Newbury
The Newbury Selectboard has scheduled a Special Town Meeting to conduct the revote at 7 p.m. on November 28 at the Newbury Village Hall in the Newbury Elementary School gym.
Voters in town have been divided over whether the town should spend $25,000 to round out a total $461,000 funding package cobbled together by the Vermont Land Trust from various sources.
In September, voters approved the measure 135-83 in favor of the idea, but more than 100 voters signed onto the statement asking for a revote.
Selectboard Chairwoman Alma Roystan, who would not say how she cast her secret ballot in September, said the basic rationale behind the revote effort was that not everyone who wanted to participate knew that the vote was coming.
“People said they hadn’t heard about it,” Roystan said. “Not everyone is good about keeping up on public notices. They thought it should be reconsidered.”
Roystan said that, if the revote upholds the results of the first vote, the town will be able to move forward immediately to take advantage of the funding package. Either way, she said, the outcome of the revote will be final, because state law prevents a third vote on a topic from happening within a year.
Roystan said she and other town officials would work to carry out the town’s wishes, but that she had concerns about the ongoing cost of maintaining the land.
“My concern is that Newbury is a small town. We don’t have a big population,” she said. “And like a lot of towns we have a lot of huge expenses and they’re increasing all the time.”
The town owns several smaller parcels of land, two of which are currently designated as town forests, according to Roystan.
The 142-acre parcel on Tucker Mountain is often used for picnics, bonfires and other recreational activities, and it’s also part of a wildlife corridor that extends to an adjacent 116-acre parcel owned by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Diane Norton is a member of the Conservation Commission, which has supported the acquisition of 142 acres on Tucker Mountain, and 493 acres on Woodchuck Mountain from the Leach family.
Norton said the land carries with it many revenue opportunities — timber harvesting, maple sugaring, fundraising and grants — that could offset the costs.
“We’d be protecting wildlife and protecting the water, and having areas available for recreation for visitors and the townspeople,” she said. “There are many benefits.”
Norton said that the Conservation Commission will meet on Tuesday to discuss the next public information session on the topic, part of a larger public education campaign to answer questions and address rumors about the acquisition.
“The biggest issue is the access road, whether we would be able to repair that to the top of the mountain,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be done right away. It can be done as fundraising money or grants are obtained to make those changes.”
Answering questions, she said, helps to prevent the community debate from getting out of hand.
“Nobody wants to see the town divided. That’s why we’re trying to get the information out, to help people. We want everybody to see the information they need to make a decision.”
Roystan said that, while passions have run high, people have largely been able to disagree without being too disagreeable.
“People feel very strongly about it one way or the other. But there has been a very strong effort to be cordial,” Roystan said. “We’re neighbors before this starts and we’re going to be neighbors afterwards.”
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.