Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 2-4-21

More on Twin Lakes causeway

In his Jan 28th Letter to the Editor, Michael Klemens claims he was misquoted regarding his “definitive and accusatory” prevarications about me and my neighbors on the West Lake.  His Jan. 28th letter only serves to further confirm his bias and recusal obligation, I believe. He should heed the advice of Town counsel at the Jan. Con. Comm. meeting.

Klemens and John Harney started this entire mess with a carefully coordinated radio and newspaper attack campaign.  The Harney petitioners stated that I had already removed a portion of the causeway and that my goal was to make more room for a motorboat.  Harney got petitions signed without ever visiting the causeway despite repeated invitations.  I now learn that Harney only visited the site in January 2021 after an invitation from a member of the Con. Comm.

Klemens had his own key role in this mess.  He visited the site for a P&Z discussion in November.  He then took it upon himself to strongly criticize my maintenance of RR Causeway.  Klemens is not on the Con. Comm., but he pushed the former administrator to wrongly issue a cease-and-correct letter. That letter was withdrawn and contrary to Klemens’ assertion, I did not violate any regulations.  Watch the last Con. Comm. meeting for yourself.

Klemens suggests you go watch the Zoom recording of my “well-orchestrated PR event.” I agree. He should watch it again. What you will see is my observation of the impact of shallow water and old causeway debris on boaters.  Boaters on the West Lake are aware of the problems in the narrow neck off the east end of the causeway. Klemens is oblivious to this issue or does not care. Here is a link to my studies, the Zoom meeting and everything else I have posted relating to the causeway.  

https://bit.ly/rrcauseway

Klemens states that I am proposing a “major land use plan …ongoing for more than two years, with the knowledge of but a select few.” I have not proposed anything other than a new study of the impact of the causeway, consistent with my other studies.  Over the past few years, I have had meetings about the causeway with Curtis Rand, the senior leadership of the Twin Lakes Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Salisbury Land Trust, neighbors and anyone who took the time to contact me directly. Is that a “select few” only because Harney and Klemens never took me up on invitations to visit the site and meet with me?

I believe the causeway has had an adverse impact on the West Lake and I want to determine if removing a portion of it will improve the lake. My belief is shared by far more than 70 petitioners.  I am working with my conservation consultant, Timothy Abbott, to hire an expert to provide a report on the impact of the causeway.  We will let real facts and science guide our next steps before we propose to do anything.   

Jeffrey J. Keenan

Salisbury

Playhouse deserves support

The virtual gala for Sharon Playhouse on Jan. 23 was nothing short of an extraordinary success thanks to the genius, creativity and enthusiasm of Robert Levinstein and Alan Wager, aided by Michael Baldwin. They’ve put the Playhouse on the map among the finest regional theaters in the U.S. 

All three are real assets to the community and deserve our financial support.

Sal Accardo

Sharon

Let’s work together on housing

When we learned at our Jan. 20 meeting that Salisbury Planning & Zoning asked that we host an informational meeting in a week’s time so that the Salisbury Housing Committee could present their revised design for housing at Holley Place, the members of the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission (SAHC) were most concerned with getting the word out about the meeting. 

We made sure to get the meeting noticed in Town Hall and on the town website as soon as possible. The Lakeville Journal posted the meeting details on their website. And we have been making a concerted effort to use our Facebook page (facebook.com/SalisburyAffordableHousingCommisson) to make sure people are seeing our information in the forums where discussions are happening. 

We were completely overwhelmed by the number of people who turned out to our special informational meeting on Jan. 27. It is good to know that our collective efforts to inform the public were effective!

While the sheer volume of participants presented technical challenges that forced us to reschedule the special meeting to Feb. 4, I am very glad to see how many of my fellow townspeople are passionate about bringing more affordable housing to Salisbury.

