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Townspeople Have the Chance

The Venuti property has been offered to the town for purchase. It is part of an increasingly fragile and significant ecosystem of marsh, streams, and lake and forested acreage and open fields, each with its own transitional spaces. Over the years of the Venuti family’s ownership, the family has mindfully managed the property to maintain the ecological integrity while integrating spaces for use by the family and guests for commercial, municipal, and leisure activities. The townspeople have the chance to secure this valuable property.

The acquisition and preservation of this acreage for our town is not to be dismissed or taken lightly. Opportunities for average people to have access to waterfront and open spaces are becoming increasingly diminished by exponential rates through development and privatization. While researching the value of this property, nothing was available for comparison. This revelation alone should be enough to justify the people of this town taking ownership. How many opportunities have been and will be squandered before we realize the irreversible loss and potential destruction of such significant tracts of land and water are, not only to the townspeople, but to the innumerable species of plant and animals that share these areas? There is no dollar amount that can replace these losses. Photographs and memories are simply not the same.

The potential cost to taxpayers in Killingworth is only what could be considered daily pocket change. With responsible ownership and maintenance, this property can be a profitable investment that will reap benefits for now and future generations. Its loss to the town would create an irreparable mistake that could create more distance from what the essence of this beautiful town has been to all those who live in and visit Killingworth. It will be a mistake that cannot be corrected.

Karen Gagliardi

Killingworth