Letter to Hamilton Board of Selectmen

Dear Selectmen,

I want to, first of all, thank all of you for your important service to the town. I know it can be a  draining, thankless job, so I wanted to let you know that there are those of us in Hamilton that value your contributions and want to let you know that we appreciate your hard work. Having said that, I would like to commend the 3 Selectmen who admirably supported the purchase of the PIrie property for all the good reasons that were discussed. I especially want to thank Selectwoman Jennifer Scuteri for her forceful defense and the comments about change coming to Hamilton......whether whether the town is ready or not. 

To the Selectmen who spearheaded the effort: I appreciate the forward looking analysis  - which will prove to be prescient. Numbers speak louder than words and we must find a way to illustrate the options available to the town as more and more of these subsidized estates enter  the marketplace. Is there a comprehensive inventory of all such 61A properties  in Hamilton? I think if people knew the extent of the 61A tax exemption, and the low bar for qualifying, the town might think differently when another opportunity presents itself. 

If the public knew in advance which properties would be subject to the right of first refusal by the town, we could make some educated assumptions regarding possible purchases. We could be prepared to go to the mat for those properties with potential, and that might mitigate the pressure from those who benefit from 61A but do not like the consequences when they are ready to sell or subdivide. We should start talking about these properties now while they are still under 61A, not when we are presented with "surprise" P&S agreements. We should use this time to build our case for the public and incorporate possible 61A aquisitions into our Master Plan. 

Change is coming to Hamilton and the town had better be ready. By subsidizing these large estates, we are making an investment; when the door is opened for first refusal, let's do what it takes to keep the town vital and viable. We can still have our preserved open spaces alongside managed, careful development. We need to plan for the next opportunity and realize that we can overcome the vocal minority and outsiders who stand to profit from the town's lack of due diligence.

As an aside, I know that the fire dept will have more and more difficulty recruiting call volunteers who live in town. There will be fewer and fewer of them as the older volunteers retire and with the call fire-fighter compensation so low, it will be hard to find good, young people with community spirit who live in the town and want to be of service. 

Change is coming to Hamilton, alright.

Thanks again for your hard work,

Darcy Dale

Woodbury Street

S. Hamilton, MA