To the editor:
I am running for the Rindge Planning Board to help Rindge manage the pressures for growth while still keeping our small-town character.
Rindge is a beautiful rural community. I want to see it stay that way. At the same time I think there are ways to have appropriate growth without giving away the farm. I think the path to that future has been stated in the town’s Master Plan which charges us with maintaining the small-town rural feel and preserving its natural resources. We need to make sure that the plan is respected. From talking to people around town and attending town meetings there seem to be a fair number who have not been happy with decisions made by the Planning Board especially related to PURDs.
Unlike the other two candidates running for the board, I have had no part in these decisions. I will bring to the office a fresh pair of eyes, an interest in keeping out urbanization and suburban sprawl, along with some practical experience. Some people say I’m a newcomer to this area. I am actually returning to the place where I spent my childhood summers on nearby Frost Pond at my grandfather’s Camp Iroquois in Jaffrey.
Memories from those days made me determined to come back. And I have. Through work and volunteerism I learned to read blueprints, site plans and government regulations, and understand erosion and waterfront issues. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, first just swinging a hammer, but eventually as a crew chief and then on their design team. For a rowing club I designed and built large docks, and managed waterfront remediation and restoration.
I believe in giving back to the community in which I live. I currently serve on the Rindge Energy Commission and as a volunteer coach for the Dublin School crew team. I am running for the Planning Board because I want to help Rindge keep its small town feel, clean air and water, and beautiful landscapes. I ask for your vote.
Jeffrey C Dickler
Rindge