Planning
for the future

To the editor:

The 2016 Dublin Master Plan Survey asked several questions, and the responses are likely to interest residents of neighboring towns in the Monadnock region.

Few residents moved to Dublin for job opportunities or large shopping centers. The same holds true for neighboring towns. Small town life, scenic beauty, outdoor recreation, low crime rates, and nature’s beauty are likely common denominators for attracting year-round and seasonal residents to Monadnock region.

Self-employed and home office employees, “frequent-flyer” business professionals, local tradespeople, cottage industry artists and crafts people, personnel in service jobs and professions, and, alas, long-distance commuters comprise most of our workforce. Many current residents moved here in order to flee office parks, shopping malls, and manufacturing centers. Many move here to “reinvent” their lives after their children have grown, and following the rat-race of busy careers.

Vacation properties abound in the region. Tourists love it at every season. They boost sales for local merchants. It all seems to work well unless residents are trying to raise large families, and require well-paying local career jobs.

Do we want to market our region to large corporations in order to create jobs for people who can’t find one locally? Do we want to preserve the small-town character of our region? If families raising children are a shrinking demographic, should we raise more taxes for education in a communities with fewer kids and increasing numbers of local and out-of-state retirees? Why fight the tide? Should we try to attract small businesses that bring in tourist dollars, such as eateries, coffee shops, ice cream stands, arts/crafts galleries, gift and antique shops, and tourist cabins? Should we try to attract businesses that support retirees’ interests? Should we build low-cost housing, two-family homes, condominiums, or single homes, cottages and small retirement communities? How will we broaden our tax bases without relaxing certain residential zoning restrictions?

Good questions to ponder.

Tom Carney

Dublin