Date: Fri 04-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

edink-Taunton-Pond-Winslow

Full Text:

ED INK: Opening Up Taunton Pond

Yet another pretty piece of property has been subdivided for residential

development. This one enjoys a sunny southwest exposure overlooking Taunton

Pond. Aside from the view, however, the 16.4 acre, three-lot subdivision off

Mt Pleasant Road, approved May 20 for Paul and Dolores Allen by the Planning

and Zoning Commission, is remarkable in one other way: it conveys to the town

1.6 acres of open space that borders Taunton Pond. Unlike most subdivisions,

it is the open space and not the new houses that may cause the most

consternation among neighbors.

Taunton Pond is surrounded largely by private land, and access to the pond for

boaters and fishermen has been restricted. You either had to live on the pond

or be a member of the Newtown Fish and Game Club to get access. (Few people

know that the town already owns a narrow strip of land, amounting to just over

a half acre, just north of the fish and game club's boat ramp.)

The open space that comes to the town from the Allen subdivision, however, is

"opening up a can of worms," in the words of Planning and Zoning member Heidi

Winslow. She vociferously opposed the plan to give the town a piece of

property on the pond that could provide public access to one of Newtown's most

attractive natural resources. Clearly, the worms that worry her are the ones

that will be on uninvited fishhooks in Taunton Pond. Ms Winslow owns property

bordering Taunton Pond on Taunton Lake Drive, a conflict that should have kept

her from casting the sole dissenting vote on the subdivision and open space

proposal. Fortunately, her vote didn't change the outcome of the subdivision

approval.

The parcel on Taunton Pond is a great addition to Newtown's inventory of open

space. The public should have access to the pond, and the town should use the

parcel for that purpose. Yet every effort should be made to preserve Taunton

Pond as the peaceful place it is. Boats on the pond should continue to be

powered by paddles, oars, the wind, or at most a small trolling motor. And

rules and restrictions protecting the property rights of landowners on the

pond and the environmental integrity of its waters should be established and

strictly enforced for all who want to enjoy this remarkable natural resource.