Preserve your local history
On election day, it should be a no-brainer for Windham voters to support the purchase of the Parson Smith House.
We need to protect this relic, which is regarded by many as a great historic treasure. Like all old buildings or relics, the Parson Smith House gives us 21st Century citizens something tangible that ties us to those who came before.
The owners are about to sell the home, and they are kind enough to let the townspeople have a chance of securing a piece of town history. It’s a chance we should grab.
The $30,000 that it will cost to secure a grant is money well spent. It’s money well spent because history is important. That’s why we have historical societies, Memorial and Veterans Day events, and school curriculum that teaches local history. We need to remember our origins. That knowledge gives us pride and perspective.
All history is not local, but some of the most relevant history school kids learn is local history. Let’s not lose this chance to preserve a piece of Windham history. It’s money well spent, and it’s something that could be lost if action is not taken now.
No one will starve or get sick if voters don’t approve the purchase, but a piece of Windham history could surely die if the Parson Smith House is sold to a private party.
Cobbling a quarry deal
A Windham neighborhood close to Route 302 is facing hard times. Residents of Nash Road and nearby business owners are frustrated that a proposed quarry slated for 160 acres could be within earshot. Petitions are circulating in hopes of amending a land-use ordinance governing mineral extraction in the town.
Neighbors are feeling pressure and the quarry’s developer, Peter Busque, is feeling pressure, too. He has sunk several million into the project and while all would not be lost if he had to scrap the quarry plans (he can always build houses or sell), he would surely lose a significant portion of his investment.
While emotions run high on both sides, the question is not who’s to blame. The question is who’s going to give in first to negotiate a workable solution.
Busque is following local ordinances in building the quarry. No one disputes that. Whether a quarry should be allowed in a residential area is what is being debated. Should one person’s rights supercede a whole neighborhood’s rights? While it seems wrong to allow a quarry, the rule of law is important to a properly functioning society, and current Windham law says a quarry is allowed.
Nevertheless, both sides are right here. The neighbors deserved a better set of ordinances from their town officials. Hence, their attempt at updating what should have been updated long ago.
In the absence of proper planning code, both sides, therefore, have to compromise to reach agreement. The neighbors have a right to expect from town leaders that their interests are served.
To this end, a good compromise would include the following recommendations:
It is reasonable for residents to know when blasting will occur. Busque should provide warning at least a week in advance to each abutter notifying them of exactly when and for how long each blast will occur.
It is also reasonable that residents should not deal with dust emanating from the quarry.
Residents and business owners – especially the motel owner and paying occupants nearby – shouldn’t have to hear loud trucks early in the morning. Nash Road is not in the middle of nowhere, like many pit operations. As such, the heavy trucks should refrain from operating before 8 a.m. And they must halt operation at a reasonable time, such as 4 or 5 p.m.
And, to prevent another eyesore along the Route 302 stretch, berms should be placed obstructing all views of the quarry, even at the gate. Junkyards are required to obscure views of their mountains of metal from the road. Quarries warrant the same requirement.
The neighbors are taxpayers. Some have been there for generations. While Busque’s operation seems to fit the rule of Windham law, that is no reason for the neighbors to suffer needlessly. While a quarry may seem like a huge intrusion, there is a possibility that each side could co-exist. The Planning Board and possibly Town Council or town planning staff need to broker a peace deal between the neighbors and Busque.
-John Balentine, editor
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