When a group in Goshen wanted the town to take advantage of the Community Preservation Act (CPA), the town “dump” (landfill) is where they went to reap new support. But the seeds of their success took root long before.
Like all the towns that rise between the Housatonic and Connecticut River valleys – the Massachusetts Highlands – Goshen is small. Its thrumming downtown: a general store, the town offices, the library, the post office, and the church. With lots of trees but fewer than 1,000 people, finding souls to serve on local boards can be tough; funding new initiatives can be close to impossible.
But in 2001, seeing the pace of development, Goshen formed a Community Development Committee that won a small grant from The Trustees’ Highland Communities Initiative (HCI) to develop an open space and recreation plan. (It’s just one of the ways HCI director Wendy Sweetser has been helping towns in the Highlands update zoning laws, create open space plans, and develop new citizen leaders.)
As a result of that process, they formed an Open Space Committee, which eventually decided the town could benefit substantially from Massachusetts’ CPA. This unique legislation allows communities to add a property tax surcharge of up to three percent and receive matching state funds to support open space, historic preservation, affordable housing, and recreation projects.
But how in the world could they get support for higher taxes?
For help, the committee turned again to HCI. Wendy Sweetser is a new kind of community planner: part mentor, part partner, part advocate. “HCI is such an asset for the towns out here,” says committee member Sandy Papush. “Wendy provides ideas, answers, and connections that help local leaders accomplish big goals.”
With Wendy’s help, the committee framed their pro-CPA arguments and began to construct an unexpected coalition. Didn’t the Historic Commission need money to restore the town buildings? Didn’t the kids need better playing fields? Didn’t everyone, from hikers to snowmobilers to mountain bikers, agree that Goshen needed more and better trails? Gradually, they knit an alliance of people who had never really worked together before: “It was a wonderful working experience for everyone,” says Sandy. “You get great feedback you wouldn’t think of otherwise. It will definitely affect how projects get done in the future.”
Building on these new alliances, the committee formed a study group, whose members helped spread the word about the CPA in the community. Within just a few months, they brought the issue before a special town meeting – and lost. But the vote was so close, it was galvanizing; the CPA study group emerged more determined than ever.
Their main enemy? Longstanding local skepticism about relying on promises from the state. After many enthusiastic hours educating voters at the dump and other town gathering places, the study group members managed, by petition, to get the measure on the ballot in May. This time, they won – 92 to 80. “Already,” says Sandy, “people are more positive about it. Just wait until the town sees what the CPA makes possible!”
“Goshen,” says Wendy, “is one of our proudest successes in the Highlands so far. We’re working with more towns to help pass the CPA soon.” Wendy is deeply motivated. “The Highlands comprise only one percent of the state’s population, but 14 percent of its land area. These 38 communities contain two traffic lights. The land is just far more rural than most people think still exists in Massachusetts.” By providing grassroots help and small grants, town-by-town across the Highlands, HCI is helping to keep it that way.
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