During the month of April 2008, a task force of community members was convened by the Waitsfield Selectboard in an attempt to understand what direction -- if any -- the town should take following the negative votes on both the water and wastewater bond articles on Town Meeting Day 2008.

Prior to forming the task force, however, the Selectboard hosted two public forums (1 pg, 47 KB ), not only to solicit feedback from citizens about the negative votes, but to solicit members--particularly those representing the negative vote constituency--to serve on this task force.

• Lack of support for "growth center" concept; negative reaction to build-out drawings
• Too many unanswered questions
• Ketcham family's concerns
• Fire protection fee
• Rejection of the monitored system concept
• Shifting wastewater attention away from village to Irasville
• Agreed with the need for the project(s) but not the proposed details
• The way the articles were written was confusing
• Bad timing with current economic climate
• Waitsfield Village and Irasville have already been ruined by development-"don't ruin them more"
• Misinformation
• Confusion; lack of understanding
• Perceptions of well head condemnation process
• Distrust of government, local officials
• Concerns about costs to users, costs to taxpayers
• Project(s) benefited small number of people for the price tag
• Vested interests of supporters

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Additional comments or concerns raised:

• Not consistent with Waitsfield vision-don't want strip malls
• People understood why they voted no; they were not confused
• Didn't thoroughly understand what the project(s) were.
• Water is needed, especially at Mad River Green Shopping Center.
• There's never a good time to spend money, but it still has to be done
• Water/Wastewater is needed in order to provide public restrooms
• "do not spend good money after bad"
• Too expensive
• Timing is wrong
• Taxes too high-and will increase
• No direct benefit to majority; only a direct benefit to a few
• Perception of taking someone's property should be avoided
• The cart is before the horse
• Poorly subscribed, even by those who would benefit

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• Do not bring back for vote
• Only the users of the water system were going to pay for it-no tax impact
• Why not use the old gravel pit rather than build a leech field at Munn? Why no treatment plant?
• Engineers should re-visit for better managed growth
• Questions show that the town did not do a good job of educating public about details and scope of project
• Info provided at 2/25 meeting was persuasive that there was need for the project(s).
• Encourage more forums to get the info out there. It's evident that there was misinformation and lack of understanding from written materials.
• The timing is now to do the project(s) cost will only increase if we wait
• Projects are consistent w/ the vision of the Planning Commission and the Select Board is trying to implement, e.g. "walkability."
• Would have also benefited more housing and affordable housing
• Unfair to suggest that the Select Board is trying to ram projects through despite NO votes.
• Cannot disconnect the project(s) if you bring in water, you'll need to have the wastewater to deal with it.

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• Water alone will eliminate isolation distances and free up existing on-site capacity.
• Intent of water project is to solve an existing problem
• Needed more information
• Not cost effective
• "It's not going to help me"
• Distrust of estimates-final costs?
• Perceived injustice/inequity of who pays and who benefits
• How is the investment going to come back to us to make us feel it's worthwhile?
• Fuzziness of overall costs too difficult to accept
• Incredible oversight not to include wastewater in Waitsfield Village-get the pipe in ground
• Need a way to provide housing for workforce-in Irasville and Waitsfield Village-in order to keep future generations here rather than have to leave VT for jobs or an affordable place to live.
• Fire protection cost not offset by reduction in insurance rates. Perhaps town should pay for that share of water cost because the town loses due to fire.

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• The big ticket waste water project is the bigger problem
• This was the first bond vote voted down in person's 22 yrs.
• $17 Million/ = 8k per person
• Town needs to be much more clear in communicating the costs and details and individual impacts
• Without the water project now, won't be able to connect to it in five years when it's really needed.
• What is capability of Flemer field and gravel pit land?
• Waitsfield is a tourist town and will need the water and/or wastewater to maintain that economic base and services
• Although project planners do see the projects ultimately as a package, a vote on one does not necessarily mean a vote on the other.

• How many septic systems are at risk of failing?
• There is documented evidence of inadequate water systems/supplies.
• Pressure reducing valves needed in Manchester; other problems come with a municipal water system?
• Will municipal water free up more space for on-site wastewater systems?
• Did not have enough information about the wastewater to vote yes.
• What about if we do nothing?
• Water and wastewater was planned to death-waited too long; trigger needed to be pulled earlier.
• Project was micromanaged and too chopped up ' lost a lot of support it the Village.
• Not what you do but how you do it-perception that the well acquisition was not kosher.
• "What's in it for me?" ' How to generate a sense of community?
• Response to Al Raphael's comment that maybe Irasville should not be the growth center: wetlands mitigation, etc.
• 80 signatures of folks that live in town that want to see the project stopped: Too expensive; too big; taxes too high.
• What is blocking the water? The businesses need potable water.
• More conversation about the latest alternative technology (9/7/08 Yestermorrow course) using wetlands for wastewater treatment?
• Need to spend money to upgrade polluting septic systems. VT is 15 or so years behind in allowing alternative wastewater treatment systems on community-wide scale.
• Non-resident supporters unable to voice support.

Valerie J. Capels, Town Administrator Waitsfield Town Office 9 Bridge Street Waitsfield, VT 05673 Phone: (802) 496-2218 Fax: (802) 496-9284 E-mail:

Kate Williams, Waitsfield Selectboard Member Waitsfield Town Office 9 Bridge Street Waitsfield, VT 05673 Phone: (802) 496-5199 E-mail: kate@vermontyak.com