Neighbor Objects to Park Expansion
To the Editor:
The article in the Nov. 3–16 edition of The Bridge is an incomplete picture of the actual situation regarding the [Hubbard] park expansion.
My family and I have lived in a property abutting the Heney plot for over 10 years, with a clear window to observe that property. For the first eight-plus years, the only people who used that property were the person who mowed the field on a few occasions and our family. There was never anything resembling open access. Only in the past two years have private citizens in the neighborhood cut trails and begun accessing the property. My kids used what was referred to as the “Heney sledding hill,” but only after somewhat reluctant permission given face-to-face by Mrs. Heney, as was her right as the landowner. Few, if any, others accessed the hill over the past 10 years. The descriptions of use are far overstated by those promoting the use and expansion of access.
At no point does either parcel abut either Dairy Lane or Clarendon Street. Access to those parcels will come at the expense of private property owners whose properties do abut the field. Someone will lose in creating an access point, with decreased property values a likely result. Maybe someone will volunteer to give up their property for this use, but I doubt it.
To be clear, unrestricted access will diminish our quality of life as people wander across our property to gain access. We have had to, on multiple occasions, stop people from walking across our yard to get to the property, and redirect them to the owners or another park entrance, and most just left. I suspect that very few people have actually asked the property owners for permission to cross.
I hope that you will print this, as it is against the grain of “progress” for Montpelier. I hope that you will at least clarify that there are conflict issues to be resolved, and the information you reported came from people who were already biased toward a specific position, and no opposing views were represented.
Charlie Watson, Montpelier
Drug Take Back Day was a Success
To the Editor:
Great news! Prescription Drug Take Back Day in late October was a great success! Thank you to all who safely disposed of old medications and helped spread the word. The statewide grand total weight collected was 6,826 pounds in 251 boxes. The DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative began in September 2010, and Vermont communities have been doing their part ever since.
Congratulations to Washington County for an amazing total of 27 boxes weighing 939 pounds, which made a big contribution to the state totals. This was the second highest countywide collection amount after Chittenden County. Thank you to this year’s drop box sites and supportive law enforcement partners helping to make this a success: Washington County Sheriff’s Department in Montpelier; the Vermont Statehouse’s Capitol Police; Barre City Police Department; Barre Town Police Department; Berlin Police Department; Montpelier Police Department; Northfield Police Department; Kinney Drugs in Berlin and Waterbury locations; and the Vermont State Police Middlesex Barracks.
It is not too late to use the year-round, permanent drop boxes at local police departments as well as the Central Vermont Medical Center main lobby, and Kinney Drugs on the Barre-Montpelier Road and in Waterbury.
Prepare for the holidays! Dispose of unused meds around the house through safe disposal or with a free, postage-paid Medication Mail-Back envelope — accessible online at healthvermont.gov/alcohol-drugs/services/prescription-drug-disposal or at the libraries, town halls, and senior centers.
Local law enforcement, the Vermont Department of Health, and Central Vermont New Directions, and Central Vermont Prevention Coalition appreciate the efforts. Thank you for doing your part to prevent misuse, poisonings, addiction, and overdoses as well as keeping medications out of the compost, landfill, and water supply.
Ann Gilbert, Montpelier, Director, Central Vermont New Directions
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