Ames Farm Being Sued

[SteveS]

I consider the Ames family to be among the most effective preservationists on the lake. They manage to protect the hillside behind the cottages from development, while still providing easy access to the lake for boaters of all kinds who are not fortunate enough to own their own piece of paradise. The cottages represent one of the few (& becoming fewer) options for a traditional week at the lake for a family, unless one is lucky enough to be able to afford a "camp" of it's own. Many local & island kids get a chance for a great summer job experience that money can't buy, learning responsibility & good work habits from a family that's been successful for years & really know what they are about.

And Ames does all this preservation work without fund raising of any kind! They actually pay taxes! Go ask the LRCT folks how easy it is to preserve a ridge line - they worked their butts off for years to raise the money to preserve the "Castle in the Clouds" land, and now they work their butts off to keep it running.

I don't mean to suggest that the Ames family's intention is or is not to be preservationists, nor do I care. But I do care that when I look at the ridge line I don't see another Samoset. When a fisherman pulls a bass out from under my dock I feel a little guilty "owning" my bit of lakefront, knowing that no matter where he comes from, as long as his boat floats he has access to the lake I'm lucky enough to spend 100 days a year on.

Thanks for reading my rant!
Steve

[SteveS]

Originally Posted by SteveS

I consider the Ames family to be among the most effective preservationists on the lake. They manage to protect the hillside behind the cottages from development, while still providing easy access to the lake for boaters of all kinds who are not fortunate enough to own their own piece of paradise. The cottages represent one of the few (& becoming fewer) options for a traditional week at the lake for a family, unless one is lucky enough to be able to afford a "camp" of it's own. Many local & island kids get a chance for a great summer job experience that money can't buy, learning responsibility & good work habits from a family that's been successful for years & really know what they are about.

And Ames does all this preservation work without fund raising of any kind! They actually pay taxes! Go ask the LRCT folks how easy it is to preserve a ridge line - they worked their butts off for years to raise the money to preserve the "Castle in the Clouds" land, and now they work their butts off to keep it running.

I don't mean to suggest that the Ames family's intention is or is not to be preservationists, nor do I care. But I do care that when I look at the ridge line I don't see another Samoset. When a fisherman pulls a bass out from under my dock I feel a little less guilty "owning" my bit of lakefront, knowing that no matter where he comes from, as long as his boat floats he has access to the lake I'm lucky enough to spend 100 days a year on.

Thanks for reading my rant!
Steve

Oops, I meant "a little less guilty". Perhaps I should read the post first?

[mcdude]

Not All Neighbors Are Abutters

In the never-ending saga surrounding the Ames Farm Inn, the print media consistently lumps together neighbors and abutters as those opposed
to the activities that were granted by the Gilford Planning Board at their
meeting on July 7 and subsequently overturned by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Oct. 6. This representation by the media, albeit innocent,
gives the impression that those who own property contiguous to the Ames property, abutters, take issue with the use of the resort. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those in opposition to the activities at Ames Farm are not abutters but rather people who own property in the neighboring
area. As a point of fact, the abutters who I have spoken with have no issue with the uses set forth by the Planning Board. Simply put, all abutters are neighbors, but not all neighbors are abutters. The distinction is clear and of great importance in that abutters and non-abutters are diametrically opposed in their thoughts relative to the operation of the Ames Farm, as approved by the Planning Board.

David Pearse
Gilford