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HVRHS sophomore Wyatt Bayer will suit up for the Mountaineers' varsity baseball team.
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SALISBURY — This past Sunday, July 20, the Congregational Church of Salisbury hosted its second “Conversations of Consequence” talk, this time focused on the topic “who is my neighbor?”
These talks, facilitated by Pastor John Nelson, are structured around four invited speakers, who offer anecdotes from their own experiences and then ask prompts for the audience to discuss amongst themselves. These talks are hosted to share stores and create informed dialogue between both old friends and strangers.
Sunday’s session featured a mix of local leaders: Jill Drew from Vecinos Seguros 2, Peter Halle from the Salisbury Housing Committee, Ellie Youngbloud from Sky High Farm and Will Conklin from Greenagers.
Drew spoke on her motivations for founding Vecinos Seguros 2 after her retirement from journalism and the recent election, designed to help vulnerable communities who are at risk of being detained by immigration authorities.
She emphasized the need to work together as a community and the state of “interbeing,” or the idea that nobody is a lone individual but instead interconnected. She asked her audience to consider the question of how to accept people who you don’t agree with morally, admitting freely that it can be hard.
The Salisbury Housing Committee creates affordable housing units up for rent. Halle talked about the extensive interview process required to find a spot and the struggle to secure enough funding to build housing for a waitlist of a hundred families. He asked the audience to ponder whether it was more important to create housing for local households in need or for families from other areas.
Sky High Farm is located in Falls Village and donates its produce to local food access programs. Youngbloud explained that food banks are larger and store items, while food pantries serve local areas and must purchase items from food banks, which often run out of necessities like rice or beans. Partnerships like this both help food banks get what produce they need, and also guarantee a sale for the farmer.
During her talk, Youngbloud discouraged assumptions about food pantry customers, and spoke of the hardships that unseen members of the local communities might face. She wanted to break down the barrier between the “helper” and the “helped” and instead come together. She asked the audience to consider, “What are the community spaces that you are in, and who’s excluded from that community?”
Conklin’s work at Greenagers in South Egremont, Massachusetts, is mainly aimed at engaging young people in meaningful community growth and fostering connections.
He asked the audience to consider, “What are community spaces we have, what community spaces have we lost, and what spaces do we want to build?”
These talks are intended to start conversations and welcome anyone who is interested in participating. The third Conversations of Consequence will take place in the fall.
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Residents chat about the expansion and zoning change in the Salisbury Congregational Church.
Alec Linden
SALISBURY — A meeting at Congregational Church of Salisbury July 17 to discuss the redevelopment of the Wake Robin Inn — and the May 2024 zoning change that enabled the application for the project in the first place — had a last minute format change, but residents were still eager to share their thoughts on the issue.
Organized by concerned neighbors of the proposed development, the event was originally scheduled to feature a discussion about the proposed expansion and zoning revision.
At the 11th hour, the event was pivoted to a petition signing where attendees were encouraged to sign the document and to chat with their neighbors about the proposed expansion and its impact on the community.
The switch was made due to ongoing litigation against the Planning and Zoning Commission that seeks to overturn a rewrite of its regulations that allows hotel development in the Rural Residential One (RR1) zone.
Neighbors of the Inn have long questioned the motivation and potential impacts of the regulation change, and this meeting provided the first in-person public platform for community members to discuss the topic.
“It should not change,” said Salisbury resident Jane Pinckney on the regulation.
Her words were echoed by long-time resident Roger, who chose to leave his surname anonymous: “When you bought, this thing was zoned a certain way,” he said, asserting that property values in the neighborhood will decrease with the new regulation and Inn expansion.
“Something this big of a deal should have an in-person meeting,” said Salisbury resident Rich Shanley of the Wake Robin expansion hearings. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, P&Z meetings and public hearings have largely been hosted online via Zoom. During the contentious rounds of hearing that took place in 2024 on the applicant ARADEV LLC’s first submission to expand, many members of the public expressed their desire to return to an in-person format for important issues like the redevelopment.
