Comments on: Chester Voters Reject Parker’s Point Land Purchase

By: jbrianbuckley

jbrianbuckley — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:09:01 +0000

I agree. I am not against the acquisition of open space, but it is important to get our priorities right. In a community such as Chester that enjoys such small town charm without big box stores and large industry, we must realize where the tax burden actually falls. This issue has been studied, debated, and argued for the 31 years I’ve been a resident. The one theme that has been prevalent all this time is the realization of what we have and the desire to maintain it. This comes at a cost; you get what you pay for. The Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission know this and have done a superb job in maintaining a reasonable balance. It truly is unfortunate that this opportunity came during these difficult economic times, but there will be other days and other opportunities. Let us be grateful for what we already have.

By: Chester Resident

Chester Resident — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:39:30 +0000

Chester resident realizes full well that the basic ways to make Chester a more desirable place to live. Let's start with the basics, smaller class sizes would be a great start. The tourist season was filled with UGLY with our roads all torn up. Sorry, but I am very confindent that my vote went in the right direction, and you are DEAD wrong!

By: wren

wren — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:09:21 +0000

Fret not everyone. There are better properties to purchase than this parcel that was just voted down. Who says Chester can't buy apiece of property with a house on it?We could use a community center or better yet convert it into a gym/workout or community center.Many of the houses sit high up on the river where it DOESNT flood in spring. Even if Chester bought a 2 or 3million dollar property with its own money It would still be a better value. Some of the houses even have nice docks where residents could tie up their boats. You people think small sometimes.

I bet less than 5% of the town would have actually used Parkers Point.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:32:53 +0000

Our property values HAVE gone up, about 3% to 5% since 2004, despite the general economic downturn. But if this is the argument for more open space, ……pretty shallow thinking. There's more to the quality of life in a small town like Chester than rising property values.

By: Chester Local

Chester Local — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:27:42 +0000

Baloney. It would increase the value at already expensive Parker's Point, not for the rest of us. We already have plenty of open land; it's called Cockaponset State Forest.

By: John

John — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:54:12 +0000

Chester Resident complained that our property values are down in Chester. Yet, the poster is opposed to buying open space. I hope the poster realize how little sense this makes – if you want your property value to go up, then Chester needs to be a more desirable place to live. Oneway to make a town more desirable to have more open space/parkland, especially along the river. People don't move to ugly, congested towns – they move to well-planned and livable towns, which most often include ample open space and parkland. Its one of the reasons towns like Madison or Guilford, or Simsbury and Glastonbury by Hartford, constantly support more open space purchases.

In short, if you want to increase your property values, then you were dead wrong to oppose this vote.

By: Chester Local

Chester Local — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:05:52 +0000

Actually, I'm glad it was considered and rejected. That way it's clear what the majority view is — that we don't need a land preserve in one of the poshest parts of town, out of the way from where most residents hang out. Common area, my eye; it was just a way to make an exclusive neighborhood even more exclusive while taking the land off the grand list.

By: Chester Resident

Chester Resident — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:58:28 +0000

It disappoints me that our town consider this project and related spending in these economic times. Our property values our down in Chester, and taxes are UP!!! Personally, I struggle to hang on as a Chester resident due to the taxes. If the town feels that they have hundreds of thousands to spend, HIRE MORE TEACHERS, the class sizes have risen from 12 and 13 to 22 students! Fix the roads! Let's put our money towards the basics before we consider buying prime real estate.