Abutters

For those who don't know, the Fullington Farm/ Wilson's Landing controversy is a movement by the peaceful and reasonable crew program in Hanover to find a place to row out of. After rowing out of the Dartmouth boathouse for twelve years per a deal made back when the team was small, they are ready to see us off. Having looked at many places along the Connecticut, only the property at Fullington Farm next to Wilson's Landing will suit the purposes of the team. Through massive fundraising the property was obtained from its previous owner and the Friends of Hanover Crew organization is now attempting to obtain town permission to build a larger dock at Wilson's Landing to launch shells out of. The boats would be stored on the Fullington Farm property and out of the way and the dock would be taken out by the team during the winder.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the town and the crew team. Hanover benefits from a 180 foot (out of the way) dock alongside the maybe twenty foot one that is there now, and thus an opening up of the only public boat launch in town. The town would not have to pay for any of it and the crew team would only be using the area from 5 to 7 every morning for two months in the spring. Additionally, one Saturday each June the site would house a home race.

As is obvious to any reasonable observer, the impact to long-time users of the Landing is minimal. Any activities that occured there before still can, only with more space. The only factors in the way of this watersport utopia are a few misers, a number of uppity busybodies, and the Abutters.

I hate abutters. Abutters in the way I mean it are selfish people who are more concerned about their property value than they are with the appropriate expansion of recreational opportunities for the public. Abutters are loud, grumpy, and hard to please. Rather than being excited about a wonderful opportunity for students and community members alike, the Abutters are doing their best to bring the whole operation down before it gets off the ground.

Some of the arguments that opponents have used are as follows:
My property value will diminish. (Why?)
Construction on the Fullington Farm property will obstruct my view of the river. (That isn't true).
It will change the nature of the site. (Well obviously it will. The change will be positive).
You will kill bugs in the shallow water with gasoline drips! (Excuse me? Shut up).
I don't want 120 kids milling around near my house every morning! (Kids are everywhere theses days deal with it).
The "bullhorns" will wake me up. (Close your window).
The people who made laws in the '70s wouldn't have wanted this. (Who told you that?)

In my opinion, the decision that the selectboard makes needs to one ONLY about policy. Rather than worrying about zoning issues or environmental problems (because that is the job of the zoning commision), the selectboard needs to decide whether or not it is better or worse FOR THE TOWN OF HANOVER, not the three neighbors, to let Friends of Hanover Crew put in a new dock.

So, in conclusion, it will be a tragedy if the selectboard does not give the team permission to go ahead with construction. If it doesn't work out for some legitimate zoning reason later in the process, that is understandable. For now let's give the team a fighting chance at giving everyone a nice new dock.