To The Editor:
Nearly 250 years ago on February 25, 1782, the town of Waitsfield was chartered by the governor’s council and general assembly of the state of Vermont.
In the intervening years there must have been hundreds of formal and informal meetings about the future of this outstandingly beautiful valley. Jim Boylan's contribution to the debate (VR February 11), whilst respecting his knowledge, is outrageously inappropriate. His condescending, almost disparaging, use of the word “quaint” to describe the Wait House and his suggestion that because it is “essentially empty and displaces nothing” it is, therefore, disposable.
The Wait House is an iconic and enduring symbol of the origins of the village and home of General Benjamin Wait (1736-1822), the pioneer statesman of Vermont. The ultimate insult in Jim Boylan's proposal is that the Wait House land parcel could be used as a septic field. The October 2020 newsletter of the Waitsfield Historical Society vehemently opposed the outrageous suggestion that the Wait House be sold. Everyone who loves this Valley and its history should oppose it.
Keith Taylor
Waitsfield
