From the Mind of Jason Zandri

STEVE KNIGHT

Stephen Knight is a former Wallingford Town Councilor.

As published in the Record Journal Sunday August 9, 2009

The purchase of open space by govern­ment has a profound and lasting benefit to the entire community. It is a gift one gen­eration of taxpayers bequeaths to those that follow it long after. When one gener­ation makes a financial sacrifice that can only benefit people they will never know, that community has every reason to be proud of that effort. If there is any altru­ism left in politics, this is where it shows up.

Last week we learned of the State of Connecticut’s intent to purchase the de­velopment rights to some of the Cella property on the east side. While it ap­pears that the town government is not in­volved in this transaction, the impetus for the purchase had to come from some­where. Whoever was involved should be applauded.

Then there is the Choate proposal, where the school has offered to commit a significant percentage of its acreage to permanent open space status in return for the closing of a portion of Old Durham Road, as well as to turn over the boat­house property to the town, property that can then be returned to open space. Little to be lost in the short term; much to be gained in the long term.

Over the past fifty years, Wallingford has transitioned from a mill/farm town into a suburban community. The “indus­trial spine” parallel to Route 5 still exists to some extent, and the town has aug­mented its acreage devoted to such use with industrial parks sitting on land which was at one time in agricultural use. At the same time, many of the farms which made up most of the east and west sides of the town have disappeared both because of the unfavorable economics of the business and the very favorable eco­nomics of rising land prices resulting from the suburbanization.

The municipal government cannot and should not halt this transition entirely, but if we are serious about wanting to main­tain the “small town feel” that most of us find one of the most appealing aspects of living here, we must seize what opportu­nities that come our way to add to our open space inventory. Here’s why: When it’s gone, it’s gone: You cannot postpone open space purchases. The op­portunities arise and the choice is made: the property either gets developed or not. If the town does not act, the owner will, very legitimately, make other use of the property, most likely by building single family homes. Once those homes are in place, that is the use to which the prop­erty will be put for generations.

We’re expensive: While it grates on some people to hear this, single family housing results in a significant commit­ment of resources for the town govern­ment in public education, police and fire protection, recreation, et cetera — more resources than can possibly be derived from taxing these homes. Open space helps balance the demands we have for services with the town’s financial ability to provide them because this land re­quires little in the way of town services.

We have responsibilities: Our forebears had the foresight to create parks and play­grounds throughout our community, and those purchases they made are in part re­sponsible for the ambiance we all enjoy as residents. Thus we have a heritage of fore­sight to carry forward to those in future generations fortunate to live here.

Our Electric Division was created just over 100 years ago, and the foresight em­ployed by the municipal leaders of that time has been loudly praised to the pres­ent day. It took political courage and a sizeable financial commitment of town resources to have done what they did back then, and the benefits derived are probably beyond their wildest dreams. Well, over 900 acres of open space has been purchased in the past fifteen years, and it required the same mindset to see the long term benefits of those acquisi­tions. Do we still possess that same pre­science?

I say yes.

Tags: From Wallingford, Open Space, Opinion

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