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On May 6, 2024, Sudbury will hold its annual Town Meeting. Our Annual Town Meeting provides each of us the opportunity to voice their comments and vote on the many Articles presented in the Town Warrant. Article 16 is of particular interest.
ARTICLE TITLE: AMEND ZONING BYLAW, SECTIONS 2200 AND 7000, FIREARMS SAFETY BUSINESS USE.
Before commenting, I would like to thank Mr. Len Simon for his interesting and provocative opinion piece presented in the Sudbury Weekly. Mr. Simon’s pursuit of greater clarity, and answers to important questions pertaining to Article 16, demonstrates the clear and present necessity for more effective communication from our Select Board, and the need for greater and significant input from our community.
I find the process leading up to the drafting of Article 16 curious. Past projects driven in part by economic considerations (amongst many) such as Broadacres Farm, Fairbanks Community Center, Landham Brook March Conservation Land, Cold Brook Crossing, Camp Sewataro, Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, and many others had a combination of outreach mechanisms that were employed to engage the community. For example, flash voting, charrettes, open houses, site walks, were in part utilized. One of several consistent themes in all the projects is funding and economic impact on the community.
Conversely, there has been less information and clarity from the Select Board about the meaning and future implications of Article 16. Thus far, there has been less community engagement prior to Town Meeting.
None of the above-mentioned devices were employed to encourage community engagement. The Select Board voted 3/2 in favor of Article 16. On March 28, 2024, an Information Session will be held to discuss Article 16. Details can be found on the Town website.
I am hopeful this Information Session will be well attended and will include those comments and questions in favor of or against all aspects of Article 16.
I remain non-committal on this topic. If for no other reason, I am processing the information available. The magnitude of either outcome on the community will become part of the present and future fabric of our town. I encourage you to learn more about Article 16. Additionally, I encourage you to vote. Regardless of your position.
What strikes me as the community proceeds with discussion and ultimately the vote on Article 16, is that all the above-mentioned projects were fundamentally economically driven ( as are open space, community betterment, etc.). By comparison, Article 16 has no significant immediate economic impact (outside of taxes, permits, etc.), if any at all. Having said that, do economically driven projects demand greater outreach via those mechanisms stated above? Some decisions (i.e. Article 16) have far greater value than those that are principally economic. Article 16 could have far more significant impact on our community than any Town funded projects have had.