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Community integrity vs. dollar stores

To the editor:

We won the first battle. Amen.

Next, the planning and town boards are revising our town zoning code to better protect us from unsightly corporate franchise box stores that will destroy our homegrown businesses and unique small town atmosphere.

Simple and logical ways to do this exist. In 2018, Stowe enacted a limit on the size of retail stores to 5,000 square feet. That is half the size needed by dollar-type stores. Many other minor and effective restrictions are worth enacting, specifically with respect to screening, appearance and signs.

This year, two great board members are moving on. Alas, three great and fully qualified members of our community are offering to join and help keep our town growing strong and sensibly. As one will not be able to become part of the team this January, we can only hope that he or she will hang in and join in two years when another seat opens.

I strongly encourage you to consider one candidate as uniquely perfect for the task of helping to revise our zoning code.

Michelle Preston has been operations manager of the Visitor’s Bureau for 14 years and secretary for the planning board for five. Michelle knows, and has the contact info for on her phone, of all the key people in this project both locally and regionally, and was and continues to be most helpful in my concerned local citizen efforts to stop a dollar-type store from locating within our borders.

I look forward to filling in the little oval next to Michelle Preston’s name on Tuesday, and hope you will too. Please remember to vote on Nov. 2.

Best wishes for a safe and healthy winter!

Sincerely,

Karl von Entress

Wilmington

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