Thanks to a generous Southbury donor, another round of yard signs have been ordered and are expected in the next week or so. We’ll let you know when they arrive and how you can get one.
We continue to be humbled and amazed at the level of financial support many have offered. We have fully covered all legal, expert witness, and other costs associated with the fight at the Conservation Commission, and are now turning our attention to fundraising for the court appeal, which is estimated to cost $10-$12K over the next year. Many have offered other fundraising ideas, and we will be sharing those fun opportunities once they are ready to go.
Please continue to talk to your friends and neighbors. The Conservation Commission was just one of many hurdles this application has to clear, and the fight is far from over or pre-determined. The MSTA will be before the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 1st when it accepts the moratorium application we filed (Thursday, June 1st at 7pm at Shepardson, we requested a September public hearing date).
In the meantime, what can you do while we wait to see what kind of application is filed at P&Z?
• Write letters to the Editor (Voices and Republican-American). Voices in particular has failed to provide any real, in-depth coverage of this issue, especially from Middlebury residents’ point of view.
• Attend Board of Selectmen meetings and get your opinion on the record during the public comment at the end of the meeting. Meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the month at 4pm in the 3rd floor conference room at Town Hall. Since the town recently removed direct email address links from its website, it seems like sending your opinion via email isn’t a preferred method of communication anymore.
• Sign the petition. The online version currently has 526 signatures and we’re starting to receive paper copies people have returned (remember to cross out #3 if you have the original version of the petition).
• Engage in conversation with the Planning and Zoning commissioners you might know. Since there is no application before them at this point, they are free to talk with you about your opinion of what does or doesn’t belong in the LI-200 zone in Middlebury.
• Attend the Republican or Democratic Town Committee meetings (Republicans meet the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm at Shepardson Center, Rm 26, Democrats' meeting schedule is not available online, contact Curt Bosco for details). Both Committees control the selection process for people chosen to sit on all town boards and commissions, so if you feel those chosen to represent you aren’t representing you well, the Town Committees need that feedback.
