Chatham Voices
2026 Community Vote
Results and Report
June 2026
Our Chatham community is the place where some of us were born, where we moved to
later in life and had roots take hold, or where we will grow old. Love of our community can unite us. While we have our differences from time to time, we can share in the hope that we will leave our community even better off for the next generation than we found it.
The Chatham Voices project evolved from the work of volunteers who sought to provide folks with a non-partisan platform to focus on what environmental and community issues Chatham neighbors value most about rural living and are willing to work for. The idea is that regular people should have the power and opportunity to decide for themselves what’s most important to their community.
By identifying and voting for our favorite measure, we have the opportunity to work together, get to know each other better and share in the satisfaction of making a difference together. Chatham Voices asked Chatham residents to propose creative solutions and project ideas that would improve, preserve and promote a stronger community. Over the course of two public forums, a community survey, and 435 one-on-one conversations with residents, Chatham neighbors proposed 27 community project ideas across a range of issues. We then asked any Chatham resident age 10 or older to vote for their top 3 priorities. Neighbors had the opportunity to vote through mail, online, or in person at the North Chatham Library.
This report details the results of the 2026 Chatham Voices Community Vote.
What’s next? Turning most of these ideas into reality will require large scale participation by
community members. Many community members who voted indicated that they wanted to learn
more about how they can volunteer to help. Thought the months of June and July
(location TBA) we will gather to discuss first steps to see if Chatham residents have enough
energy to turn these ideas into reality.
To find out more information, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/chatham-voices/home
We hope you’ll join us,
Your fellow Chatham neighbors
The Chatham Voices projects emanate from the Funding Futures grant supported by the local nonprofit, Partners for Climate Action, (now Understory) which supported six Hudson Valley fellows to run nonpartisan listening campaigns in their towns.
https://www.climateactionhv.org/fundingfutures
Executive Summary
We asked Chatham residents to propose community project ideas and then choose their top three priorities.
Key results of the community vote include:
Expand the Rail Trail in Chatham 180 points
Support local immigrant farm workers 133 points
Community swimming pool and playground upgrade at Crellin Park (or other location TBD) 128 points
Create more public trails to interconnect our dirt and gravel roads 104 points
Promote solar energy adoption to homeowners, schools, local businesses and other local stakeholders 101 points
Reopen Spangler Bridge as a trail connector 100 points
Collect data on water quality and implement improvements 88 points
Improve the connection between farmers and landowners with viable land 64 points
Repair the High Bridge Road spring box 57 points
Replace toxic herbicide application on state roads in Chatham with non-toxic options 54 points
Remediate meadows overrun by the invasive Toringo Crab Apple 51 points
Widen Rock City Road, reduce speed limit and add a bike lane 43 points
Improve the farmers markets and promote community gardens 42 points
Promote solar on big buildings (like Sonoco Crellin) 34 points
Pave or gravel some dirt roads 32 points
Remove invasives at Crellin Park and dig out Smith Pond 32 points
Create a road map for local food security and independence 29 points
More local signage to slow traffic 29 points
Promote biochar production 29 points
Create a plan to address potential data centers 26 points
More parking in downtown Chatham 24 points
Encourage hunting in Chatham 22 points
Survey the schools to determine how the can community be more supportive and involved 22 points
Put speed humps on cut through streets and avenues 17 points
Map areas of ecological significance in Chatham 14 points
Adopt local tree bylaws 11points
Create and moderate a public space to talk about environmental issues 9 points
Outreach
Neighbors had three means by which to purpose community solutions. Two forms were created to collect those ideas, one that allowed people to propose project ideas directly, and the other was a survey that was designed to get some additional feedback on what nature features and quality of life features people care about most. Forty-seven people responded to the survey with twenty- two project proposals emanating from the survey and five that were proposed directly. Outreach to solicit protect ideas via the survey and direct proposal form included:
(1) 435 one-on-one conversations which were clocked using a phone based tally counter app.
(2) informal tabling or outreach attending 19 different community events and attempting where appropriate to have as many conversations about the listening campaign and what mattered most to people.
(3) two community listening sessions hosted in November and December of 2026 hosted at The North Chatham Trolley Station and the New Concord Historical Society.
(4) a social-media campaign
(5) local flyering
(6) an email campaign to local community groups and community based businesses and (7) one on one conversations with leaders from various community groups.
