Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows (in Lexington) - FoAGM |
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Letter published in the Arlington Advocate March 6,
2003:
In a letter to the Advocate on February 27, Mr. Dudley suggested selling Arlington’s Great Meadows (AGM) to help with the current budget deficit. This proposal ignores several important points. About three-quarters of this land is wetland, and most
of the remaining areas are in the flood plain or wetland buffer zones.
Environmental and zoning regulations make any development here
extremely difficult. For
that reason alone, the market value of Great Meadows would be far less than Mr. Dudley’s estimate. Another consideration is that AGM is in the headwaters
of Mill Brook and provides storage that buffers storm waters.
Any development of this area would likely increase flooding
downstream along Mill Brook in Arlington. As a practical matter, any attempt to develop or sell this land would most likely be strongly opposed by Lexington. That process could drag on for years, well past the current budgetary need, and sour relations between the two towns for many years thereafter. Arlington’s Great Meadows provides a unique natural area that more people in this town should know about and enjoy. It provides a natural classroom that could be of great value to the schools’ educational programs. A group of citizens from both Arlington and Lexington
have formed the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows (FoAGM) group to
spread the word about this area. We
have regular walks and educational events, and invite anyone who is
interested to join us. Information
about the Meadows and our activities can be found at the website (www.foagm.org). Let’s preserve Arlington’s largest natural area
for its educational and recreational values, and for its irreplaceable links to our
historic and natural heritage. From the FoAGM Steering Committee
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