It has been a lean year in Northfield , as it has for the rest of the country. However, there are some really positive things that have happened as well.
First of all, the tax bills this spring were a shock to everyone because we had been assured that big jumps would not occur since they were now assessing values every year. However, the bills were based upon the real estate sales as of January 2007 and therefore did not reflect the downward slide in property values that occurred in 2007 and early 2008.
The higher tax bills, combined with the uncertain state of the economy and the oil crisis made town meeting voters skittish. The Northfield Finance Committee developed a frugal budget along with the Select Board that required an override in order to raise funds to accomplish all the things that the town government does: road repair, snow-plowing, operating the town waste facility, library, town administration etc. As most of you know, in Massachusetts the total tax levy cannot be more than 2.5% over the previous year's levy. The override vote held in the middle of June failed, with the exception of a $35,000 plow to go on a new truck that was to be purchased with chapter 90 funds. Another town meeting was held at the end of June to reduce the appropriations to most of the town departments.
We woke up one morning this spring to discover that Rice Oil had decided to close the town's only gas station. Rice had sold its other gas stations to Irving Oil--but Irving had not wanted to take over the Northfield business in the state it was in. Last year Rice had wanted to update and expand the gas station and it was never approved. Rice will clean up the site. I do not know what progress is being made to bring a new gas station to Northfield , but I know it is of concern to the Select Board.
I think the national fuel crisis will have both positive and negative consequences for Northfield . On the positive side fuel shortages may provide incentive for more economic development here--particularly businesses and services that can be patronized locally without driving 28-30 miles. I also believe that local churches and organizations may benefit as residents stay home more and don't travel away from Northfield on the weekends. On the negative side, the Northfield churches and organizations rely on charitable contributions and these may be reduced when people in big homes start buying fuel for the winter. Almost everyone heats with oil with wood backup and we all expect to pay twice what we paid last year for oil. For those with large homes, this is a great burden.
I have been involved on several town committees this year and make every effort to mention the concerns of Rustic Ridge residents whenever I can. These include the NMH Transition Committee, the Northfield Open Space Committee, and the Trust for Public Land Conservation Vision Steering Committee, the Greater Northfield Watershed Association and Friends of Schell Bridge.
The NMH Transition Committee which held just one meeting this year in early spring with Rick Wood (NMH CFO), Carol Lebo, and Keith Ross from Landvest. At that time, they announced to us that they were listing the core campus at $20 million which was a substantial reduction made possible by limiting the acreage offered. NMH said that one of the difficulties that had been encountering was that among parties that showed interest in the campus, no one seemed to have the capital to invest in the needed improvements to the infrastructure (pipes, heating, accessibility etc) and by dropping the price, they hoped to attract parties that might be financially able to take care of the aged systems. They also announced that there were three faith based organizations that were interested in the Northfield campus. It is my understanding that talks are still going on. The school has not shared anything more with the Transition Committee.
This year I also served on the steering committee for a committee to develop a conservation vision and conservation priorities for the Town of Northfield . We were assisted by Clem Clay of the Trust for Public Land which received a grant to fund the study. We met a number of times throughout the winter and had several public meetings which resulted in the creation of conservation priority maps. The whole process was very high tech and interesting. The final report has not yet come out, but when it does, I will get copies for everyone on the Rustic Ridge. Basically, the highest priority for conservation in Northfield was farmland, followed by preservation of land that has historic and rural character, wildlife habitat, water quality and quantity, nominated sites (like waterfalls, Schell Bridge , Schell Pool etc) and recreation. This study will be valuable for the Open Space Committee.
The Greater Northfield Watershed Association (formerly Bennett Brook Watershed Association) has been very active this year since Jenny Tufts took over the helm as Executive Director. We received several grants including one from Mass Riverways which enabled us to develop "Stream Teams" to study the various tributaries to the Connecticut River in Northfield . I headed the Mill Brook Stream Team and the others were Pauchaug Brook, Bennett Brook and Millers Brook. We published a report which is available in the library. Also, this grant provided money to rehabilitate the trail and fencing on King Philip's Hill which was a fun project that we did this spring. We're also planning a greater effort to keep the watershed free of trash. Anyone interested can join this organization and some Rustic Ridge members have already done so. I am the current president of the GNWA board.
The Friends of Schell Bridge has continued to be active and visible in the community. We have just received a planning grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and plan a major fundraising effort as soon as the economy begins to turn more favorably. We are always pleased that Rustic Ridge members help to support our work. The Friends of Schell Bridge annual meeting will be Monday, August 11 at 6PM with Thomas Duffy, a bridge engineer with Hardesty & Hanover in New York as guest speaker which is open to members and non-members alike. It will be held at Centennial House.
Both organizations jointly received a Northfield Cultural Council grant to mount an Art Show at Green Trees Gallery that begins August 8 th that focuses on Northfield as a River Town. I hope some of you are displaying your work during this show! There is an opening on Sunday August 10 from 3-5PM to which you all are invited.
Sincerely,
Susan Ross
Northfield Representative