Well, over the last few weeks Roberts Field keeps coming up, and residents are starting to talk. Nothing formal yet, just a lot of interest bubbling up in conversations. The park sits in Precinct 5, and with that seat contested this election cycle, it is reasonable to expect Roberts Field will become part of the […]

So, -8 degrees this morning, with the wind making it feel closer to -20. Crazy cold. The gathering this morning is still on, but they’re adding a solo fire and a couple of heaters, so hopefully it will be ok. If it’s just too cold, we’ll wrap it up early. New England is for the […]

Community is people showing up for the greater good. It is helping one another. It is working toward a shared goal, even when there is no spotlight and no obligation. COSS works with many groups, and sometimes that means working directly with residents. Sometimes it is about supporting a cause. Sometimes it is just about […]

Some of that tapping you hear in the woods right now is not woodpeckers, but the hardy Chelmsford tree sapper. Maple season is waking up, and all signs point to the coming days being the first real opportunity to begin gathering sap. Local backyard maple syrup makers and a few professional producers are gearing up. […]

COSS TLDR Newsletter February 2026 About this newsletter This summary was generated using AI due to the volume of town material. Items were reviewed against publicly available town agendas, calendars, and meeting packets. Residents should confirm details by reviewing the source documents or contacting the relevant town departments directly. OPEN SPACE ISSUES • Wetland-related projects […]

People might ask why I am posting this now, and the honest answer is that a few separate threads all landed on the same issue at the same time. The first nudge was a complaint I received about the bat box at Sunny Meadow. The concern was not about bats at all. The concern was […]

COSS has made a commitment to accessibility from our founding. Public open space is for everyone, and information about public open space should be for everyone too. A major accessibility change is coming for government. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized new ADA Title II digital accessibility rules for state and local […]

The bulk of the storm has passed, and as the sun comes up, cleanup will start. It is a snow day, so sledding is on everyone’s mind. We already have a popular “go-to” guide on the COSS website with thousands of views and numerous shares: Chelmsford Sledding 101: What You Need to know A few […]

When we say we are “windowing” bittersweet, we mean something simple. We cut out a section of vine so there is a clear gap, like a window, and the vine is no longer a continuous rope pulling on the tree. That is it. We are not ripping the whole vine off the trunk, and we […]

We can still support them; we just do it without storing anything on-site and without equipment staged there. Not being able to clear the roads adds a level of difficulty, but it does not stop us. After each main storm, for years now, someone has walked the site and checked the greenhouses. We are looking […]