DUMMERSTON — In a letter in the Reformer, Mark S. Whitaker asks what's wrong with the status quo for land use in Dummerston. He urges townspeople to attend a public hearing with town officials on June 9 and speak against a proposed town plan that would protect open space.
Whitaker seems unaware that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the right of towns to use zoning to save their farm- and forest-land. The number of houses in Dummerston more than doubled between 1960 and 2000. That number is on track to double again in the next 30 years. Very few of the new houses were built close to other houses. Almost all of them were single-family houses, not the kind of multi-family housing found in downtown Brattleboro and Putney.
Dummerston's large expanses of farm- and forest-land are disappearing. This makes it harder for farmers and loggers to stay in business, and reduces the scenic beauty of the town. It also reduces opportunities for hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, and other fun and healthy outdoor activities in town.
Dummerston's farmland protection fund can be used for protecting such land, as long as the forest land is being used for some kind of agricultural purpose (like maple syrup production). Many other towns have added much more money to their open-space protection funds, and used the money to buy land and protect it from development. Charlotte has put $100,000 into its open space fund in recent years. About 3,500 people live in Charlotte; about 2,000 live in Dummerston.
The town immediately to the east of Dummerston - Chesterfield, N.H. - is home to about 3,800 people. In 2006, Chesterfield used $51,000 from its open-space protection fund to buy land. That left about $150,000 in the town's fund.
A study by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns found that the Vermont towns with the most protected open space have the lowest property taxes. More money is available from sources like the Vermont Land Trust (which Governor Douglas has repeatedly tried but failed to eliminate).
If you live in Dummerston, please contact the Selectboard and ask its members to save our town by passing a strong town plan, and by boosting the farmland protection fund annual appropriation to $10,000 (the amount approved by voters at Town Meeting) from the current $5,000.
You can leave a message for the board members at 257-1496 or [email protected] or write them at Selectboard, 1523 Middle Rd., Dummerston, VT 05346.