After this great hot summer spending many days at Riverside Park with my
Newfoundland who loves to swim, I believe it's one of the few tangible
benefits I can link to my generous contribution in the form of
non-resident real estate taxes to the town of Warren. To put things into
perspective, these taxes are two times what we pay in Massachusetts for
a home of greater valuation that includes town water, sewer, trash
removal and plowing. For the record, we receive none of these services
from the town of Warren. One of the main reasons why non-residents "pay
to come to Vermont" is for a better outdoors experience than their
primary suburban residence.
We come for open spaces and a not-so-regulated outdoor environment. To
me it seems the Lareau Swim Hole is there for families with children and
Riverside Park is there for families whose dogs are their children.
Each time we laid out our towel at Riverside to swim with our dog it
seemed that most of the people enjoying the park were doing the same
with their families, which include their dogs.
We swam with our dog and people with and without dogs and everyone
enjoyed the water and the park as a group and as an alternative to
Lareau and other swim holes. Do I think that dog owners can be more
responsible in picking up their dog's waste? Absolutely! I see a big
difference in how city folk deal with dog waste and the "let it fly"
attitude that one could get used to living in open spaces.
However, this can easily (and inexpensively) be solved by proper signage
and waste bag pick-up box and or waste-composting bin. It's a matter of
education and forming good dog owner habits self-policed by other dog
owners. There are lots of alternatives for people who do not like dogs
and there are fewer and fewer places where dogs can enjoy nature as they
were intended.
In your article, you talk about a town park management plan, funding for
a new and separate dog park through possible grants and private fund
raising from dog enthusiasts.
I think all these issues are why Vermont taxes keep rising. Too many
people on the payroll making work for themselves and imposing
regulations on others and trying to make Vermont look like the suburbs
they left. The more sidewalks, dog parks and other suburban amenities
and regulations I keep reading about coming to Warren, the more it makes
me want to stay home and save myself a fortune. Excessive regulation
and more restrictions negatively impacts property values. Please keep
Riverside Park for people and dogs and stop spending other people's
money!
Mike and Kerri Bisner live in Warren and in Massachusetts.
