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A small but familiar lobbying power made itself known during Gardiner's open space commission meeting on July 16. Eight or
so members of Gardiner Residents for Individual Property Rights, or GRIP, showed up at last week's meeting to register their
discontent with the town's open-space process.
GRIP came to the meeting because the town board is expected to vote next mnth on open-space applications. The $1.5 million
bond supporting public participation in the funding only passed by one vote in Gardiner in 2006. That was when "the
economy was in a much better shape then" O'Dell argued.
GRIP activist Pam O'Dell said the group wasn't necessarily against open space, But it doesn't think that town taxpayer
money should go toward funding land preservation. "Obviously, if we were against open space we wouldn't live in Gardiner"
said O'Dell, who added that local taxpayers shouldn't be asked to fund the preservation of other people's viewsheds.
The town's efforts should facilitate the process of brining interested land trusts together with property owners who want
to conserve their land, the GRIP leader said. Public money should not play a part, she said.
For several months, the town government has been waging an informational campaign in support of the bond. In March, the
open space commission held a special introductory meeting to explain the program to landowners.
Commission chair Warren Wiegand was asked whether he viewed the recent backlash as a setback. Wiegand said he did not.
He attributed recent criticism to a small but vocal minority opinion. "I think it's great that they get involved,"
Wiegand said in reference to GRIP.
GRIP has among its ranks a few prominent local Republicans, including former town supervisor Marion Kells. O'Dell and
Kells have been critical of the fiscal management of the current town board, of which Wiegand is also a member.
The town hopes to keep the overall burden on taxpayers low by entering into funding partnerships with land trusts or the
state, effectively leveraging the town's $1.5 million allocation over a period of many years. "What we're trying to
do is use our money as bait. With our money we can attract more money," the open space chairman said.
Wiegand said that a grantwriter would help with one agricultural property, which e did not identify. Right now Whitecliff
Vineyard, Kiernan Farm and one other farm are being rated to see which are the most worthy of protection. The owner of a
fourth non-agricultural parcel is also in talks with the town.
"This is taxpayers' money, and we've said that if we do ant to protect some land it is land that people want protected,"
Wiegand said. "Nobody's interested in wasting any money, because it is our money, too."
If anything comes to the table in August, town matching funds would be used to supplement a state farmland protection
grant.
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