Editor’s note: This commentary is by Don Keelan, a certified public accountant and resident of Arlington. The piece first appeared in the Bennington Banner.
[I]t was recently reported in the Manchester Journal that the towns of Manchester, Dorset and Manchester Village, through a steering committee, launched The Northshire Economic Development Strategy and Implementation Plan. This is good news.
The committee members, a who’s who of the abovementioned communities, are working with the Bennington County Regional Planning Commission. It was reported that an outside consultant would be hired to advise; this is bad news and more as to why later.
The other bad news is that the work of the committee is only focused on the three municipalities, the Northshire, and not the Southshire, which would have included the town of Bennington and its environs.
For too long there has existed an intangible barrier — “The Wall” — that separates the northern part of the county from its southern part. “The Wall” is located just south of Arlington. And as long as this wall is allowed to exist neither the Northshire nor the Southshire (I despise these labels) will ever be able to achieve their full economic, social, cultural, educational, health care and political potential.
Take for example the long established institutions that are located in Bennington — the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, the Vermont Veterans’ Home, United Counseling, Bennington Museum, Old Castle Theater, Mt. Anthony Country Club, Plasan, NA, Mack Corp. and Orvis headquarters (located in the middle of the two shires) and the area’s five colleges. Notwithstanding the important services they render, they also employ close to 4,000, many of whom reside in the Northshire.
We should recognized, that by working together, we can harness valuable assistance from our elected state representatives — not just the two who reside in the northern end of the county but our two state senators along with the eight representatives from the southern part of Bennington County.
Conversely, the Northshire has its long established and treasured institutions that are also critical to the well-being of Bennington County. Namely, Burr and Burton Academy and Long Trail School, Hildene and the SVAC, the Equinox Resort, RK Miles and JK Adams, the three prized golf courses along with the award-winning Dorset Theater and Riley Rink. Add to this list the retail and restaurant establishments that have had a major impact on the area.
“Imagine if we did something different,” President Obama stated in his recent State of the Union address. Well, isn’t it time, that we did something different — by tearing down “The Wall”?
We should recognized, that by working together, we can harness valuable assistance from our elected state representatives — not just the two who reside in the northern end of the county but our two state senators along with the eight representatives from the southern part of Bennington County.
Working together, a more inclusive committee could look to overcome the drawbacks that impede a business to grow or causes a business not to locate here — the lack of working and long-term capital, trained employees, interstate rail/bus service, and the retention of our young people.
I had mentioned earlier the stellar makeup of the steering committee. One such member, Chris Brooks, who is a successful entrepreneur and chair of the Town of Dorset Select Board was quoted, “We’ve got a lot of smart people in this community and lot of free thinkers.” If that is so, why the need to hire a consultant for $45,000? A comparable amount was paid a few years ago to create a brand, “The Shires,” and now barely known.
It has been apparent for years that there is a need for collaboration and cohesion between the Northshire and the Southshire and that the need to work more closely together should be the goal of the committee.
