Make revisions a priority

The Windham PRIORITY Task Force started out with a worthy goal: to rewrite Windham’s outdated ordinances in an effort to prevent further debacles such as the now infamous “quarry quarrel” in the Nash Road neighborhood. But, more than a year after its establishment, the task force’s reputation has flagged, so much so that at Tuesday night’s town council workshop, four of the seven councilors said they were frustrated with the performance of the task force and want it to come to end.

We agree with the four councilors, but only if another entity takes over the original goal of the task force.

The task force was conceived out of the smoldering frustrations vented by both sides of the Nash Road quarry issue. Many in town realized that an eyesore such as the gravel pit would hurt the overall appearance of Windham and negatively impact neighbors. But many also realized that efforts to stop the quarry were pointless since developer Peter Busque’s application for the gravel pit followed all ordinances.

As a result, all this frustration turned in a focused effort to quickly update ordinances before another “quarry quarrel” erupted. The purpose of the task force was to update the town’s 1970s ordinances in accordance with the 2003 comprehensive master plan’s vision of growth and zoning in Windham. But, more than a 20 months after its creation, frustration has resurfaced, this time with the task force itself. Many in town, including town councilors, have grown tired of the task force and want to chart a different course.

The main problem is a lack of results. Since the task force’s inception, there have been few meetings between it and the town’s sole legislative body, the town council. And, more importantly, the much-needed ordinance rewrite has yet to materialize, because according to town councilors, the task force has dragged its feet, is not well led and lacks regular participation from its members.

While some will say Windham should be patient with the task force, we agree with councilors who say the task force has been too slow. We say this primarily because we still believe Windham’s ordinances need to be updated quickly so the townspeople’s vision – as set forth in the comprehensive plan – comes to fruition. We believed the task force was going to be treated as a priority, as its name so boldly promises, and we, like others, have been let down. If it were a priority, the ordinances would be in line with the comprehensive plan by now.

Once the task force has been disbanded, the town has at least two paths from which to choose. One path would consist of current facilitator, Beth Della Valle, updating the ordinances herself with the council having the final say. Or we could try another citizen-committee which communicates more often with the town council and is a given a firm deadline. Our suggestion would be putting Della Valle in charge of the rewrite, with the town council overseeing and giving final OK. The town has already spent $45,000 on her expertise and may as well let her finish the job.

Whatever’s done, town leaders should keep in mind the real priority is to prevent another Busque quarry debacle, and to do it quick.

-John Balentine, editor