Mary O’Brien, bought her house 45 years ago; next door was Mary Morrissey, and nearby were other Marys, including Mary Ledger and Girl Scout leader Mary Herman.
“It’s a tribute to the ladies of the neighborhood who moved out here and left the city,” O’Brien said.
Razia Shaikh of 33 Cambridge Turnpike said she and her family also preferred Mary’s Way but suggested a compromise of Marigold Way, noting that it incorporated the sound of Mary. “As second-generation Americans, we also would like some of our own culture, and marigolds are very important in Bengali culture,” she said.
Selectman Noah Eckhouse said the board picked the name because they liked it and was under no obligation to hold any sort of vote on the matter.
“We bent over backwards, got suggestions, debated them in a public forum, and delayed the discussion again. None of you attended any of this, and now three months after the fact, you’re not only questioning the outcome but you’re really casting some ugly sideways glances at the process, and I take offense at that,” Eckhouse said. “I’m kind of done with this topic. If we crack this thing back open, it’s just going to get worse.”
“I feel bad that not everyone is pleased with outcome, but there are many, many situations where we can’t please everyone, and we have to move on,” Selectman Renel Fredriksen said.
Mary’s Way sounds like a country lane, not a road near Route 2.
I agree with Allen Vander Meulen. It’s so hard to get everyone engaged in a timely manner. People are very busy and even multiple means of communications can fail. Also, we won’t always have consensus. The Selectmen work really hard to solve town’s issues. It’s such a hard job. I’d like to thank them for what they do.
I know the Selectmen do everything they can to solicit input for any sort of decision like this, and appreciate such input when they can get it. That said, no matter how much they publicize, send out mailings, canvas door to door, or do surveys, there are always a few who either do not respond or perhaps miss the significance or timing of the decisions being made. Such folks are then upset when a decision is not to their liking. This is regrettable, but as Selectmen Eckhouse and Fredrickson said: the town did its best, and re-opening the discussion will make for an even bigger mess. We need to move on.
There are two mistakes in this story.
Mary’s Way only extends as far as Old Cambridge Turnpike. It does not run all the way to Rockwood Lane. (It is shown correctly on the map. )
The map shows Emerson Road and Horses Crossing Road on the other side of the street in reverse order. The labels have to be switched.
Just another example of how some select people operate thinking they can make decisions for all!