A total of 257 ballots were cast in the 2026 vote with 249 deemed valid; 169 responses
(66%) were collected online, 76 (30%) were collected through postal mail and 12
(5%) were collected at the ballot box location.
All Chatham residents age 10 and older were eligible to vote. While you must be registered to vote and age 18 and older to vote in local elections, the Chatham Voices community vote response of 257 ballots represents 14.4% of the voter turnout in Chatham for the most recent 2025 election (n approximately =1780).
Chatham residents showed a strong desire to engage civically, with 103 respondents
(40%) providing their email address and/or phone numbers indicating they would like to
learn more about how to help work on the proposals they voted for. Five percent of voters indicated in the comment section that they liked and wanted to work on more than one community project idea or that they had a hard time choosing just three.
Over the months of June and July 2026 Chatham Voices will report these results to community members and the Chatham Town Board on July 25, 2026 host a "job fair-style" public forum where all Chatham residents and community organizations are invited to attend and learn more about how to help work on proposals.
To learn more, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/chatham-voices/home
Methods
Respondents: All residents of Chatham aged 10 years or older were eligible to cast a vote for their top three priorities among the 27 proposed ideas.
Data collection: Data was collected in three ways.
(1) Online voting opened on March 27th , 2026 and closed on May 15, 2026 at 11:59pm.
(2) Paper ballots were collected at the North Chatham Library. A Lockbox ballot box was located at the Library from March 28th to May 15th, 2026 and submitted ballots were retrieved regularly by the data analyst.
(3) Paper ballots were mailed to 1,959 residences with an additional 200 that were hand delivered, passed out at community centers, and distributed at local businesses and tabling events. Paper ballots could be mailed back to Chatham Voices with a first-class stamp or could be dropped off at the ballot box location. Ballots postmarked by May 15th 2026 were included in the sample.
Further recruitment efforts included:
(1) sending regular reminder emails to the Chatham Voices email list, which included asking recipients to forward the ballot information to their local networks;
(2) volunteers tabling at the earth day events.
(3) hanging posters and leaving ballots at local business establishments;
(4) making phone calls and sending texts to remind people to vote;
(5) sharing voting details on local social media sites (Facebook groups, Imby and Next door).
Measures
The following data were collected on the ballot: (1) top priority; (2) second priority;
(3) third priority; (5) street address; and (6) an option to stay connected and learn more about how to help work on the proposals voted on, including a space to provide email address and/or phone number.
A write-in idea option was made available for the online ballot so residents could propose additional ideas for the community.
Street addresses were collected for resident verification purposes.
Priorities were arranged on the paper ballot and online ballot in random numerical order. There were twenty seven proposals in total and expanded information about each one is available for review on the https://sites.google.com/view/chatham-voices/home and in Appendix C of this report.
Respondents wrote in the numbers one (1) (2) and (3) on the paper ballot to indicate their selection for priorities. The online ballot utilized a drop-down list of proposals with the same number identifiers and respondents clicked on their selection.
Data analysis
Online vote data was exported as an Excel spreadsheet. All data was saved on a
password-protected computer and only the data analyst and an independent reviewer were allowed to review the data. Mail-in and paper ballot data was entered manually by the data analyst onto the google form before being exported to an excel spreadsheet indicating if the ballot was mailed or dropped at the ballot location. All data was saved on a password-protected computer and the paper ballots were stored in a locked filing cabinet.
The data analyst cleaned the data accordingly:
(1) the analyst checked the data for duplicate names
(if duplicated, the analyst deleted entries that had entered the same priority choices and contacted respondents with discordant entries to confirm their selections; if respondents did not respond the analyst selected the most recent entry);
(2) the analyst checked for multiple votes from a single street address
(3) If a ballot did not have a street address or other contact information it was excluded from the aggregate results as an invalid entry because the analyst could not verify residency in Chatham.
(4) The priority choices were ranked (top choice, second choice, third choice), so data was weighted to indicate the ranking. For example, top choice proposals received a score of "3;" second choice proposals received a score of "2;" and third choice proposals received a score of "1." This coding gave the top priority a higher "score" and the third priority the lowest "score." (5) Ballots that had check marks rather than numerical prioritization were each given a score of two points.
Once aggregated, the proposal with the highest total score is considered the "top priority" amongst community respondents; the proposal with the second highest score is considered the "second priority;" and so on.
