Easements Are For Everyone

To the Editor:

Lisa Peterson and Adria Henderson did a wonderful job in recounting childhood memories as well as the concerns of many regarding the changes in Newtown.

It is a shame that our wonderful, old established home town paper, The Newtown Bee, always relegates these issues to the “horse page.” These are issues that need to be faced and addressed by ALL residents. The fact that a “horse group,” the NBLA, is one of the most vocal does not denigrate the need for ALL to be aware and be involved.

Why do people move to Newtown in the first place? Could it be the ambiance, the farm-like quality of the community, the fact that you don’t reach out of your window and touch the house next to you, that you can take your kids out hiking and not have to drive an hour, that you can afford something more than postage-sized in the way of a yard...

The dispute regarding easements is ludicrous. These people obviously do not have anything better to do with their time and energy. You would think that the Fifth Cavalry was rolling down the side of their property. It is a few horses a couple of times a month – is this that big a deal? One of the easements in question runs alongside Forest Association property and into Huntingtown State Park – this is not just for horses. This is an easement that allows everyone to access a wonderful park without having to drive all the way over to the entrance off Sunset Hill Road. If this were investigated thoroughly it might be found out that the easements themselves are not the issue; it’s who the easements are assigned to that seems to enrage these few folks.

Look around. Evaluate your quality of life. Think about WHY you chose to move here. Do not think about WHO is spearheading movements to save open space and to make sure it is useable land for all (NOT swamps and ledge rock) but WHY. It is for YOU, for all of you who chose to move here and make your lives here and raise your children here.

Chrys Emery

2 Driftwood Point, Danbury                                   October 2, 2000