Vinal Square Committee Reviews Decade-Old Master Plan, Eyes Possible Update

CHELMSFORD -- August 25, 2025, Chelmsford's Vinal Square Strategic Action Plan Committee reviewed its 10-year-old master plan and elected a new vice chair at its August 25 meeting. The committee, chaired by Virginia, spent most of the session working through the 2015 plan recommendation by recommendation, dropping items including a failed facade improvement program and an unsuccessful state cultural district application, while flagging historical resources outreach and a potential master plan update as future priorities. DPW official Christine told the committee that a new state-required utility tracing review for the Vinal Square transportation project could cost on the order of $100,000 and may need to come from the town's free cash allocation this fall, with a public input session on the 25 percent design now likely pushed to spring 2026 at the earliest. Bill was elected vice chair in a unanimous vote. Freeman Lake abutter Wanda Dunn, of 60 Willis Drive, urged the committee in public comment to prioritize phosphorus loading over chemical weed treatments, noting that the lake is currently closed due to high algae levels.