A vision to behold

It was an especially busy day for me. I had my normal appointments and had to squeeze in an extra meeting in Milford. I was covering it for an office colleague and really wasn’t sure of what to expect. As a rule I don’t like meetings. I never feel like I want to sit in a room after working all day and listen to a lot of things that don’t concern me. Beyond that, I’m not sure what gets accomplished in meetings.

Sure that this meeting wasn’t going to be any different, I went because I had to. The main discussion was about the influx of new people into the Milford area. The question on the table was how to preserve some of the green space and how to get the message out to the public since there is concern about the Route 6 corridor and the passing of a green space bond coming up to vote soon.

I am a transplant from New Jersey but I’m also a Realtor. I make my living by marketing homes. It is my business, so I just listened. There were several seasoned Brokers who did their politicking for growth, tossing frightening numbers around the room about approved lots and septic system plans. Others were trying to find ways to involve communities in outlying areas like Shohola.

As I listened I grew more and more concerned. I already know that where there is growth there is money, where there is money, there is power. It’s a frightening mix that is a reality. You can’t go into a diner in New York without hearing stories of people trying to make a living and paying more and more taxes. After all, new homes means more stores and services to support them. It also means less space for the things that bring us here in the first place. It’s what keeps us from all moving south where it’s cheaper; that natural beauty that runs right smack between both New York and Pennsylvania, the Delaware River.

It seems to me that we will not be able to stop or really slow down the growth in our small towns. But we really do all need to get involved. Narrowsburg is an example of working together for a common goal. One developer, who is completing a project, worked with the town to create a wonderful future development. Just last week my office went to visit his project.

We were all up on one of his lots looking down over the Delaware River. It was a beautiful sight in its own right, but became stunning and almost surreal when the developer pointed out the nesting eagle on a lower ridge. There wasn’t a sound from any of us while we watched that amazing bird leave her nest. It’s a sight that I won’t soon forget and one that I can only pray will be there for my grandchildren to experience.

It’s also a sight that’s so very fragile and could disappear in the blink of an eye if we are all not careful. It is also a sight that changed my view on meetings. It is one of the reasons why I am here, and one of the reasons why I pay my high taxes, one of the reasons why my children are here and the absolute reason why I will be making the next “visioning” meeting in my town.