Voters agree to buy land, reject two zoning articles
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Westminster voters agreed to purchase a larger parcel of forestry land and to purchase an Agricultural Preservation Restriction on its adjoining parcel during a special town meeting Tuesday night. Voters also divided their support of four zoning articles.

Voters agreed to contribute towards the agricultural restriction on the Schenck property, which will prevent any future development on the working farm parcel of that land. The state is also contributing to the purchase on the deed restriction.

"It has to be farmed," said Selectman John Fairbanks. "All we are buying is the right not to look at more houses."

Voters also supported the town's purchase of the forested part of the property for $320,000. The town has received $184,000 grant from the state to help with the purchase. Voters passed a citizen's petition convert 83 and 84 Main St. to commercial zoning instead of residential by well over the two-thirds needed to pass the article.

Fay Allard, the owners of one of the parcels, said she is interested in selling her land soon.

Resident Elizabeth Bowen said that she didn't support the article because she didn't want to change the "character of the town" and was afraid these two parcels - located across the street from each other - could be combined with other commercial properties.

Voters, in a 67-43 vote, passed over an article that would have changed the special permit granting authority to create lots from non-conforming lots, after former Planning Board member Vincent Jamieson said the Attorney General's Office would not approve the change in the Zoning Bylaws.

"It is fatally flawed on its face," he said, explaining that it granted too much authority to the ZBA.

Voters narrowly passed a proposal to change parking regulations, including allowing smaller parking spots. Voters approved the article with the needed twothirds majority after an amendment passed to keep churches except from the requirements for one parking spot for every four seats.

Just over 3 percent of voters - 164 residents - turned out at the Special Town Meeting at Westminster Elementary School.

Selectmen had to recommend five articles because the state Department of Revenue had not certified the town's free cash (the amount of money the town did not spend out of last year's budget) before the town meeting. The state prohibits spending the free cash until the official certification is received.

Many of the other articles were paid for because of transfers from the Overlay Surplus fund instead of the free cash account. Voters also had to approve transferring $700,000 from the stabilization account to balance the town's budget. Fairbanks said the Selectmen will ask voters to transfer the money back to that account in a special town meeting expected to be held in January.

Voters rejected the Selectmen's suggestion to pass over an article that requested $5,000 to repair and refurbish the town's 1929 Seagrave Fire Engine. Voters passed the article after deciding they wanted to discuss the issue.

"This to me is a no-brainer," said resident George Lane. "We should be able to find the money in this seemingly bottomless overlay surplus account."

Voters also agreed to move the Annual Town Meeting back to the first Saturday in May instead of the first Tuesday in May. The move will take the meetings start time back to 1 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

Voters also accepted a gift of over four acres of land on Oakmont Avenue and the creations of an Agricultural Commission.