Much of the chatter at the meeting took a similar stance. Roger contended, “Everything was always done in front of people” before switching to the online meeting format. He said he would like to see meetings return to the Congregational Church.
P&Z voted last month to retain the remote format for meetings, citing reasons of fairness and accessibility as motivation to keep hearings online. P&Z Chair Michael Klemens has repeatedly stated that the role of the hearing is not for the public to influence the Commission by intimidation or anger, but to provide a fair platform for community members to speak their minds.
P&Z has denied allegations that the 2024 zoning change was done unlawfully or with any intention of favoring the Wake Robin Inn specifically. An October 2024 letter written and shared by Klemens and Land Use Director Abby Conroy stated that although a proposed regulation change by ARADEV was submitted, it was denied and instead helped formulate a change to “transient accommodations” regulations that had been in the works for years.
If the suit, filed by Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger, is approved by the court, the regulation change will be moot, and the Commission will no longer be able to review submissions filed for hotel development in the RR1 zone. The public hearing for ARADEV’s resubmitted application was delayed in anticipation of a court decision, which has yet to be made public. The hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.
The petition that was handed around at the July 17 meeting states its position on the regulation amendment clearly: “If the zoning change sponsored by the Planning and Zoning Commission stands, and if this special permit is issued for the Wake Robin Redevelopment Project, our quiet, rural, residential land is threatened.”
The petition alleges that the project does not comply with the town’s zoning regulations and special permit process, and that the project would severely impact the health, safety and enjoyment of neighboring property owners.
As of July 23, the petition had garnered 430 signatures with more expected before the hearing opens.
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WEST CORNWALL — The Town of Cornwall has reached a new milestone in the multi-year effort to construct a wastewater facility.
At a regular meeting Tuesday, July 15, the Board of Selectmen moved forward with a formal request to Housing and Urban Development for the release of funds.
HUD has approved $3 million for the project, which accounts for roughly half of the estimated cost of $6.25 million. Cornwall will not receive a lump sum, rather, as First Selectman Gordon Ridgway explained, the town will become eligible to be reimbursed for costs. “Like a line of credit,” Ridgway said.
The first bill to come due is expected to be for design of the facility. After a round of interviews with engineering firms in July, the Wastewater Management Project in West Cornwall Village Construction Committee narrowed the pool down to two qualified companies. Detailed proposals from each firm are due in August.
“Big step forward,” said Selectman Rocco Botto. “Good news.”
CVFD Update
Recognizing the diligent efforts of volunteer firefighters, the Board of Selectmen motioned to increase the annual incentive amount for the most active responders.
Volunteers answering the most calls will receive a $1,500 bonus. Average responders will receive the base rate of $1,000 and administrative members will receive $500.
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David Carley
NORTH CANAAN — Old Railroad Days will roll into town Aug. 7 to 10.
Events on Thursday, Aug. 7, kick off with a community picnic 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Canaan Union Station on Main Street. Continuing on Friday, the night market will be from 6 to 9 p.m., also at the station.
On Saturday, the YMCA Railroad Day Run at Bunny McGuire Park will be from 10 a.m. to noon. Train activities will take place at Union Station from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, starting at the Canaan History Center, town historian Kathryn Boughton will lead a walking history tour.
To end the day of festivities there will be a Bed Race at 6 p.m. at North Canaan Elementary School.
Sunday, Aug 10 starts with a family buffet breakfast at the North Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corp. from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The buffet will include pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, baked goods, bacon, sausage, juice and coffee.
The afternoon has walking history tour at 2 p.m. and a free movie showing of “Madagascar 3” at Canaan Colonial Theatre from 2 to 4 p.m.
North Canaan Railroad Days was previously a multi-week occasion that marked its 60th year in 2024. This year, it was split into two events with a carnival in July and Old Railroad Days in August to celebrate railroad history.
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