To The Editor:
This letter was addressed to the Rochester Select Board.
For 48 years, homeowners at Great Hawk have been drawn to this region by the covenants that govern the association. They expressly stipulate that no recreational motor vehicles of any kind are allowed on our properties or common land within Great Hawk. Now another tract of land, close by, is falling into peril by that very same threat. Our homeownership intimately understands the value of “quiet areas” and has become concerned about their neighbor in their view: the Bingo Basin.
Our homeowners often venture toward Pine Gap Road for the tranquility that it offers. They enjoy the level terrain of the road and the stream, carved into the rock, running close by. Our membership enjoys nonmotorized sports such as walking, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing. It offers them peace of mind, great exercise and is a very special place for them in many ways. It is a quintessential and revered New England sanctuary for all seasons.
Recreational vehicle access in this area can potentially change the current culture and energy of the area. Some of our membership is “getting on” in years and seeking quietude, and find motorized vehicles unpleasant and jarring. We fear that limited access on a smaller underdeveloped road will only lead to further access in the immediate environs. Even one small road or trail with access breaks the solitude we have enjoyed for decades. The suck and grind of a single motor ruins everything.
Please consider keeping Pine Gap Road as it always has been: a great escape from the bustle of real life. I can safely speak for our constituency of 91 homeowners and 33 lot owners, many of whom have written letters or signed petitions, that we would like to keep Pine Gap Road wild and free.
Norm Christiansen, president
Great Hawk Owners’ Association
