WILL YOU LET SEEKING YOUR OPINION BE A "WASTE OF TIME?"

AS PROMISED, I ATTENDED THE SECOND AGRITOURISM COMMITTEE MEETING last Wednesday. Five of the six members were present, one having said she would be out of town for the meeting.  ONE member of the public was present: me.

The committee voted four to one to recommend to the Board to hold a public open house on this topic. They have tentatively scheduled this open house for Thursday, December 12th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall.  It will be up to the Board at its November meeting whether or not they go along with this recommendation.

During the discussion of whether to hold this open house, one member said that having it "would be a waste of time!" That same member has been against having a planner involved as an "unnecessary" action.  He also said, "We already had public hearings:" I inferred that he meant the public has already been heard from.  Chair Cory Behrendt rightly made the distinction that a public hearing reacting to specific proposed language is not at all the same thing as an open house exchange on the broader issue. Another member said that it "may be a waste of time," but people have asked why hasn't there been an open house; this way at least "we can say we had an open house."

Some of you may think that this is a rather cynical view of democracy.  I would urge you to prove the naysayers wrong and show up, whether in person, via email, phone call, or USPS.  State what you like or don't like, what you think should be or should not be allowed under this use.  If you don't care what use may be next door, down the road, in your neighborhood, or in the Township in general, bringing with it possible noise or light pollution, increased traffic, change in intensity, or other unforeseen consequences, you know what to do: Nothing. But then "Forever hold your peace."

Call me Pollyanna, but I have more faith in you than that.  I believe you do care about our Township and are willing to make the small effort to be heard on this topic.  Even though, because of the Board's unseemly rush to "Get R Done," and the fact that you may have a child's Christmas concert to go to that night (We do still have those, don't we?), and this timing may be an inconvenience, I know you can make time to offer your input. Have you thought about it up to now?  How long will it take you to just make your opinion known?

YOUR COMMUNITY IS WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU!