Quote:
Originally Posted by Major
1. Waste of taxpayer money for construction and maintenance, especially given its limited use.
2. Bad for the environment, especially during construction.
3. Impinges on the rights of landowners along the trail.
4. If the organizers get their wish, it will eliminate a profitable rail car enterprise.
5. Will create an unsightly fence all along Paugus Bay.
6. It's a continuance of an avenue of egress for criminals who inhabit the present trail.
7. The WOW Trail is merely a feel good endeavor for Laconia elites.
I'm sure I forgot some. Jetskiier can fill in the gaps!
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Thank you for clarifying your position. To be clear, I haven't formed an opinion on the trail one way or the other, but I'm a year-round Meredith resident so found your original comment interesting. A rebuttal to your 7 points from a "devil's-advocate" standpoint.
1. That's what the study is for, to determine if it's worth the investment. I grant you that one could argue that 40K for the study is waste enough.
2. No worse than any other construction, so should we just avoid improving any infrastructure? In today's society, DES would ensure that the environmental impacts would be minimal.
3. I'm not going to address this one. This forum has seen too much back and forth regarding whether the WOW trail is impinging on the rights of abutting landowners. I understand both sides and each person needs to make their own judgement.
4. There's no reason the two can't co-exist.
5. What's unsightly to some may be aesthetically pleasing to someone else. I haven't seen the fence design and have not even seen confirmation that a fence the full length of the trail would be required. There are already many unsightly things along Paugus Bay, a fence would be the least of our worries.
6. This is unfounded and amounts to fear-mongering IMO.
7. I know many good people on both sides of the issue. They are spread up and down the socioeconomic spectrum. Some would counter that it is a few "Laconia Elites" in a certain gated community that are the project's biggest objectors, so declaring the WOW Trail a movement propelled by "Laconia Elites" really isn't accurate.
Again, I very much respect your position on the issue, just merely playing devil's advocate.