My name is Janet Kern and I live at 72 Lowell St – 3 houses away from Busa Farm in the historic farmhouse of what used to be the Reed Dairy Farm. I am also one of the managers of the Lexington Farmers’ Market. I’m not here speaking for the Market, but I am here for the same reasons that I work for the market year-round: Because I understand the importance of local farming and local farmers to our environment, health and our community in general. More about that in a minute.
First, I want to applaud all the people who have been involved to date in coming up with a vision for this property to be purchased and used as open space in Lexington. Both my husband and I are strong supporters of the Community Preservation Act and it seems that there has been a genuine effort to consider how best to take advantage of the funds available that would be in the best interest of the community.
There is no question in my mind that the community – that is - Town at large as well as residents abutting this property will benefit in very positive ways through this purchase of this property as opposed to it being developed privately into 14 big box homes. We are particularly encouraged that there are plans for affordable housing – something sorely needed for a very long time.
I would like to say however that I believe strongly that with more organized community involvement that we might even be able to develop plans that are even more exciting.
So far, only a few people’s vision has been enlisted. Imagine what we could do together as more people are invited to think about the possibilities. What I like about these plans is that there is an effort to serve many interests. What excites me even more are the possibilities for connecting those interests into a broad vision that connects those interests in one large vision!
As a part of this, I think one of the most important things we can do is to encourage all those interested in land preservation, especially the Conservation Commission, to begin broadening its view of how conservation land can be used. It doesn’t need to be set aside to be a, wooded, untouched area. In fact, in this day and age when the importance of “locally grown” is so critical to our environment and survival – we absolutely need to remember our roots as a farming town – and not stop at community gardens, but understand and encourage FARMING. Conservation Commissions across the state should specifically look to what towns like Lincoln and Concord have done in leasing conservation land to farmers. This is a model that is truly win-win – for the community and the farmers themselves.
This is just one example of dreaming about even bigger plans to reach outside the community. Imagine how we could connect visions of community with education – what are the possibilities for teaching our children about our environment and sustainable living, with a FARM at our disposal?
Again, I applaud the work that has been done to date. I absolutely support the purchase of the property by the Town…and let’s keep working together to do even more…