Investments in the Out Doors
February 25, 2010 page 12
by Elizabeth Bassett

In a late-February ritual, taxpayers run red pencils over items in the town budget. Just what do we get for our tax dollars, they muse. Quite a lot, it turns out, because of volunteers and leverage. The brains, determination and hard work of volunteers result in a wealth of outdoor opportunities at a modest cost. Charlotters can get lots of fresh air for their money.

Recreation Trail
Volunteers on the Trails Committee hope to link several of the town’s significant recreation, community and scenic treasures with a trail for non-motorized uses: walking, biking, skiing or snowshoeing. The path would link Mt. Philo to the west village and then to the beach. With the state park at one end and beach, tennis courts and Lake Field at the other, the route would pass near or through the Charlotte Berry Farm and its playing fields, the Burns Property and many facilities in the village.
To begin this project the committee has submitted a request for the Charlotte Trails Construction Fund for design, planning and construction. The tax rate would be 0.0027 or less than $3 per $100,000 of value. A house valued at $400,000 would incur a cost of $10.80 per year for three years. The committee has also applied for grant funding for the project.

Conservation Fund
Currently the town assesses properties at $0.02 for the Conservation Fund. Chairs of the Charlotte Land Trust and the Conservation and Recreation Committees recommend disbursements to the Selectboard. Because properties are conserved for a constellation of reasons, including farming or the protection of unusual or rare natural features, access is often limited. But some afford recreational opportunities. In 2010 the Lewis Creek Association (LCA) and the Burleigh family will host forest walks on their conserved dairy farm. In 2008 Art Burleigh and his family worked with the Charlotte and Vermont Land Trusts, the Nature Conservancy and the town Conservation Fund to preserve this parcel. Raven Davis and Ed Evarts, in concert with the same organizations, have conserved an extraordinary parcel of land at Raven Ridge. Walking paths will be designated for public use after inventories of natural features are complete. LCA Executive Director Marty Illick reminds us, “The A. Johnson land is open to the public through an open space agreement with the town. The forestry trails are just that, quiet but not maintained, and walkers should be mindful of hunting seasons.”

Charlotte Beach
The recreation budget delivers a lot of outdoor opportunities to Charlotters. For less than $22,000 (after removing the school-related intramural positions, a tax maneuver), a tax rate of 0.0023 or less than a quarter of a cent, the volunteers on the Recreation Commission oversee the beach with its docks, restrooms and changing facilities, tennis courts, as well as the ice skating rink at CCS. Last year the budget paid for landscape improvements at the beach, including clearing of juniper bushes on the bank and opening the underbrush between the parking lot and the bathhouse and tennis courts. This year volunteers plan to use a portion of the maintenance budget to provide potable water at the beach. A crack in the well shaft allows contamination, leaving the water unfit to drink. Commission chair Bill Fraser-Harris says, “We hope that lining the well shaft will resolve the problem because it is much less expensive than drilling a new well. The beach is such a nice facility, it is a shame not to have safe water there.”

Skating Rink
Don’t forget that the rink is lit for night skating. Check the Recreation section of the town website: charlottevt.org, for up-to-date conditions.

Mt. Philo State Park
The state park is not a local budget item but remains an extraordinary benefit to locals as a place to get exercise, walk the dog (on a leash of course), view the best sunsets in Vermont, and picnic, camp or celebrate special occasions in the summit shelter. The park has just grown by 69 acres due to the generosity of Thompson’s Point summer residents Charles and Gwen Allmon who recently donated land to the State of Vermont.

Other Treasures
While some properties affect the town budget and others do not, consider Charlotte’s wealth of beautiful outdoor venues: Pease Mountain, Williams Woods, Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge, trails at the old dump on Plouffe Lane, the Burns property, and the dirt roads around Thompson’s Point. We are fortunate indeed.