letter by Mark Marchionni, PhD, of Sudbury

Subject: Request to Append Sandra Duran’s Testimony to Final Report

Members of the Liberty Ledge Strategic Action Committee and Select Board,

I am writing to request that the testimony delivered by Ms. Sandra Duran, Combined Facilities Director, at the Committee’s October 1 meeting be formally appended to the Advisory Report. Her statements are factual, directly relevant to the Committee’s recommendations, and must be included to ensure the report accurately reflects the public record.

Ms. Duran provided several key points that materially affect Recommendations 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 11:

• The Town completed a full ADA self‑evaluation in February 2021, and a prioritized ADA Transition Plan already exists.
• The ADA Transition Plan is publicly posted on the Town website, including detailed information specific to Camp Sewataro.
• The primary barrier to ADA implementation is funding, not lack of evaluation.
• All accessibility improvements at Camp Sewataro to date have been paid for by the camp operator, not the Town.
• Further evaluations should only be undertaken on an “as‑needed” basis and for a specific purpose.
• She explicitly stated she would not recommend at all a complete reevaluation of the entire Liberty Ledge property, describing such an effort as producing data, but not data that would get us to a project of removing specific barriers to access.  She noted that we have a transition plan and a method for implementing priority modifications, but a comprehensive site evaluation is far too expensive, unnecessary and not justified at this time.
• She described the Sewataro operator’s facilities team as “incredibly thoughtful,” noting their effective collaboration with the Town.

 These statements directly contradict the need for broad, full‑property studies and generalized evaluations proposed in Recommendation 6, as well as the delay‑until‑studies approach in Recommendation 7 and the flexibility‑for‑future‑studies rationale in Recommendation 11. They also align precisely with the ADA Transition Plan’s own guidance, which emphasizes program accessibility, targeted improvements, and the reality that full accessibility across steep terrain may be technically infeasible or an undue burden.

For these reasons, Ms. Duran’s testimony is not ancillary — it is central to the Committee’s charge and must be included in the final Advisory Report to ensure transparency, accuracy, and fidelity to the public record.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Respectfully,

Mark A Marchionni, PhD

28 Julians Way

Sudbury, MA 01776