The purpose of our gathering on Feb. 4 (as a Zoom webinar with a capacity of 500 participants) will be to provide information about the changes to the project and to allow people a chance to ask questions. This is an opportunity to ask about subjects that are beyond the purview of Planning & Zoning, who will hold their own hearing. This special information session is not a public debate, nor will there be anything to vote on. I hope you will join us to learn more about Holley Place and to ask what questions you may have.

I am a volunteer for the SAHC, and my day job is as a summer camp director. I have no experience with leading public meetings over Zoom. What I am experienced in is bringing people together and forming community. 

Despite the raucous nature of our first information session, what I saw is a community that is very concerned about affordable housing. I am optimistic that, while we won’t always agree on the best path forward, that by staying in civil dialogue with each other and working together, we will make smart investments in our town that will bring us economic vitality and stronger community bonds.

I look forward to continuing this work together with you.

Jennifer Kronholm Clark

Chair, SAHC

Salisbury

Are land trusts still trustworthy?

The late editor and publisher of The Lakeville Journal, Robert Estabrook, would be proud that his paper has recently brought to light the issue of the threatened Twin Lakes causeway protected by the conservation easement of Mary Alice White. Last week they published an articulate letter from her children to The Nature Conservancy about its stewardship falling short of its responsibilities in this matter.

Contrary to suggestions otherwise, this conservation easement is not a private document. It is a public statement, legally codified and recorded on the land use records of Salisbury. This is the legacy of a dedicated conservationist who wanted to ensure protection of Salisbury’s complex ecosystems on the Twin Lakes and neighboring waterways.

This controversy arose when it was discovered that the landowner was clearing trees and large amounts of brush on land covered by the easement. Only after that, did it emerge by his own admission that his goal was to remove a significant part of the causeway claiming that the removal would improve the water quality of the Twin Lakes.

As Salisbury resident and conservation biologist Dr. Michael Klemens has pointed out, it seems that an environmental study funded by the state of Connecticut concluded that there were a number of factors contributing to problems in the health of the Twin Lakes including the dam on the upper arm, deforestation and overdevelopment around the Lakes. Any remedial actions should be based on a definitive scientific study of the health of the Twin Lakes — and reviewed in a public forum.

Those of us who treasure the uncommonly beautiful natural world in Salisbury are waiting to hear why The Nature Conservancy has been discussing altering Mary Alice White’s conservation easement quietly, behind closed doors. Landowners who would consider a future conservation easement might be apprehensive if an agreement can be so easily altered by a subsequent landowner with the cooperation of a compliant steward.  

In short, are land trusts trustworthy? Can we trust the trusts to fulfill their stewardship obligations?

Doro Bachrach

Lakeville

Some housing history

A few years ago, when a town meeting was held to discuss and vote on purchasing the Pope property, all of the talk was about the use of the property for affordable housing. The first selectman, however, said he did not want to include affordable housing in the motion because there were some who might not be in favor. The motion was passed and the town bought the land.

A committee was authorized in March 2018 to consider the possible uses of the property and report back to the selectmen. But they were told not to make recommendations. A “Pope Land Committee Report,” dated Jan 12, 2021 can be found on the town website. The report includes comments from each committee member, reflecting the member’s perspective. Mr. Callahan provides details about the fact that 9.7 acres of the Pope property are within the historic district. Mr. Whalen reviews applicable zoning. Mr. Dresser describes the town organizations that work for affordable housing. Ms. McAuliffe describes town recreational facilities. Ms. Spillane discusses soil and wildlife. Mr. Kiefer states that the land and its use are perfect as is; no further building should be done. Mr. Dresser dissociates himself from these comments. There are no overall conclusions. The “report” contains a number of maps, tables and reports done for the committee. It runs more than 90 pages.

I find the report unsatisfying and even troubling. Back when we were having the discussions about housing, I was asked, on several occasions if I could commit the Salisbury Housing Trust to provide 15 homes over 10 years. I said yes, if the Pope property becomes available. 

