Letter to the Editor: A "No" Vote at Tuesday's Referendum

On April 12, 2007, the people of Middlefield voted on a referendum question:

“Shall the town of Middlefield purchase up to approximately 294 acres of a combination of land and development rights in land constituting the Powder Ridge Ski and surrounding area in order to preserve the area as ski, recreation and open space land, and appropriate and authorize the issuance of up to $2,850,000 general obligation bonds of the Town to finance the purchase and related expenses, pursuant to the resolution approved by the Boards of Finance and Selectmen on March 7, 2007?”

Note that the referendum specifies the amount of acres and specifies the purpose of the action to be taken. The people of Middlefield voted for this action. Only the people of Middlefield can change this. To my knowledge, the people of Middlefield have not requested any changes.

The application to create an interior lot submitted by the First Selectman is inappropriate and premature. It is not the First Selectman’s position to initiate this action. In fact, it is not the decision of any commission to initiate this action. It is a decision to be made by the people of Middlefield. 

There is no plan on how or when the Ski Area will be restored. No one yet knows where all the facilities, including a new septic system, will be located. Even when there are no specific regulations, a reason for the action should be presented for this Commission to consider. How else can we determine if the purpose is to preserve the area as ski, recreation and open space land? 

In my opinion, the people of Middlefield would need to vote again if changes such as this were to be made.

Bill Waff

Middlefield resident