To The Editor...

I attended the Building Committee meeting on the proposed Public Works facility where the town plans to construct a commercial building next to a Land Trust property. I support the space needs of Public Works and the Fire Department. However, I cannot support building at 190 Sharon Turnpike; this land should be preserved as open space.

For several days, I tried to encapsulate my feelings on the proposed destruction of wetlands, excessive size of the development, and the absence of formalized efforts to seek viable alternatives.

After several calls to adjacent landowners, it became more clear that lives would be irreparably harmed by the development. In these calls the theme was common: deep sadness;  despair and a sense of hopelessness.  In short, they felt they had “no voice”.  They were reacting to the fact that none of them had been informed of the development and they were completely unaware of the ongoing meetings by the different town departments. Is our town failing us by not including our voices in decisions that will affect us now and into the future?

The public comment period that evening was passionate and illuminating. “I would rather pay an extra $3000.00 (dollars), than to destroy this man’s life!” said Mike Esposito, who compared the size of the proposed metal building to a Walmart. He later went on to question officials on why they were pushing this property as the ONLY choice, as opposed to other more suitable sites. Adjacent property owners Mike and Sarah Leonard noted how runoff from the development would negatively impact their farm and livelihood. Lee Killmer also spoke about noise and light pollution that will impact everyone in the area, and loss of property values. Scott Olson encouraged the First Selectman to hold multiple public meetings where people could voice concerns without a two-minute time limit, and that enough time should be given for the public to process the information. The response to that suggestion was less than encouraging.

One by one, as each person stood up to speak against the building site, they appeared more hopeful. As members of this community, we all felt it was time to help repair the broken process and help us all make better choices.  That can only be done if community input is seen as part of the process in making town decisions. We must not permit those who seek to exclude our involvement to succeed.

Our goal is to identify the needs of the Fire Department and propose upgrades at the current Fire-house location. The Public Works facility should be located at another site, where we do not have to fill in wetlands, pollute watercourses, destroy endangered species habitat, negatively impact the livelihoods of families in our community, waste taxpayer dollars, or create an industrial eyesore!  And since these sites already have the necessary infrastructure (water, electrical, etc) the cost should be less.

Vote NO to building at 190 Sharon Turnpike and help preserve Goshen’s beautiful outdoor spaces. Attend the town meeting on November 20^th and the P&Z public hearing on the 28^th.

Let us put the heart back in Goshen and create a win/win!

Marissa L Wright

Town of Goshen Resident