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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1965-12-24-LCC-rpt.pdf A REPORT ON "THE NEW CONSERVATION" TO THE PEOPLE OP LEXINGTON • by: Jules P. Sussman Town Meeting Member, Precinct Lexington Conservation Commission.)Pr-ed-i:denti-,Chn-irnt, mas6aehuotto Association of Conservation Commissions, Vashington, D. C., 24December 1965 The meaning of "Conservation" in the title of our commission has been the subject of some questioning. In the course of the week here in Washington, devoted to conservation matters, I have foundlordsof President Johnson which provide the definition far better than I cans "We must not, only protect the countryside and save it from destruction, we must restore what has been destroyed and salvage the beauty and charm of our cities. Our cen,cArvation must be not just the classic conservation of protection and development, but a creative conservation of restoration and innovation. Its concern is not .with nature alone, but with the total relation between man and the world around him. Its object is not just mania welfare, but the dignity of taan°0 spirit," And, from the latest general Electric "FORM" magazine: "The value of beauty and the price of ugliness can partly be reckoned in dollars. But the ways in which enhancement of beauty and abatement of ugliness —in city, village, and country da -can acid to the inner prosperity of the human spirit are beyond calculation." "The conception of beauty a a ri3O.V1 national goal has the timeliness, substance, and human appeal to invest it with enduring power..-the power of an idea whose trci has come. The time is now to wage relentless war on ugliness and elevate the valu-o 1 0* .2. of beauty, which we once could take for granted, to their rightful place among our major national concerns." am vitally concerned* that those concept be fully applied to this Town in which I live. .But now, to use Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson's words, "If ugliness is to be dissolved, Americans must do more than talk about 1494.4uy, *Atza4 04t. r44, aid um:Jo:lel eftort to maintain end recreate America, we will be realizing great things for 'amenity." Ltt's review the applicatinn of these principles to Lpangton. The acquisition program has been supported ty the Town Meeting. The intent is to create greenbelts where possfhleand appropriate, as broad as are. feasible. Open space adjoining major roads is especially valuable, in terms of pleasant relief frc? :the visual monotony of endless rows of houses which characterises most ()four major town roads. (Present plans for certain road) construction are in direct, conflict with this need). Isolated open space, i.e. not connected into green belts, is to be acquired where appropriate. Appropriateness includes the provision of open space to a neighborhood in (hopefully to every neighborhood in Town) , and/or the preservation of natural resources of particular recreational, visual ecological, or hydrological interest. We are all too soon in whet Mr. Udall calls a "Race for Inner space" and, as anyone can see by looking at the new neighborhoods in Town and at the population figures, there is now "A. New Sense of Urgency" described by Laurance Rockefaler, Chairman of the White House Conference on Natural Beauty. We cannot just buy up land for some "ideal" open space systems; most of the land is already developed. We have to buy the land in between the developed areas, for which the open space use is in competition with other 12 gptential uses. The land is not inexpensive, 1.IaX but it will scamp: in retrospect some years from now. Luckily, state and federal aid are available, and those seurees, by their approvals, coneirm the soundness of our reasoning. Streams: Most streams in Town have been tuned into storm drain ditches, at significant cost in capital, maintenanc;and loss of natural resources sometimes 12=0= because ill-advised approvals were given to build houses 40. in adjacent wetlands. It is intended that conservation easements and ownerships be acquired along many streams and that they be used as "backbones" fol greenbelts where possible. t At the Commission°s request, the planning Board recently negotiated just such an easement with a developer. It should be noted that the Commission standJ willing to pay fair market value for everything it Wishes to purchase, yet itseeks philanthropy in ' the form of lower prices sad gifts to the Tao.. The Town may now purchase conservation land with its eminent domain power, but the Commission intends to recommend its use only where reasonable negotiations are not achievable or where needed 40 a logal technicality in conjunction With a negotiated price. res Croat Meadows: This apprx 1750 tract, within Lexington but owned by Arlington, is the subject of a dialogue between committees appointed by each of the two towns. Clearly, the openneos of the land, 4 nature-lover4e paradise, should be preserved; it must be free from housing or commereial development. The land is surrounded by intensely developed housing tracts, and is also bordered by two pchoolso with a third one nearby. It forms a link -4- of broad open space in a greenbelt which could run from Willard's Woods to Peacock Farms. Wetlands: Valuable from many points of view, with such values now recognized legally, the Commission undertakes to conserve such land through purchases, easement, and when necessary the recommendation of legal sanctions where the alteration of inland wetlands is against the Town's best interest. ,7114 Cop29ratina with Nearby copmunition (This facet has been urged especially by our newspaper editor). We used Lincoln's federal application as a model; it worked (see elsewhere in this paper). Your chairman was an invited speaker for a group foroup of Burlington residents; Burlington has recently established a Conservation Counission. Conversations havb been held with the Commission chairman from Sw-enso:7 Bedford, Woburn, and Winchester. The Gan 'ou Farm purchase was reviewed and approved by the OpenOpace Planning Division of the Metropolitan Area I'lanning Council. Responsibilities at the state level have brought to Town a Inaxiom of statewide integration of Le:;ington programs. Farms: Some of us like fresh vegetables grown right in Town. It is also good that our children can see cows and growing vegetables without having to travel. The land is kept both open and productive of taxes, of food, and and of other values. To keep these, there is available the Conservation easement, wherebythe development rights are conveyed to the Tcwn and the land should therefore no longer be considered as potential houselots for tax purposes, The price of such an easement is subject bo negotiation. In one town, farmland has been purchased and leased back for a fee, thus ensuring that it remains open, $ e ! m5m. The Commission is pleased to discuss 12:a such arrangements with farmers and otherpuaers of open space, e.3. solfcourses, estates. Lezinston is blessed with community awareness which has led to community commitment. We will not sink into the "morass of mediocrit5 described by lidallybch has charsoterined the Oevelopment of soma nearby Communities. This proam is centered directly on the quality ug our eveyyday environment, and it involves the 4.141=1,1tdecpent aspirations of all of us.