Letter: New Master Plan offers guidance for Westport

Posted 7/6/16

To the editor:

The new Master Plan for the Town of Westport was approved by the Westport Planning Board on April 27 and will be presented to the Board of Selectmen at their next meeting on July …

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Letter: New Master Plan offers guidance for Westport

Posted

To the editor:

The new Master Plan for the Town of Westport was approved by the Westport Planning Board on April 27 and will be presented to the Board of Selectmen at their next meeting on July 11. This new plan has been prepared by the Master Plan Update Committee and incorporates the results of a town-wide opinion survey, views expressed at four public workshops and input of most of the town’s boards and committees as well as the dedicated work of the Town Planner and Assistant Planner. It is intended to provide guidance for many critical decisions that the Town will be facing in the coming decade.

The dominant theme of the new plan is that, while the majority of town residents very much appreciate and want to preserve the scenic environment and rural character of the town, the voting citizens have been unwilling to approve funding for the infrastructure and services needed to maintain the quality of life in this community.

As a consequence, negative public perceptions of the school system are impacting property values, discouraging families with young children from moving into Westport or forcing them to contemplate the additional costs of sending children to private schools.

Similarly, polluted wells and inadequate wastewater treatment systems, especially in the northern part of the town are impacting public health of the local residents and also the health of the rivers and streams that contribute so much to the desirable character of the community. The plan suggests that the town needs to draw up and then implement new plans for addressing these various water problems in the most efficient way possible.

Replacement of a dilapidated police station by a new modern facility is recommended in the Master Plan and was recently approved by Town Meeting. Whether this decision will be supported in an upcoming town election will provide an initial test of the extent to which the voting residents are prepared to address one of the most glaring examples of failed infrastructure. Replacement or renovation of outdated and overcrowded school facilities, which is expected to be proposed in the coming year, will provide another such test. But, as the plan points out, restoring the public school system to first class standards will require more than just new or renovated buildings. It will also require more competitive salaries to retain highly qualified teachers and administrators.

Demographic projections presented in the Master Plan indicate that, while overall population growth is expected to be only about 3% per decade over the next 20 years, there is likely to be a large increase in the very elderly population and a significant decline in the school-age population. This suggests that the demand for services and programs for the elderly will be a growing requirement to which the town should respond.

The plan consists of ten chapters dealing with: Capital Facilities; Cultural and Historic Resources; Economic Development; Education; Housing; Land Use; Natural Resources; Open Space and Recreation; Traffic and Circulation; and Water, Wastewater and Stormwater. Each chapter has a discussion of recent developments, identification of problems and recommended solutions. Each chapter concludes with a listing of objectives, goals and action items designed to achieve the goals over the coming years.

A new feature of this plan is the proposal to appoint an Implementation Committee that will periodically review the progress, or lack thereof, toward achieving the goals of the plan, assess the urgency of needed actions, and then make recommendations to the Planning Board and other town bodies as to the possible actions that would be appropriate to achieve the objectives of the Plan. The Implementation Committee may also make recommendations to alter the priority of various objectives and goals and even propose new goals and actions to meet evolving conditions.

For a plan such as this new Master Plan to have any influence on the future of this community, it must realistically reflect the existing conditions and problems of the community, and must be perceived as providing useful guidance for the future. The presentation of a summary of the main features of the plan to the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on July 11 is intended to start this process, this dialogue, to expose the substance of the plan and begin to assess whether it does provide such guidance. Members of the Master Plan Update Committee and the Town Planner will also be prepared to meet with other town bodies and citizen groups to discuss various features of the plan and how it may be helpful in guiding their endeavors.

The full text of the plan, an executive summary, and backup documents are available online on the Planning Board website. A limited number of hard copies are also available in the Planning Board office. Copies of the executive summary of the plan were distributed at the recent Town Meeting, and additional copies are available in the Planning Board office. Any requests by Town Boards or Committees or citizen groups for a meeting to discuss some aspects of the plan should be made through the Planning Board Office, 508-636-1037.

David Cole

Member, Westport Planning Board

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