The way to Carlisle village

CARLISLE -- Lisa Chaffin admits that when discussion first arose at Carlisle's Town Meeting over the topic of putting in sidewalks, she couldn't quite see the point.

''When I lived in Boston, I loved walking to movie theaters and restaurants," she said, ''but Carlisle doesn't even have so much as a coffee shop. Where were people supposed to walk to?"

Three years later, the first section of sidewalk -- which the town actually calls a footpath, because it is lined with gravel rather than asphalt and is set into the shoulder rather than above the roadbed -- has just been completed. The footpath starts in front of the Gleason Public Library on Bedford Road and runs east for a half mile to Kimball Farm Ice Cream stand.

Now, Chaffin's perspective has changed.

''I live right in the town center. Now that I'm home full time with my 2-year-old, I really appreciate being able to walk everywhere," Chaffin said last week. ''We can mail a letter at the post office and pick up a video at the library on our way to the playground. Admittedly, my standards have changed from when I lived in Back Bay, but it's fun."

At a glance, Carlisle Center looks much the same as it has for the past several decades: a library, a post office, a church, and one general store clustered around the town's single rotary, with the public school that houses pre-kindergarten through Grade 8 just up the street. But a subtle shift seems to be underway where Route 225 (also known as Bedford and Westford roads) intersects with Lowell and Concord roads.

What was once little more than a traffic intersection in the middle of this town of 5,000 is gradually becoming a village.

Carlisle used to be primarily a farming town, but like so many other Boston suburbs, it has become a bedroom community with expensive homes and expansive yards.

With its 2-acre zoning, thickly wooded lots, and large houses, Carlisle sometimes is accused of fostering isolation. Many residents say they appreciate the privacy but find it hard to connect with their neighbors, whom they might not glimpse through the trees for months at a time. The center of town has a very different ambience, in part because the house lots are smaller and with fewer trees.

It is that center that residents and officials want to turn into a destination where residents can stroll, meet neighbors and friends, and even run an errand or two.

Selectwoman Debra Belanger said she perceives a general wave of support for the trend toward creating a village in the center of town. She cited the town's vote last year in favor of funding the footpath construction as a tangible example.

''There's a real hunger in our town for places where folks can run into someone they know and stop for a while, and to feel more connected to a greater whole," said Belanger. ''The Bedford Road footpath is an important part of building this connectivity. It connects our town buildings, such as the library and school, to our playing fields and the nearby ice cream stand. We [the selectmen] are very excited about this important first step."

Local businessman Larry Bearfield considers the ''village-ification" issue important. He and his wife, Robin Emerson, took ownership of the town's only shop, Ferns Country Store, last winter.

''Ferns should be more than just the one place you can stop for milk on your way home," he said. ''It should actively foster a sense of community spirit."

With this idea, Bearfield and Emerson worked to create more open spaces in the store where people could stand and chat over a cup of coffee. ''In the morning, you see little pockets of conversation happening in each of the store's corners," Bearfield said. ''It's a great start. This town needs more gathering places; that's what people want."

Although space and zoning restrictions make it impractical for Ferns to have indoor seating, Bearfield is planning further changes. He has put picnic tables outside the store and is about to begin construction on a ''farmer's porch" that will have benches overlooking the town center. Later this fall, he hopes to gain approval from the Historical Commission to create a small brick piazza outside the store with tables and chairs.

Two years ago, the Gleason Public Library converted its lawn from an untended patch of crabgrass to a beautifully manicured, grassy expanse with wrought iron benches and small brick patios. Now the library lawn is a favorite picnic destination. Middle-schoolers often gather there for an impromptu game of touch football in the afternoon.

The Town Common Committee, whose mission is to spruce up the Common, a large sloping lawn opposite the First Religious Society, shares the vision of a more aesthetically inviting town center.

''The Common is Carlisle's front lawn, and a visual improvement of it is long overdue," said committee chairman Tim Jensen.

People living in Carlisle Center especially enjoy the growing community feel of the place, though some say being close to major roads in town can be a bit disconcerting at times.

''When we first moved in, we worried a little bit about the fishbowl effect," said Lisa Chaffin. ''We're sandwiched between two main roads, and the commuter traffic can be pretty heavy. But the plus side is that I'm in one of the only neighborhoods in town where I can actually look out my window and see my neighbors. When someone new moves into the center, you meet them right away, which isn't the case in the quieter parts of town," she said.

Sally Quinn Reed said buying a house near the town center last spring was one of the best decisions she and her husband ever made, especially because they live across from the school her son David, 13, attends.

''David used to have a 25-minute ride to school," she said. ''By living where we do, he can spend a lot less time in the car, and he doesn't have to rely on us to drive him places. Not only can he walk to the library or the store, but he can meet his friends at the basketball court. He can walk over to the playing fields to watch a soccer game. That's a very safe and healthy way for an adolescent to start developing a sense of independence."

Art Turner and his wife, Sally Naumann-Turner, who have lived near Carlisle Center for 44 years, applaud recent infrastructure changes. They have always been avid walkers and find that now people are doing more than just picking up their mail at the post office.

''Lots of people buy sandwiches at Ferns and then sit at the picnic benches or on the library lawn to eat," Naumann-Turner said.

''We walk along the footpaths all the way to Kimball Farm Ice Cream,"her husband added. ''It's a nice walk with a very good reward at the end!"