The selectmen can decide whether the Pope Committee report is useful. With or without input from the committee, the people of the town want, expect, and deserve affordable housing on that property. That is the main reason why we approved the purchase.

Leo Gafney

Lakeville

A plea for civility

While watching the Presidential Inauguration on January 20th I was moved, relieved and hopeful that we could indeed unite and put some of the divisiveness behind us. Perhaps I was naive.

I took part in last week’s Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission Zoom presentation on the Holly Block Proposal that had to be rescheduled in order to accommodate a larger group of participants. I was saddened and disturbed to witness the confrontational and at times acrimonious tone that was taken by some of those in opposition to the project.

We should all keep in mind that the members of the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission are dedicated, hard-working volunteers who have the best interest of our community in mind.

It is fine and even healthy to have and voice our disagreements, but bringing anger, lawyers and confrontation to the discussion is not in the best interest of anybody.

I hope that we can all move forward on this important issue in a more respectful and collaborative manner.

Chris Pouler

Lakeville

Keeping our republic intact

The Impeachment trial of Donald Trump is constitutional, consistent with the rule of law and essential to our democracy.  

Early on January 6, President Trump delivered a speech to hundreds of protesters assembled in Washington, D.C. He challenged them to march to the Capitol building, saying he might join them, to prevent members of Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote 306 to 232 for Biden and Harris. Trump asserted that Democrats had “stolen the election.” This has come to be known as “the big lie.”

The President’s exhortation, and the protesters response, was an attempted coup d’etat. Trump never conceded the presidential election, insisting he’d won by a large margin and selectively citing voter fraud in states with large minority populations: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia. He alleged in a recorded phone call that Georgia’s Dominion voting machines had been tampered with and harangued the Republican Secretary of the State to “find 11,780 votes” to flip the count in Trump’s favor.  

The mob stormed the Capitol as Congress was in session to certify the Electoral College vote. Armed with banners, flags and weapons, and threatening to hang Vice President Pence and kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “with a bullet in the head,” the intruders overwhelmed the Capitol and D.C. police. Security forces quickly escorted Congress members to safety elsewhere in the Capitol moments before the mob entered and ransacked the desks and property of the departed officials. CP Eugene Goodman brilliantly decoyed intruders to follow him up a staircase away from the Senate chamber. Belatedly, forces of the National Guard arrived and helped to expel the mob. Five people died in the onslaught, including Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick, who was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher.

Amazingly, Congress reconvened to vote on the Electoral College report. By early morning on January 7, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were certified as President and Vice-President. On January 13, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for inciting insurrection. The Senate was in recess until the inauguration of President Biden on January 20. The trial on whether to convict Trump is scheduled to begin February 9.  

The procedural question of whether Trump, now a private citizen, could legally be impeached according to the Constitution was tabled. He committed the act of incitement and was impeached while president. If convicted, he would be disqualified from holding any federal office (Article 1, Sec.3). The rule of law signifies that no person is above the law; our democracy is based on equal justice under the law.

Partisan politics must not set these principles aside. Trump must be held accountable. If he is acquitted, impeachment would essentially be meaningless now and in the future. If the violent extremists who have been arrested are charged for their role in the attack, they could hardly be punished if the president who incited them is held to a different standard.

What sort of government do we want? As Ben Franklin said, “a republic, if [we] can keep it.”

Frances R. Besmer

Kent

Fan of housing & history

I’m happy the Salisbury Affordable Housing(AH) Zoom meeting was rescheduled for Feb. 4 and am grateful to all who’ve worked diligently on the issue for years.   With much of the heavy lifting done, the Town’s AH Plan adopted in 2018 will add 75 units by 2028. I believe the comprehensive plan can be fully developed to fit with Salisbury’s unique character.  Projects like Sarum Village and Faith House demonstrate how well it has been done before.  

Bicentennial Park, at Holley Street and Route 44, is the proposed location of the first AH unit. The park is one of 25 structures and sites in the Lakeville Village Historic District (LVHD) listed on the National Register of Historic Places for significance in architecture, industry, transportation and commerce. 