Results
Community Participation
A total of 257 ballots were cast in the 2026 Chatham Voices project. Eight ballots could not be included in the vote tally because (a) they were duplicate ballots (n=1); (b) the
respondent did not provide a name/address for residence verification (n=5); (c ) the respondents did not live in Chatham (n=2). This left 249 valid responses.
All further results are reported as priorities among those residents who voted. Thus the results represent the desires of that portion of Chatham community who engaged with the Chatham Voices listening campaign.
Community Priorities
Expand the Rail Trail in Chatham (180 points) is the top priority among those Chatham residents who voted.
Support local immigrant farm workers (133 points) received the second highest total score.
Followed by Community swimming pool and playground upgrade at Crellin Park (128 points)
The following proposals represent the fourth through twenty seventh
priorities:
4. Create more public trails to interconnect our dirt and gravel roads 104 points
5. Promote solar energy adoption to homeowners, schools, local businesses and other local stakeholders 101 points
6. Reopen Spangler Bridge as a trail connector 100 points
7. Collect data on water quality and implement improvements 88 points
8. Improve the connection between farmers and landowners with viable land 64 points
9. Repair the High Bridge Road spring box 57 points
10. Replace toxic herbicide application on state roads in Chatham with non-toxic options 54 points
11. Remediate meadows overrun by the invasive Toringo Crab Apple 51points
12.. Widen Rock City Road, reduce speed limit and add a bike lane 43 points
13. Improve the farmers markets and promote community gardens 42 points
14. Promote solar on big buildings (like Sonoco Crellin) 34 points
15.Pave or gravel some dirt roads 32 points
16.Remove invasives at Crellin Park and dig out Smith Pond 32 points
17.Create a road map for local food security and independence 29 points
18. More local signage to slow traffic 29 points
19. Promote biochar production 29 points
20.Create a plan to address potential data centers 26 points
21.More parking in downtown Chatham 24 points
22.Encourage hunting in Chatham 22 points
23.Survey the schools to determine how the can community be more supportive and involved 22 points
24.Put speed humps on cut through streets and avenues 17points
25.Map areas of ecological significance in Chatham 14 points
26.Adopt local tree bylaws 11 points
27.Create and moderate a public space to talk about environmental issues 9 points
We included a “write in idea" section to give people who missed the first round to propose additional projects in the hope that these, while not included in the community vote, will be available to the community for future consideration.
They are listed bellow:
1. Activate local spaces for live music
2.Anything to support our local kids! More options at the Morris, more sidewalks, continue to build up and beautify Crellin and the library, water fountains and spray pads at Crellin, rail trails far away from roads,
3. The family resource center is in Valatie and Hudson, would be great to have here too or other options for free/low cost daycare.
4. Create a community space for social activities of all ages, with a commercial kitchen, potentially connected to a food bank, and a community dining hall with a cooperative meal plan in exchange for volunteering to cook or clean up.
5. Create a crew to clean up properties in our community that are overrun with garbage, old cars, junk etc. Many home owners in this situation need assistance to remove items from their property.
6. Create more affordable housing for families
7. Develop more opportunities/venues for young people to get together. The survey has some ideas, but I would like to see a broader approach to this important problem
8. Encourage the State to renovate the Village Circle and the Bridge over the Steinkill on Center Street.
9. Expand community efforts to pick up roadside litter
10. Find ways to better the local community for lower/middle class young families to encourage them to not only stay but flourish here in our community. Our school numbers are dwindling partly because there are very little resources for families and children in our areas.
11. Flower garden at the gazebo
12. Honestly, I'd like to see a carwash in the community... I know they are terrible for the environment and this is probably not the right venue to offer this suggestion but, being rural I rely on my car and the roads can be damaging to them. If there is a more environmentally friendly carwashes to implement, let's be one of the first.
13. I believe that a quality third place area for teens and young adults would greatly benefit this community. Think of options such as an arcade, museum, or a zoo of some type.
14. A horse park / community forest with trails for horseback riding.
15. Improved Street lighting to lessen light pollution.
16. Install a fast Charger for EVs (with cooperation from Stewarts, Eaton Corners or Price Chopper). This would be convenient for locals & attract customers coming off the Taconic Parkway.
17. Just backing up the Rock City Rd issue. I LOVE biking on it and seeing other cyclists on it, at a bare minimum the town should pressure the sheriff to patrol that road and we should definitely lower the speed limit.
