Here is a draft of a list of connections
Fayston has with the Mad River Valley. It may seem obvious, perhaps overkill. But it may not be obvious
to people outside Fayston, or outside the Valley. I invite corrections and additions. We don't need to beat
this one to death, emotional as it is. It is pretty obvious.
The list also may serve to help us see how Moretown and Duxsbury,
at least in part, belong to the Mad River Valley. I am still digesting facts and numbers and looking for other viewpoints.
I am thinking that the proposed reapportionment gives the broader Mad River Valley community a second representative.
The cost is splitting Fayston for this purpose. But we have now learned that the slpit would not require a second
polling place, and if a second voting machine is required, the State would pay for it. Several people from Moretown,
including Rep Maxine Grad ( a likely incumbent, and frequent contributor to the local Valley Reporter) have
said that Moretown is identified with the Mad River Valley. Duxsbury straddles the Valley and Waterbury and I do not
have a sense of the town as a whole.
I have looked at the arguments for shifting to one-representative districts State-wide.
I come from a land of three-member districts, with bizzare 1 1/12 vote split ballots and three-vote bullets. They
actually made sense in Chicago, but what a price in voting complexity. The Machine took control anyway. I am strongly
in favor of the move to single representative districts in Vermont. The best evidence, for me, is to look at the multiple-member
districts to see if minority groups are getting representation there. I do not see it working for that purpose in Vermont.
We are indeed still partisan, but far more issue oriented than polarized on local issues.
Best,
Rick
DRAFT 9
July 2011-07-09
The connections of Fayston
to the Mad River Valley are obvious to people who live here. They may not be obvious to people outside the Valley, or
even to many people living in towns where the Mad River actually runs. This DRAFT may have some factual
errors to fix, and certainly can be expanded. Please send back comments of all sorts.
Here are some of Fayston’s connections to the Mad River Valley,
- Both Sugarbush North and Mad River Glen ski areas are in Fayston
- Fayston’s Grand List includes ski clubs, and second home owners drawn to
the Valley
- Fayston is part
of the Mad River Planning District and the Mad River Recreation District. The Mad River Path Association.
Other districts (Conservation? Friends of Mad River?)
4 All Roads out of Fayston lead to the Mad River Valley, except
Rte 17W.
One
road leads to Warren, eight roads cross to Waitsfield. The town road crews in Fayston and Waitsfield
have some shared maintenance agreements.
5 Fayston and Waitsfield share a volunteer fire department.
6
Fayston and the Mad River Valley share the Mad River Valley Ambulance.
7
Fayston has no business district or post office of it own. It is split between
05673 and 05660 zip codes (Waitsfield and Moretown)
8
Fayston, Waitsfield, Warren and Moretown share the Harwood Middle School.
Waterbury and Duxsbury have Crossett Brook Middle School.
9
Fayston has no churches of its own; but Waitsfield and Warren
and Moretown have at least five active churches which are attended by people from Fayston. The Valley clergy are organized
Valley-wide as the Interfaith Clergy Council.
10 Fayston’s elementary school is at the south end of town, but serves the whole town.
11 Fayston
makes a large contribution to the Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield.
12
Youth sports leagues- like Little League, T ball, soccer,
etc. are organized for the
whole Mad River Valley, including Fayston and Moretown.
So is the Mad River Valley Co-Ed Softball League.
13 Fayston
is an active community, not just a bedroom community or farm and forest. The following farms and home occupations in Fayston
have web sites or marketing materials that identify their location in the Mad River Valley, or even in Waitsfield
(for mailing).
Vermont
Icelandic Horse Farm, Shepherds Brook Auto and Restoration, Recovery Room, MusicCraft, Lindsay Custom
Builders and Design, Vermont Spice of Life, Mad River Barn, Mad River building and Design, Eastman Long Maple
Syrup, Vasseur maple syrup, Mad River Veterinary Service, Millbrook Inn, White Horse Inn, Hyde Away Inn,
Mountain View Inn. Atii Sled Dogs, et al. More?
14
Fayston does not have a post office. Fayston residents get home delivery mail based
out of Waitsfield or Moretown, or they have PO Boxes, in Waitsfield and Moretown.
15
All of Fayston, including Shepherd Brook and Mill Brook, and
eight small streams drain into the Mad River. These are also fishing streams considered by fisherman
as part of the Mad River Valley.
16 There
are properties which overlap Fayston/Waitsfield, and Fayston/Duxsbury.
17
Historically….oh boy, where to start... lots and lots.
18
Rotary, Freemasons, Lions, Oddfellows, Gardening
Club, Couples Club, The Community Fund, the Food Shelf, Valley Players, and other organizations draw membership
from and serve the whole Mad River Valley.
19 The
Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce serves and supports the whole Valley.
20
The local phone, DSL, and cable cable company serves the whole Mad
River Valley. It lists facts and figures for four towns in the local phone book: Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield,
and Warren. The independent public access TV station MRVTV, with two channels, has programming
for Fayston, Waitsfield, and Warren Town affairs, programming for the whole Valley including schools, and includes a Duxsbury
member on its Board.
21 Green
Mountain Valley School is a major economic factor in the Valley (under-noticed as such), located in Fayston but
with activities Valley-wide.
22 The Valley Reporter, our local paper, includes Fayston, Duxsbury,
Moretown, Waitsfield, Warren, and Waterbury on its masthead, has advertising, news, and business connections in all those
towns, most strongly Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield, and Warren, and has served the Valley admirably for decades.
23 More?
Of course. Corrections too. Send them to me and I will update this.
Rick Rayfield
Justice of the Peace, Fayston BCA