Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 2-11-21

Support for Salisbury affordable housing

The Salisbury Republican Town Committee (RTC) strongly supports the construction of affordable housing in Salisbury.  Moreover, the Committee applauds the efforts of the organizations who have worked so hard to bring more affordable housing to our town:  the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission (SAHC), the Salisbury Housing Committee, the Salisbury Housing Trust and NWCT Habitat for Humanity. These organizations deserve our thanks and support for their efforts over the years.

The dearth of affordable housing in Salisbury is well known. At a town meeting in 2010, the SAHC was created and charged with developing a plan for creating more affordable housing. In May 2018,  SAHC issued its excellent Affordable Housing Plan, calling for the construction of 75 housing units over the next 10 years. Only one of the properties listed in that report is close to realization: Sarum Village III, which will have 10 units available when completed.  Yet over 40 families are already on the waiting list for this project.

The problem is much larger than just finding living quarters for our retail and service workers who often drive long distances to their jobs here. The whole Northwest Corner faces a demographic, economic and social crisis that is rapidly developing. By 2025,  Salisbury will have 1,234 residents over the age of 65, according to data assembled by the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation. That would be more than a third of the entire population of the town. At the same time the younger working age population is declining.

Many of us fell in love with our beautiful hills, lakes and small town friendly atmosphere. We bought homes for weekend refuge from the city and many of us retired here. Now some 40% of homes in Salisbury are “second homes.” Prices are out of reach for young people. The price of a single home in Salisbury was more than $717,000 three years ago, according to Sotheby’s International Realty. It is surely much higher now.

The SAHC’s 2018 Plan lists seven properties owned by either the town or the Salisbury Housing Committee on which affordable housing could be erected. Unfortunately, only four of these properties are large enough to accommodate 10 or more housing units. With the exception of Sarum Village III, these larger parcels have all generated fierce opposition from various segments of the population. These objections may be heartfelt, but they may turn out to be shortsighted. We are already seeing the results of an aging population. Who will be the volunteers to man our fire department, ambulance corps or the many service organizations we depend on? They are all having trouble recruiting new members.

The Salisbury Republican Town Committee urges the various factions in town to come together and find solutions that will enable each of the projects listed in the 2018 Plan to go forward.  And we give our heartfelt thanks to the individuals and organizations who have worked tirelessly to bring more affordable housing to our town.

Bill Littauer

Salisbury RTC member

Tom Morrison

Chairman, Salisbury RTC

Salisbury

 

Holley Place should be built

I’d like to thank the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission and the Salisbury Housing Committee for the session they hosted on February 4 to provide details on the revisions to the Holley Place affordable housing proposal.

Clearly a lot of time, energy and thought went into their presentation. It was apparent that the volunteers serving our towns on these committees listened to the comments and concerns voiced by community members about the viability of the project. I appreciate their efforts to address those concerns.

Initially I, like many, had questions about both the process and the proposed building. Over the last couple of months I have come to better understand the problems created by the dearth of affordable housing and the process that has been undertaken to address them. I appreciate the enormous effort that so many of my friends and neighbors have put into developing housing options that will make living locally a possibility for the many people who work in our towns but are priced out of the real estate market.

Given the need for affordable housing in our community, my husband and I are 100% behind developing the Holley Place site and we hope our town will commit to developing the Pope property and other potential sites in the very near future.

I’d like to commend the volunteers hosting Thursday’s meeting for their patience and grace when responding to questions and comments. They modeled the respect and tolerance that I hope can become a part of all of our civic interactions.

Kathleen Voldstad

Salisbury

 

Questions answered on affordable housing

The Lakeville Journal editorial on the Affordable Housing issues facing our communities has essential facts, respectfully, exactly backwards. Those who are questioning the proposals, not those making them, are the ones who have suffered “disrespect and personal attacks.” Residents opposing the housing projects in both Falls Village and Salisbury have been personally vilified, called NIMBY, selfish, elitist and worse. It is shameful. Offering “solutions… without rancor” was never the problem, it simply requires the housing organizations to set aside their righteousness, listen and collaborate with the community from the initial planning. 

We are all neighbors who want what is best for our towns. Housing trusts must open their meetings to those who wish to present differing ideas. It takes a village. And housing issues are not, as the editorial suggests, “insurmountable.” Open access is all it would take to develop affordable housing projects with broad community support, not plans imposed upon residents whose only option is to resist or be silent.

Five questions towns need to ask about housing:

1. What housing is needed? Most towns in 2021 need senior and handicapped rental housing. This will free up larger older homes for new families. New construction or adaptive reuse can house a mix of affordable ownership and affordable and market rentals, providing income for future financial sustainability. 

2. Where should it go? Someplace that is walking and wheelchair accessible to the basic services and pleasures of an economically vibrant Main Street.

3. Who should do it? A community service organization which conducts its business in public and welcomes community input. 