New homeowners in town might be curious about the park and LVHD.  Bordered by Millerton Road, Ethan Allen Street and Sharon Road,  the 10-acre District includes Holley Street. The contiguous historic buildings and sites within it date from 1750s – 1930s and are well-preserved examples of distinctive architectural periods and styles.  

Community leaders associated with LVHD were noteworthy figures in local, state and national affairs during important eras of American history, including the rural Colonial iron industry before 1775,  production of armaments during the American Revolution (which earned Lakeville the moniker The Arsenal of the Revolution),  and the water-powered factory-based Industrial Revolution of the early and mid-19th century. 

The Holley Block Building(HBB) built in 1895 once stood where Bicentennial Park and public parking are today. For a generation, essential services, apartments, public hall and The Montgomery Lodge No. 13 occupied space in the building. Over time, the structure deteriorated, was abandoned, and became a fire and safety hazard.  

In 1967, Salisbury accepted the Holley Block property after a local family generously offered funds for the removal of the building and creation of Bicentennial Park. Part of the HBB stone foundation was incorporated in the park design whose views up and down Holley Street remain much as they were 200 years ago and connect us to the land, the elements and facilities that helped make our nation. A time capsule was buried in the retaining wall at the dedication of the park in 1976.

Across Route 44 from the park is the historic Holley-Williams House (HWH). The smaller section on the right was built in1768 for the iron master so he could keep watch over the blast furnace and iron works that operated 24 hrs/day.  The larger section, built in 1808, is a fine example of an early 19th Century Federal-style residence.  Owners and residents of the Holley-Williams House were associated with the blast furnace and Holley Manufacturing Co., Connecticut’s first pocket knife & cutlery factory. From 1971 to 2010, the HWH was an historic house and cannon museum operated by the Salisbury Association. When maintenance became unsustainable, the property was placed under the Historic New England Stewardship Program to protect its significant features in perpetuity and was sold in 2010.

Sarah Morrison

Lakeville

Build housing on the Pope property

When Salisbury voted on October 26, 2016, to spend $1.6M to buy the Pope property, many of us voted yes with the understanding that some of the 60+ acres would be used for affordable housing. It was well known that the Pope family intended the property to be used that way. Before the sale, Chris Pope wrote our First Selectman “to clarify the family’s hope for the outcome of this sale...Permanently affordable housing has been an interest of ours and of my parents for many years, and we feel that this usage would benefit the Town in many ways.” (See https://www.salisburyct.us/reports/POPE-LETTER.pdf)

Fast forward five years. The land has sat idle while some, desperate to address the growing need for affordable housing, are even turning to our historic parks and areas dedicated to public use. A meeting last week hosted by the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission had to be postponed when its Zoom room couldn’t accommodate all the people concerned about the Holley Place project, which would put 13 families on less than 1/3 acre on a state highway at Lakeville’s busiest corner in an aquifer protection area, while also demolishing a park and town parking. (That meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb 4, 7:30 p.m.) 

A years-long study of the Pope property has just been issued by the Pope Land Committee appointed in 2018 to study options for its use. (See https://salisburyct.us/node/2051) The 92-page report makes no recommendations. It shares only “perspectives” from individual committee members. Mat Kiefer reports that “It is my opinion that this property should stay the same or become athletic fields...decades from now, this property could always be turned into housing sites.” But Mr. Kiefer’s one-page perspective is annotated by a dissenting committee member: “Jim Dresser dissociates himself from this page in its entirety. It was never discussed modified, or voted on by the full committee.” 

If our Town’s need for affordable housing is so great that we are now disregarding not only common sense but state and local laws in proposing projects like Holley Place which is not only oversized for the site, but would obliterate Bicentennial Park listed in the National Historic Registry, why the heck aren’t we considering some of the buildable acres of Pope land which is on town water and sewer and, unlike Holley Street, within walking distance of grocery, pharmacy, library and other basic amenities? Why aren’t we addressing our need for affordable housing on Town property intended for affordable housing?