18. Keep Chatham rural
19. More and brighter street lights on Main Street
20.More children's based activity centers like bowling alleys or skating rinks
21. More fishing access
22. More rentals for full time residents or regulation on Airbnbs / short term rentals in the area
23. More signage to slow traffic in the village on Main Street
24. Reduce ag run off and any sewage treatment or industrial runoff and preserve water quality of stonykill, kinderhook and klinekill creeks for recreational use into the future
25. Speed humps specifically on Kinderhook Street—where drivers “floor it” after the Park Row stop sign. 26. Encourage the State to renovate the Village Circle and the Center Street Bridge over the Steinkill.
27. Support existing regional biodiversity initiatives, especially those that involve agricultural land
28. Talk CLC into allowing hunting and fishing for free.
29. Working group to determine what affordable small business resources we need (e.g dry cleaners) and work with town, realtors, and existing business groups to bring them in.
Next Steps
While one core goal of the Chatham Voices Project was to identify shared community priorities, a second core goal was to create opportunities for community members to volunteer to turn the proposals and the ideas they care about into reality. Of the total respondents,103 provided their email address and/or phone numbers indicating they would like to learn more about how to help work on the proposals they voted for.
The Chatham Voices sought to provide a nonpartisan platform for Chatham residents to share ideas about how to preserve and promote a strong community and used the voting process to identify shared priorities for community action. The Chatham Voices Project will report these results to the elected bodies of the Town of Chatham, relevant Town committees, and publicly through a press release, directly to participants, and by posting on local Facebook social media groups and the Chatham Voices website.
All of these proposals will have varied paths towards progress: some will require leadership by engaged community members and organizations, others will require local government leadership, and many will require a mix of both. In fact, several of the issues proposed through the Chatham Voices process are currently being worked on by our local governments, private citizens, and local coalitions and organizations.
We hope the Chatham Voices process helps catalyze greater civic engagement across many
of these issue areas, bolstering existing efforts and seeding new ones if community support emerges. Beyond serving as a facilitator for the proposal of ideas and identification of shared community priorities, Chatham Voices plans to help facilitate further civic engagement by organizing a "job fair-style" public forum where Chatham residents and community organizations are invited to attend and learn more about how to help work on the proposals. The people who proposed the 27 ideas will be contacted to verify if they will be willing or able to coordinate the planning and implementation of their proposed ideas. Those who can will attend the forum and be able to meet with other Chatham residents who would like to help. All proposals that Chatham residents voted on can be represented at the public forum because each proposal received public support through the voting process. The public forum will present an opportunity for those already involved with the issues to share their work and broaden their network. Furthermore, some of the proposals might be appropriately consolidated, depending on resident interest, which could streamline implementation and build a larger pool of community volunteers willing to work on initiatives. If you, or an organization or group you are working with, are interested in working together on initiatives with other interested
community members, we encourage you to attend the forum to broaden support for your work. We also encourage you to get in touch via email: chathamvoices03@gmail.com
Appendix A: Final ranking of the 27 proposals in the 2026 Chatham Voices project campaign
Expand the Rail Trail in Chatham 180 points
Support local immigrant farm workers 133 points
Community swimming pool and playground upgrade at Crellin Park (or other location TBD) 128 points
4. Create more public trails to interconnect our dirt and gravel roads 104 points
5. Promote solar energy adoption to homeowners, schools, local businesses and other local stakeholders 101 points
6. Reopen Spangler Bridge as a trail connector 100 points
7. Collect data on water quality and implement improvements 88 points
8. Improve the connection between farmers and landowners with viable land 64 points
9. Repair the High Bridge Road spring box 57 points
10. Replace toxic herbicide application on state roads in Chatham with non-toxic options 54 points
11. Remediate meadows overrun by the invasive Toringo Crab Apple 51points
12.. Widen Rock City Road, reduce speed limit and add a bike lane 43 points
13. Improve the farmers markets and promote community gardens 42 points
14. Promote solar on big buildings (like Sonoco Crellin) 34 points
15.Pave or gravel some dirt roads 32 points
16.Remove invasives at Crellin Park and dig out Smith Pond 32 points
17.Create a road map for local food security and independence 29 points
18. More local signage to slow traffic 29 points
19. Promote biochar production 29 points
20.Create a plan to address potential data centers 26 points
21.More parking in downtown Chatham 24 points
22.Encourage hunting in Chatham 22 points
23.Survey the schools to determine how the can community be more supportive and involved 22 points
24.Put speed humps on cut through streets and avenues 17points
25.Map areas of ecological significance in Chatham 14 points
26.Adopt local tree bylaws 11 points
27.Create and moderate a public space to talk about environmental issues 9 points
Appendix B: Survey Results
A Survey was created to get the creative juice flowing, to get some statistical feedback from neighbors and assess additional concerns. Respondents were asked to take the survey and then propose an idea. Full survey results are available on-line
Forty Seven residents completed the survey and a summary results is listed below:
What do you love about living in Chatham ?
