The Norwich Planning Commission is experiencing significant upheaval in membership. The latest: Planning Commission Chair Jacqueline Allen and Vice Chair Brian Loeb have resigned “effective immediately,” that is May 18. That brings the turnover in membership to four on the seven member commission since Town Meeting. In March, two members did not seek reappointment when their terms expired
The resignation letters are in the amended Selectboard packet for the Board’s meeting on May 24 at pages 13 and 14.
Mr. Loeb’s email noted the lack of an effective partnership in addressing critical issues.
A strong partnership between the Selectboard and Planning Commission is essential to address the town’s deeply felt and well understood needs: housing opportunities for low and moderate income families, appropriate and affordable childcare, relief from the rising cost of living for seniors, and public infrastructure that is fit for a town with ample private resources. Such a partnership is absent today and has been for some time.
The email from Ms. Allen wished “the Commission success in better positioning Norwich to diversify the housing stock, address our deteriorating infrastructure, and adapt to the demands of climate change already upon us.”
In. addition, the Town has been essentially without a full-time Planning Director since September 2021. Perhaps as a consequence, the Town has lagged on meeting the benchmarks listed in the Implementation Program at page 56 of the 2020 Town Plan.
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It’s unfortunate to see volunteers who provide public service resign but it seems there are a few messages between the lines. The former Chair was reportedly a big proponent of development and a town wastewater system. That would have cost north of $50 million dollars. This came about when Hanover and Hartford passed on allowing Norwich to connect to their systems. The former TM championed and supported development and without his support and with new PC members and losing their last minute “Hail Mary” to increase the size of the PC, they chose to quit.
Not sure how childcare got lumped into PC work, but it’s clear that affordable and workforce housing, whether for seniors or low and moderate income families hasn’t been achieved in Norwich since Starlake. The idea of scattered site and duplex/triplexes and donated land came from residents outside of the committees and fortunately now the affordable housing committee is pursuing those suggestions.
The new PC members will add fresh voices and views and will be transparent with the committee plans and that is to be celebrated.
As for the climate change views, spending $3,000,000 on geothermal to replace 2 aging oil boilers wasn’t fiscally prudent, nor was a single bid. Reducing private trash, lawn, snow service to homes as well as propane and heating oil deliveries will have more of an impact on the Town Co2 than drilling into glacial rock to heat one inefficient building. What we need are fiscally sound and effective energy plans, versus “vanity projects” where people can say “look we did this”. We saw that with the 2007 solar agreement which was a resounding failure in that the purchase option was voided when the panels went to a community field in Lunenberg.
In short, we must be wiser and more effective. It’s time to execute and no just dream about things.