ࡱ> ;=:'` ,"bjbj .*, $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $Fh5a$ $ aa5$ $ Ja$ $ a$  0;υ< wv`0888<$   $ $ $ 55 $ $ $ aaaa\\ Letter to the Editor September 20, 2009 Habitat and Jennifer Lane I am writing for several reasons. First, I want to express my appreciation to the Town of Manchester Development Review Board and to all the people who participated in the meetings. I also want to recognize the excellent job that Ellis Speath and Chris Ponessi of Speath Engineering did in designing the project and to our many friends for their hard work and generous pledges of support. Second, I am responding to Cathy Hills Letter to the Editor. I appreciate her positive comments about Habitat. She raised important questions that I am sure others might have as well. This type of discussion will help us develop the best possible plan for all concerned. I hope this response not only addresses Cathys concerns but also the concerns of others in the community. The scale of this project actually makes it easier for Habitat to construct, oversee, and guarantee the quality of the homes than if the homes were separated geographically. The development of the shared infrastructure is more efficient, cost effective and with positive impacts on the environment as compared to traditional development of individual homes with their own infrastructure. Secondly, the unified infrastructure makes the inspection and maintenance, as well as the ability to monitor the project much easier than to monitor segregated segments, isolated by distance, with each utilizing its own unique support infrastructure. One of our project objectives is to reduce the density of the homes as compared to the existing engineered subdivision. The Habitat houses will be sited on lots as large or larger than those that have already been built on, with an average lot size of 0.29 acres. Our project calls for significantly fewer homes than are currently allowed under the Manchester Zoning Bylaws for a planned affordable residential district. Some people are concerned that we have not managed a project like this before. While we plan to construct as many as twenty-two homes on Jennifer Lane, it is not our intent to build them all at once. After the new road and common septic system are in place, we anticipate completing the Habitat homes on Jennifer Lane over many years, as resources allow. The growth in the neighborhood will take place gradually, with the input and cooperation of the community. We serve all of Bennington County and throughout this period, we will continue to build Habitat homes across the county. Some concerns have been expressed about our plan for a community septic system. A shared septic system will represent a major improvement over 22 individually built systems throughout the neighborhood, allowing greater flexibility for constructive landscaping, parking and vehicular circulation, grading and drainage, and home placement. The sewage disposal system must meet new, significantly more rigid State of Vermont standards, compared to the existing septic systems, including perpetual periodic inspection and certification requirements to ensure that it is operating properly. The planned upgrades to the town water line will benefit the existing community by providing an increase in water pressure and will significantly improve fire-fighting capabilities bringing them up to todays standards. The planned road improvements will provide safer access to Routes 11/30, better storm water management for the ditches and culverts, and improved road width in areas that are currently sub-standard. Only the homeowners living on the new road and those who use the community septic system will be part of a homeowners association and will pay into an escrow fund for the on-going maintenance of these infrastructures. No current homeowners will have any financial burden placed upon their property because of the Habitat project. Before we build a Habitat home, we go through an intense family selection process. There are specific income, credit, and employment and personal reference requirements. For example, we received twenty-one completed applications for our last home and were only able to select one family. We have a team of family support partners that work closely with each family from the moment of selection to the end of the first full year of living in the home. Each adult is required to contribute a minimum of 250 hours of sweat equity building his or her home, side by side with volunteers. In fact, our homeowners have always contributed significantly more hours than the minimum required. Our family partners can and do reach out to us with questions or concerns they may have about owning and caring for their home. They pay their mortgage, property insurance, property taxes and all those other expenses necessary to maintain their homes. There are strict requirements for the continued upkeep and appearance of Habitat homes. In sum, unlike ordinary developers, we have a support system in place to insure that our homeowners will be successful and positive members of their neighborhood and the community in which they live and work. Our Board of Directors is working hard to secure the additional financial support we need to take on this project. Once secured, we plan to invite area residents, especially people who live on or near to Jennifer Lane, to meetings for the purpose of clarifying project plans and eliciting suggestions. Working together in this way will help insure the success of the project. I hope this letter has helped to answer Cathys questions and other questions concerned community members may have had. We are very excited about this unique opportunity to contribute to the Manchester community. It cannot be overstated what an incredible opportunity this project offers the town of Manchester. It helps fulfill the town's goals and commitment to create really affordable housing, with the added benefit of greater tax revenues and more children to fill our classrooms with very little cost to the taxpayers. We welcome questions and suggestions (P.O. Box 524, Dorset, VT 05251) and look forward to active participation from the community. Our affiliate receives no funds or help from Habitat International. Each affiliate is responsible for securing all funds and volunteers from the community. Habitat is all about people helping hard working people in the community in which they live and work to get a hand up, not a hand out. Our success with this project will depend upon the support members of the Manchester community provide, now with planning and securing the funds we need, and over the years building the homes. Richard Malley, President Bennington Area Habitat for Humanity ./ U V  "#ij!!+","h6h hShl1hphz./I V X "#ij!!","gdz,",1h/ =!"#$% @@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontRi@R  Table Normal4 l4a (k@(No List,*./IVX " # ij.0000@0@000000000000000000000000./IVX " i.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000d!,",","`7\`7dX`7d4`7X`7A`7 `7t`7`74`7`74ڊ`7́ `7 ΁!`7,}"`7L΁#`7$!$`7|3%`7t&`7΁'`7̣(`7)`7*`74+`7>,`7-`7|.`7p4/`7;;k k v u u **ss.     HHu | | | | 44}}. 8*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsCity9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsState:*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsStreet>*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PostalCode;*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsaddress9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsplace=*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceName=*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceType  HO.0= .333333333./IIUVWW " # ij+.. 6@$l1Sz p@q ,p@UnknownGz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial"qhff[&D /D /242QHX)?z2Letter to the EditorRichard MalleyRichard MalleyOh+'0  $0 P \ h tLetter to the EditorRichard MalleyNormalRichard Malley2Microsoft Office Word@^в@*2:@ƅ<@ƅ<D՜.+,0 hp|  / ' Letter to the Editor Title  !"#$%&'()+,-./013456789<Root Entry FIυ<>Data 1Table8WordDocument.*SummaryInformation(*DocumentSummaryInformation82CompObjq  FMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q