Craig Elwell was more than a road commissioner/foreman. He was a
hardworking, dedicated and humble man, who loved his town, its people
and its roads. Craig took his work very seriously, and he always saw a
project through to completion. He could often be seen operating the
excavator or his beloved grader on a weekend to achieve the perfection
he always sought.
Perhaps Craig's biggest goal was to have a 14-yard dump truck for each
of the three main routes in town. No one will ever know if the town vote
for the purchase of a new dump truck would have been a favorable one
had Craig been here. Now the Moretown Select Board must decide on
whether or not to hold a revote for a truck and, if so, what kind of
truck it would be.
Moretown residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions on
this issue, as well as others, at the first quarterly town informational
forum of 2010 to be held at the Moretown Town Hall on Monday, March 29,
from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Initiated last year, these townwide meetings have
been well received and the input from them invaluable in the
decision-making process.
In addition to discussion on the truck purchase dilemma, the board will
also present an update on the Town Hall project, followed by a
discussion of the host town agreement with and the future of the
Moretown Landfill. Finishing the evening, the select board will present
its goals for 2010, followed by a brief question and answer period.
As has been pointed out many times, the Moretown Select Board strives to
work together with the Moretown School Board, as well as the
development review board and planning commission. I believe I speak for
all members of all of the above in my expression of the importance of
gathering input from town residents in a constructive and positive
manner. The strength of your town depends on this.
As chair of the forum, I ask all attendees to keep the above in mind
when asking questions and presenting ideas. I welcome differing opinions
in any discussion, as well as constructive criticism. Both are
paramount in the decision-making process. However, always looking for
what's wrong, while ignoring what's right, can have an adverse effect if
expressed, so is best kept to oneself. It's important to remember,
whether for or against and regardless of opinion, we all have the same
goal: to preserve the beauty, uniqueness and any other quality that
makes Moretown special to each and every one of us. See you Monday
evening.
Hoogenboom is chair of the Moretown Select Board.