4. How should it be funded? State Grants must not skew the solution to more expensive, i.e. bigger, and less appropriate projects. A common element between the Falls Village and Salisbury projects is the excessive scale of the projects, due to reliance on state-funding of incentive zones. Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) Grants are a better size for our needs. Every proposal must include an income and expense statement showing how it will be self-sustaining.  This applies across all of our planning needs, i.e., infrastructure, transportation etc.

5. Why should we do it? Misinformation is circulating that the State has mandated a 10% affordable housing requirement. This is just not so. For details, google CGS Section 8-30g.

Falls Village held its first Affordable Housing Plan (AHP) committee meeting last week. It offers an excellent road map for any of our towns to begin an open call for interested citizens. It was made clear that the committee’s purpose is not to implement an imaginary 10% mandate, but rather to develop what all of our towns deserve—a plan for growth that is financially sustainable, true to the character of our communities and achieves our mutual goals.

Daly Reville

Falls Village

 

It’s a rave

It is time for me to be brave

As I start to write my first rave

First rave to Biden’s work

A far cry from the previous jerk

Also to Fauci the good doctor

Who has become TV’s proctor

COVID has our country in hell

But the antidotes are just swell

So raves to Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer

Who are making us all the wiser

And knowing our future now is better

With the shots now a pacesetter.

Michael Kahler

Lakeville

 

Another COVID day

Sunday! Another riotous day!

First sip of coffee, out on the deck

A holy moment gobsmacked

By the bitter glitter of the stars.

Read, sip, feed dogs, let them out,

Feed birds, let dogs back in,

Wash last night’s dishes, let dogs out.

Make pancakes,

Let dogs in to eat pancakes.

 

Wash dishes,

Let dogs out to poo,

Let dogs in to lick dishes.

 

Consider a walk, decline.

Bring wood up from the cellar

For the tiny wood-stove.

Encourage dogs to chase rats in the basement,

They decline.

Look at a smoldering paperwork on desk.

Decline, and run from the room.

 

Scrape one dog out of bed.

Put said dog outside, so can make bed.

Brief stab at hygiene, grooming.

Bring dog back in 

For said dog’s opinion

Of said grooming.

Let dogs out to chase squirrels, decide to do laundry.

Laundry room too congested to reach washing machine.

Tidy laundry room.

Hear tiny frozen yelp from front door,

Realize with horror forgot dogs,

Bring frozen dogs in.

 

Apologize lavishly with pancakes.

Pancakes and apologies enthusiastically accepted.

Let dogs out to poo and pee,

And this time remember to bring them back in.

 

Yo! I just can not keep up with it all,

It’s just too exciting.

Is it still Sunday?

Could it be Wednesday already?

Or, oh josh by josh, I got it!

It’s last Wednesday. Can’t fool me!

Inness Humphreys

Kent

 

Different inspiration

While Superbowl (and Puppy Bowl) weekend had many glued to the games which I trust went well, I was drawn to catch up with amazing folks on the New Life Expo which now offers a membership site on patreon.com/NewLife as I hope to shortly as well. This is what inspires me and makes me feel more connected to others, while for other people, the games do that.

People who speak or work with “light languages” (sounds, numbers,art, movement, writing and more) all shared at the New Life Expo a theme of helping humans at this time align with galactic love and healing, working with a higher understanding of life on our planet and beyond. So yes, talk of other beings in the universe were covered as well.

 That is par for New Life Expo which has been streamed free on Facebook as well at times. Thankfully there are hundreds of other people bringing similar messages to these times for people to ‘hang onto hope and trust humans are capable than more than meets the eye.’

 I also joined in the Scoville Library’s “Community Conversations,” which encouraged us to listen and reflect, not seek to change someone’s view or convey other information, to build mutual respect and allow for differences of opinion.

Thanks to all pursuing their heart felt passions for a bright future. Many say ‘we get what we think and feel we’ll get’ so aim for success whether ski jumping or driving well and making friends near and far as well as with oneself  in caring, balanced ways.

Catherine Palmer Paton

Falls Village

 

It’s time for bold democracy reform

My name is Chuck, 77 years old, and I wish to know that HR1 is passed before I die, so you don’t have much time. It is important to supersede those exclusionist states and make the election process as secure and transparent as possible. We need to address the dark web nonsense. Make it harder for these alternative realities to take hold.

Thank you, U.S. Rep. John Larsen, for your continued support of democracy.

C. Archer Woodward

Winsted

 

In case you didn’t notice

Is my imagination blinding me, or has North Canaan become a magnet for antiques and rummage sales? All these renovated spaces on Railroad St. and Main St. are like a marketplace in Marrakesh. Hasn’t anyone got any imagination of a business? We need places like clothing stores, art stores or any retail shops catering to real needs we have, and not have to travel a 25 to 50 mile radius to get there. No one considers the elderly, who can’t always rely on bus service or Dial-A-Ride.

There’s not real consideration of all kinds of residents in this town, mainly during this pandemic. A new year is here, throw out the status quo mentality.

Michael C. Parmalee

North Canaan

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