I read the article on Dartmouth’s proposed Garipay Field expansion with interest (“Plan for dorms rankles residents,” Jan. 23). Both sides have valid concerns. Because all of us, including Dartmouth students, benefit from access to open space, I urge Dartmouth to consider this as an opportunity to do what other top-ranked liberal arts colleges have done decades ago: reclaim and rebuild fraternity housing into dormitories.
The current location of the fraternities has the necessary infrastructure and is highly walkable. By rebuilding “Frat Row,” Dartmouth would not only gain much-needed housing but also improve its reputation as being associated with these properties.
For Dartmouth to cause unnecessary disruption and devaluation to established neighborhoods without addressing both its troubled past and its present campus opportunities is, at best, premature.
Virginia Dresser
Hanover
I am reading an 11-page advertising supplement of the Valley News published 25 years ago on Jan. 26, 1997, featuring the official opening reception of the Harvest Hill independent and assisted living community.
Having lived here for the past 15 years, this is very significant to me and reminds me of how many people in the Upper Valley have contributed to its success.
From the welcoming letter to “neighbors and friends” by Robert A. Mesropian, former CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, to over 25 congratulatory ads, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment — a warm enthusiasm for this new facility.
I was privileged to know the three residents who moved in on opening day on Nov. 26, 1996. Their recollections of being among the 32 individuals who committed to the project before the groundbreaking inspired me to involve other interested residents in forming a history committee as part of the Harvest Hill Residents’ Association. This committee promoted many fascinating round table discussions and projects leading to extensive 20th anniversary celebrations.
COVID-19 has taken its toll on the social life at Harvest Hill, precluding any public celebrations of the 25th anniversary at this time.
Kudos to the Life Care board as well as the administrators above for their continued perseverance in guiding us through the turbulent waves of this ongoing pandemic.
As Harvest Hill launches into its 25th year, on behalf of about 450 residents who have passed through these doors, I would like to express gratitude to all those in the Upper Valley who have in any way supported Harvest Hill. You know who you are. Whether you are paid staff members, volunteers, family members, friends, business professionals, vendors, medical consultants or countless service providers — THANK YOU.
I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than to thank the Valley News for this original publicity, plus 25 years of obituary notices and numerous other timely reports which are on file in the Harvest Hill archives.
May the next quarter century see the continued growth of this vibrant community, my “Home, Sweet Home” at Harvest Hill.
Dorothy Yamashita
Lebanon
I found last Thursday’s “meeting” by Dartmouth’s campus planning team to be a farce. In the first part of the meeting, Dartmouth planners and staff used the opportunity to tell us locals that they need to build dorms immediately, and that they’re eyeing the east of Lyme Road. They argued that they had to use the flat land near the rugby fields for ecological purposes, but it felt like greenwashing of what I imagine was their cheapest and easiest solution. They appeared to be unconcerned or uninterested in the noise, rowdiness, ecological damage, aesthetic damage, recreational diminishment and the unbearable traffic situation that they would create by building dorms.
The second part of the meeting was a disingenuous online survey that could’ve been done in advance but wasn’t. The survey involved multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions that were tone-deaf, such as asking more than 200 people who want to preserve cherished open land what retail amenities they would like to see built on it. It was a bit like asking 200 vegans how they like their steak cooked!
Clearly the unidirectional, gagged structure of this Zoom communication was not designed to hear the community. In fact, neighbors could not see each other online, chat with each other online, hear each other’s voice questions or get voice questions answered in real time. Questions could be posted, but they weren’t always answered. This “meeting” allows Dartmouth to claim that they engaged the community with outreach while functionally stifling conversation.
I would like to see Dartmouth engage in a meeting with adequate time for an open question-and-answer session, where neighbors can see and hear each other and questions can be answered in real time instead of being deferred or aggregated for some indeterminate future date. This would at least give the appearance the college wants to be a good neighbor.
Aaron Osofsky
Hanover