If you make a contract with someone do work on your house, then you expect that person will complete the job in a full, timely and satisfactory manner. Having a contract binds them legally to either finish the work or to repay you for what they did not do. If you had not paid them …
How often do you think about the water you drink and use each day? We all take it for granted because we are accustomed to having it always available whenever we want it. Yet, when it is not present, we readily notice its absence. We cannot live without it. Two experiences changed my perspective about …
I have written in a series of articles about land use zoning regulations. They may seem an abstract entity, but in fact, they are very much a real thing. Your town uses these hands-on tools every day to achieve the goals of your community’s master plan (usually a Plan of Conservation and Development) for guiding …
What Does Planning and Zoning Look Like in Your Town? Part 2 Read More »
When you drive in your car or walk around, what your town looks like is seen from a street level view. We are familiar with residential neighborhoods of houses, commercial areas of stores and offices, and industrial parks of manufacturing buildings. However, have you taken a good look at all that is actually around you? …
What Does Planning and Zoning Look Like in Your Town? Part 1 Read More »
We think each day about parking our cars. We assume there will be ample parking where we are going, but how often have you worried about actually finding parking? There is the frustration of driving up and down streets or around parking lots to find a spot. There may be the cost of paying at …
Woodstock’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved comprehensive changes to the town’s zoning regulations, as well as approving an updated zoning district map, at a special meeting on July 25th. The Commission had met the week prior to hold public hearings and decided to hold the special meeting in order to take extra …
New Zoning Regulations and Zoning District Map Approved for Woodstock Read More »
Let’s a take a moment and remind ourselves about why there is a Memorial Day. Memorial Day is celebrated with the sights of parades, the music of marching bands, and the taste of grilled or barbecued foods. Most Americans get a day off from work, and spend it with family and friends. Because Memorial Day …
Let’s a take a moment and remind ourselves about why there is a Veterans Day. It began in 1938 as Armistice Day, referencing Germany’s surrender at the end of World War I (the “war to end all wars”) at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. This was before …
Thoughts and Prayers Go Out to Newtown I had planned to send to the Villager the second part of my article on the basics of planning and zoning. The shocking and disturbing events this past week in Newtown, CT changed my plans. There are times in our lives that we remember vividly. My grandmother once …
My 8-year old son gets a weekly allowance when he does small chores around the house. If he wants something, then he uses his money. He has learned that money is earned through work; that when he has no money, he cannot magically get things he wants; and that if he borrows money from my …