To the Editor:
A person can’t get much for $6.70 these days… maybe some cigarettes or a meal at a fast food restaurant. However, the voters of Westport Island have a once in a lifetime opportunity to put those few dollars to good use.
This month on June 24, voters can decide to proceed with the acquisition of 202 acres of forested land that includes 2500 feet of frontage on the Sheepscot River and an extensive pond system which supports a host of flora and fauna and serves as the major groundwater supplying wetland on the island.
If the people of Westport support this plan, the land could be preserved forever as open space. What a wonderful legacy to leave for future generations and Mother Earth.
The Trust for Public Lands, a national non-profit group that helps orchestrate land preservation around the country, has been working diligently with Westport’s Conservation Commission for months.
If successful, grants will be secured from a wide variety of sources that will cover 95 percent of the cost of this property. The town of Westport Island needs to show its support of the project by voting “yes” on the two referendum questions: 1. to proceed with the acquisition, and 2. to support five percent of the project financially over the course of 20 years with a loan.
Five percent is $75,000 or 0.67 percent of the total town budget. For example, if a person pays $1000 taxes, he would support the project by adding $6.70 to his tax bill. If a person paid $2000 in taxes, he would add $13.40 to his tax bill, etc. That has to be the sale of the century.
If Westport is successful in this project, the voters decide how to use the 202 acres. Opportunities could include hiking, fishing, hunting, birding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, canoeing, or accessing the boat launch to go sea kayaking. If you are unfamiliar with this pristine property, there is still another chance to take a guided walking tour on June 18 at 9 a.m. (Park on the Main Road near the Squire Tarbox Inn.)
Westport voters can all do something significant to make the world a better place now and for future generations by voting “yes” on the two questions June 24. If you are not available that day, remember you can vote using an absentee ballot at the Town Office on Tuesdays from 1-7 p.m. or Thursdays from 2-4 p.m. For more information, visit the town website at www.westportisland.us, or call Bill Hopkins (882-4698) or Dennis Dunbar (882-8143).
Don’t miss the sale of the century. I thank you, Mother Earth thanks you, and future generations will certainly thank you.
Pat Smith, Westport Island
