Trails Committee Holds First Vision
Development Workshop
by Martha Perkins

After a rough beginning for the future of community trails in Charlotte, things have turned around. I attended the first of the Charlotte Trails Committee public input meetings on Monday and came away happy about the meeting.
To the Charlotte folks who are worried about the future of community trails in Charlotte: please know, in fact, that your input is valued and wanted and will be used as much as possible by the Charlotte Trails Committee. This is where the committee should have begun in the first place; now, beginning again, we are in it together.
Rare though it sometimes can be in the public sector, civility, mutual respect and good humor ruled at the gathering. Gary Franklin, Chair of the Trails Committee, spoke briefly saying that the Trails Committee wants the community trails vision map to reflect the people’s will and that the Planning Commission and Selectboard want this kind of vision map to help with planning for Charlotte’s future growth and development. Jim Donovan took over to facilitate the public process. A landscape architect and public planner of long standing, he knows his way through the public process and did a fine job.
I believe all found satisfactory answers to their questions, offered good comments and suggestions, and felt heard. Worried about the ancient road issue, people had an opportunity to express their personal concerns and reactions to the earlier process, when, for example, a map (albeit a trails committee working document) was published showing future public trails on the ancient roads recently turned up from Frank Thornton’s research. The ancient roads and trails noted on this working map/document crossed through private property without landowners’ knowledge, causing alarm. Ample time was given over to this good and respectful discussion.
The group that met that night now understands that the Charlotte Trails Committee realizes the first path it went down was not acceptable and is starting over. Beginning again, the committee made it well known that public input is invaluable and listening to it is its first move this time around.
The Trails Committee took time then to say that it understands about landowner notification and permission; one of the first things done as a committee was to develop a landowner-permission document which if signed (with conditions the landowners can set) would allow a public trail to cross their land. The VAST trail system was mentioned; landowners have given permission for snowmobiles to cross their land on a system of trails created throughout the town, but for winter travel only. So it is not a new concept for public trails to cross private property.
In fact, in the northeast corner of Charlotte a system of community/public trails crosses private property (landowners have given permission). The result is, to date, successful. Committee member Carol Clayton said it feels like a delightful community has developed among the many different groups and individuals who regularly use the trails – birders, walkers, bikers and school cross country teams. Brook Scatchard described the thriving community trail systems in Hinesburg and Middlebury that accommodate many different needs of individuals and groups who want to use them.
Congratulations to the Charlotte Trails Committee for listening to the citizens of Charlotte, acknowledging we are heard, and changing the process that will develop community trails here to one that includes those of us who want to be involved.
Future meetings for public input into the development of future community trails in Charlotte are May 20 at the Grange and June 2 at the Senior Center, both at 7 p.m. Jim Donovan will be on hand to facilitate these meetings.