Donald and Helen Ross

Lakeville

Use the Pope property

It is unclear why the Pope Property  is not first on the list of  the Salisbury Housing Committee for development of an affordable housing project.

There is  no question that there  was widespread understanding that the purpose of the purchase of the Pope property was for affordable housing.  This understanding is what has led to  the  strong perception today that the Pope Property  is  not being used for the purpose for which people were led to believe it would be. Even if elected  town authorities attempt to negate this perception,  it does not alter the reality that this property is clearly  the site where this  project should be located. 

The extreme hardship on the business owners would be avoided and their livelihoods not threatened and local jobs not lost. The fragile historic center of Lakeville would be left intact, a cultural resource that would be destroyed if this project were to go through. Such a result   is the very opposite of what the  donor/grantor sought in her gift/transfer  of  the funds  for its purchase in 1967. As with  a conservation easement on raw land, the town the donee/grantee of the gift, has  an unbreakable obligation to be,  in the words most recently used by  those seeking to protect land at Twin Lakes,  stewards  of a promise made.

Susan Galluzzo

Lakeville

Truth and reconciliation

March 24 is Right to Truth Day, an international celebration of truth as the keystone of humanitarian law. The United Nations proclaims: “The right to the truth implies knowing the full and complete truth as to the events that transpired, their specific circumstances, and who participated in them, including knowing the circumstances in which the violations took place, as well as the reasons for them.”

On Feb. 8, there will convene a truth and reconciliation Congress in the U.S. Senate regarding the deadly cost to our nation of events, behaviors and violence sustained during and following the 2020 presidential election. Americans have a right to truth. However, unlawful events allegedly perpetrated by POTUS while he was in office are being shooed away by Republican senators ingenuously chanting “Move On,” “seek unity.” 

Donald Trump was impeached on Jan. 13 while he was in office, while the U.S. Senate was on vacation. Now 45 Republican senators wish a trial on heinous charges be ditched as Trump, for now, is out of the White House - more back-turning by a posse of derelict senior legislators in a pandemically and conscience-weakened America.

The bolstering of a Big Lie regarding the legitimacy of the 2020 election was followed by a series of hit jobs on state election officials climaxing in a violent insurrection at the Capitol. Ascertain the facts. Others beyond the president may be culprits in a coup attempt but it is Teddy Roosevelt’s words that today ring loud and true:

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Let’s ask Teddy to conclude: 

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Kathy Herald-Marlowe

Sharon

Answers needed for decline of West Twin

I would like to thank the Conservation Commission (now Inland Wetlands) for pursuing a measured and methodical approach to the issues pertaining to the health of the Twin Lakes, and West Twin in particular.  

Over the past 49 years of residence on the shore of West Twin, I have watched the steady decline in the health of our small lake.  I have seen valiant attempts being made by the Twin Lakes Association, the Town of Salisbury, and my neighbors individually, to try to combat the continuing weed growth, silting in and shrinking of navigable waterway.  

Our combined efforts of chemical treatment, weed cutting, and shoreline hydro raking, have shown some results, but those are likely temporary, and the lake still seems to be dying before our eyes.  We need a longer-term solution.  I am afraid that in my lifetime, our section of the lake — north of the causeway — will become a meadow with a small stream running through it. And that would be a tragedy.

Now our new neighbor, Jeffrey Keenan, has come with ideas that may provide a remedy.  Perhaps his plans will be workable and effective, perhaps other plans will be better, but he has started the public debate that will hopefully result in meaningful action toward a healthier lake for my children and grandchildren to enjoy for many years to come.  

I believe that the Commission has an important role to play in ensuring that any reasonable plan to save our lake will be considered carefully, and that all well-meaning parties will have the opportunity to provide information and to be heard. I applaud the Commission members for their efforts, and for tackling this most important problem. 

