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Middleboro on way to form Ag. Commission Standing room only meeting puts initiative on fast track 8/20/02 Chances appear to be good for Middleboro to become the third municipality in Massachusetts to have an Agriculture Commission. Last night's standing room only meeting at the Middleboro Town Hall ended with both Town Manager, John Healey, and Town Planner, Ruth Geoffroy expressing optimism that the commission could be approved as soon as the September Town Meeting. The chairman of the Board of Selectman offered to sponsor the item. Doug Gillespie, the new Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture, who was on a first name basis with many of those present because of previous his role as head of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, spoke enthusiastically of the value of town agriculture commissions, as did Dr. Tony Vieira from UMass. Dartmouth. Members of the Westport and Dartmouth Agriculture Commissions, the only towns in the state with ag. commissions, explained how they have acted effectively as mediators of disputes between residential neighbors and farmers, how they have "educated" members of the town commissions that do have statutory authority, and how they have developed successful "buy local" campaigns. Some pointed questions were raised about how effective a commission with little formal authority, and covering only a single town, could be that effective. But the crowd of cranberry, dairy and specialty crop farmers; stable owners; and staffers from Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, Plymouth County Conservation District, and USDA; needed little convincing as to the benefits of establishing a Middleboro agriculture commission. As the rural character of their towns have given way to encroaching suburban development, these ag. commissions also recognize the need to engage in public relations, outreach, and community education. Dartmouth, the older of the two commissions, is recruiting a "circle of friends" including a lawyer, writer, politician, soil scientist, grant write, web master and tax accountant, to volunteer their expertise. Healey and Geoffroy explained that any town commission could be voted statutory authority as long as it didn't supplant or duplicate the authority of another governmental body. Eleven or twelve people volunteered to work actively on the planning for an agriculture commission and another eight said they would help as their limited time permitted. They will meet before Friday, which is the deadline for submitting an item to town meeting, to put together their proposal. This will be based on the Dartmouth and Westport language:
The Middleboro Gazette covered the meeting, and reporter Karen Dusek interviewed a number of attendees following the meeting. Cranberry Stressline will republish her article on Thursday. |