Letters: Good or bad for Milton, Article #3 is wrong

Not far from proposed landfill site, this small stream feeds Jones Brook, which empties into Branch River. (Courtesy photo/Eric Knapp)

There's been lots of debate about whether Milton's Article 3 is good for the town or not. I've reviewed the information, personally, in detail. I believe the recent studies from the EPA proving that all landfill liners, even modern ones, leak. I believe the firsthand interviews I've had with residents from a town living with a C&D landfill. I also believe the less-clear economic data: the added costs of services and the reduction of property values will be more likely to drive taxes up, not down, if we allow a landfill. I'm not alone: this issue has been debated, voted upon, and dismissed by every major board and committee in our town.
But that alone is not why I'm so active on this issue.

I operate a farm next to the proposed landfill site in Milton. My wife and I raise Shetland sheep for their high-quality wool, as well as chickens and ducks for their eggs. It's a small business if you can even call it that, but we've worked hard over the decades and it has become part of the local farming community.
The farm has been here since 1870. It's surrounded on three sides by a stream lined with hand-hewn stone. The water feeds directly into the Jones Brook, not far from where it joins the Branch River. So the fact that this stream originates from directly underneath the proposed landfill site is a huge concern for the greater environmental good of the community. Anything that leaks from a landfill - and it will leak - will go straight into the Jones Brook, the Branch River and Northeast Pond. It's also a major aquifer, by the way, so public and private drinking water is in danger also.
Compared to all that, I suppose it's easy for people to forget that there's an historic farm, caught in the crossfire between the Milton Three Ponds and a dump. When that stream overflows every spring with snow melt, my entire field is flooded. My entire farming operation, not to mention our personal drinking water, would be compromised before any detection well could pick it up.
So yes the larger threat is very real, but what about everything I've worked for in the past 17 years? What about my wife and I, who instead of watching the sunset every night as we finish barn chores, will get to see the sun set over a pile of trash? The sounds of buzzing insects in the summer will be replaced by the noise from heavy equipment, trucks and compactors.
And aren't my neighbors lives just as important? Aren't our neighbors in Union and Middleton important, who also abut the landfill but can't vote on Milton warrants? We have master carpenters, martial arts instructors, photographers, veterinary technicians, construction workers and engineers surrounding the landfill site. Many of these families have children. Aren't their children important?
It's not just my farm, but dozens of families and several small businesses.
That's why the recent public statements from Milton Selectman Tom Gray anger me so much. It's not because he has a different opinion than mine. It's because it seems to me that he doesn't care at all about the families like mine that Article 3 would ruin. To say "those people who are against the landfill, they aren't worried about whether they can afford to stay in their homes" is the most insulting thing ever. We've personally worked hard - damn hard - to be able to buy our farm and to be able to keep it. We've worked multiple jobs, lived through unemployment, unexpected expenses, and hard times just like everyone else. We've also worked hard to turn six acres of gravel into fertile pasture, and to raise healthy livestock. We're against the landfill, and we haven't slept well in a long time because we are VERY worried that, despite all that hard work, we're going to lose our home anyway.

This neighborhood is not an affluent one, but we are a community. We care for and look after each other. And if this amendment passes, we lose that too. The exodus will begin with the families with children, because no one will want to expose their kids to the dangers of a landfill, but in the end we'll all be forced to leave our homes. I suspect that this is why the article was written by ReEnergy's lawyers to allow landfills in any zone: so that once we're driven out ReEnergy can expand into the newly vacated residential properties. We've seen it happen before in this state with other landfills.

The government of any town is supposed to represent its people. Every single person, every family, every home. I'm happy that most of our town officials realize that, and that the Board of Selectmen and Planning Boards have both voted to NOT recommend this article. But I'm worried that all of the misinformation being spread around will cause voters to make the wrong choice, despite their best intentions. ReEnergy is making a lot of promises that frankly don't stand up to scrutiny.The truth is, they only need us to believe these promises long enough to get our votes. If article 3 passes, they will not be obligated or liable in any way. The damage will be done.

To the voters of Milton, I hope that you can imagine what it's like to be in my shoes, or my neighbor's shoes. To be on the brink of losing everything. Because even if this were the right thing to do for Milton, it would be at the expense of others, and that makes it wrong.
Please vote "NO" on Article #3 on March 10, and lets find ways to help our town without sacrificing any of us in the process.