Alan Friedman

Salisbury

Searching for law, order and accountability

Law and order require that we hold Donald Trump accountable for the insurrection on Jan. 6.

When removal from office under Amendment XXV to the Constitution did not occur, impeachment in the House of Representatives on Jan. 13 was clearly correct.

Donald Trump is no longer president, and conviction in the Senate will not remove him from office.

Donald Trump should never be president again.

Both the Constitution and existing criminal law bar Trump from holding federal office again because he engaged in insurrection.

Section 3 of Amendment XIV to the Constitution is explicit. In relevant part: “No person shall ... hold any office ... under the United States ... who, having previously taken an oath, ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same ....” 

Section 2383 of Title 18 of the Federal Criminal Code is equally clear: “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” Section 2383 is current law.

Both Section 3 and Section 2383 reach the same result: Trump is disqualified from office irrespective of the result of the impeachment trial in the Senate. The criminal law also provides for fines and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Section 5 of Amendment XIV gives Congress the power to enforce Section 3 through appropriate legislation which requires only a majority of both houses of Congress. Congress can pass legislation to bar Trump from future office because he engaged in insurrection.

Criminal prosecution is in the discretion of the Department of Justice, and the president has the power to pardon. The DOJ will clearly prosecute members of the mob who stormed the Capitol. In the absence of a pardon of Trump, how, in all fairness, can the DOJ prosecute individual mob members but not Trump himself? 

A Senate trial on impeachment will be disruptive, distracting, acrimonious, divisive, unlikely to get two thirds vote, and unnecessary now that Trump is out of office.

How to proceed? How about:

1. Slow down the Senate trial on impeachment

2. Pass legislation in both houses of Congress that bars Trump from future office because he engaged in insurrection.

3. A limited presidential pardon to Trump from fines and imprisonment for engaging in  insurrection but not from the constitutional and two statutory prohibitions against holding future office.

4. Terminate Senate impeachment trial after legislation and presidential pardon are in place.

The combination of new legislation to bar future office, a limited presidential pardon from fines and imprisonment, and terminating the impeachment trial would be law, order, and a step towards healing. This approach would be preferable to prosecution under existing criminal law.

We need to move forward together on other matters of critical importance.

G. A. Mudge

Sharon

Herd immunity

First, yes, get vaccinated ­— but as the recent January/February 2021article in the the AARP Bulletin plainly states, “...the vaccine itself doesn’t prevent you from getting the virus; it simply prepares your body to mount a vigorous defense so that if you do become infected, the resulting illness is far less likely to be life-threatening.”  

The COVID-19 vaccines are not a cure. They do not protect you from getting or spreading the virus. Even when you get the vaccination you still may be infectious, “...because up to 10 percent of vaccinated individuals will not be protected from getting COVID-19 and because reinfection, while uncommon, can still occur”. You can still spread the virus and infect people who are not vaccinated and possibly some who are — and even get reinfected yourself.

No. There is no going back to “normal”. Even after vaccination we all must still wear a mask, social distance and stay apart from others whenever possible. Until 80% of the population is vaccinated and “Herd Immunity” is achieved ­— that is the way we get a little beyond this. That is also the way to halt the evolution of the COVID-19 virus into more dangerous strains as a result of the virus spreading unchecked in the population as it is now.

“Herd Immunity,” though, cannot be achieved without “Herd Mentality”.

Acceptance. Resolve. Action.

Yes, achieving “Herd Mentality” in this country and across our planet — is a test. A challenge that is not only testing how we respond to this COVID-19 virus pandemic ­— but to climate change, economic inequity, social justice, inequality... It is testing our very interrelationship with one another, nature and our planet. Make no mistake this “Herd Mentality” decision is not about going back to normal but how we choose to go forward to build a better world for everyone and everything on this planet.

In your mind what will you decide — and then do?

Bernard Re, Jr.

North Canaan