Most people sighted the rural character,access to nature, natural beauty, historic development patterns, neighbors community and the small town atmosphere.
How long have you lived in Chatham ?
Born here 9%
Born here, left and returned 4%
Moved here over 20 years ago 53%
Moved here 10 -19 years ago 13%
Moved here under 10 years ago 20%
Which natural resource(s) are most important to you, and which would you like to see protected the most?
Farmland 12%
Open-space 14%
Forests 11%
Wetlands 12%
Lakes/Ponds /creeks 13%
All of the above 37%
Horse Riding trails 1%
What are your favorite outdoor activities?
Hunting/ fishing 6%
Swimming 7%
Hiking 20%
Riding 9%
Biking 15%
Running / Walking 23%
Gardening 17%
Recreational Access ? indicates most people are recreating on private land or at CLC owned properties
CLC lands john schor & Ooms 28%
Chatham Fairgrounds 2%
Crellin Park 6%
In other towns 1%
Hamlets 3 3%
Kinderhook creek 4 3%
Kinderhook park 1 1%
Local farms 1 1%
Dirt roads 6%
Local roads 12%
Private trails/ private land 22% (Private land means own land and neighboring property)
Rail Trail or Electric Park Trail 10 9%
Village 2 2%
Wilson Powell Wildlife Sanctuary 6 5%
Are the roads near you safe ?
11 no 21%
30 yes 58%
11 maybe or it depends
Most of the “No” responses were on busty roads like 295/203/rock city/ 17 /66 and Albany Turnpike. Most of the “yes” responses were on dirt roads or smaller town roads.
Are there any pollution issues that you know about and would like to see get cleaned up in our town?
Most sighted Superfund-affected areas such as PCBs in Valatiekill -
road runoff, roadside trash & concerns over pollution associated with farming.
Where do you eat or get the most of your food from?
Grocery stores like Price-Chopper 30%
Farm stores 26%
CSA or Co-op 16%
Grow your own 13%
Restaurants Takeout/delivery 7%
Other 8%
What are the biggest obstacles preventing you from buying more locally produced food?
Price 39%
Availability 25%
Convenience 17%
I don't buy local food 0%
Other 29%
Do you have clean drinking water? Do you test your tap water?
I got my water tested and the water quality is good 52%
I don't know how to get my water tested 6%
I'm afraid to get my water tested 2%
Other 40%
How do you heat your home? You can list secondary sources in the "other" tab
Oil 46%
Propane or Natural Gas 16%
Heat pumps/Geothermal 14%
Electric Heat 8%
Wood Stove 14%
Biomass boiler 1%
6% listed wood burning as a secondary source
What commercial energy types do you think belong or don't belong in Chatham? Only check the ones you would "hypothetically" like to see, or could tolerate getting built here.
Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas Plants: These use the combustion of fossil fuels to produce heat. 2%
Combined-Cycle Plants: These use natural gas to power a gas turbine, and then the waste heat from that process generates electricity in a steam turbine. 3%
Hydroelectric: Harnesses the power of flowing water, often from dams, to turn turbines. 13%
Small solar farms (smaller than 30 acres) 18%
Large solar farms (larger than 30 acres) 7%
Wind mills or wind farms 17%
Geothermal Plants: Tap into the Earth's internal heat to generate steam, which then drives a turbine. 18%
Biomass Plants: Burn organic materials, such as agricultural waste or use landfill gas, to produce steam for power generation. 10%
Nuclear Power Plants: Generate electricity through nuclear fission, a process that produces heat to create steam. 6%
Other: 6%
How do you feel about biodiversity and wildlife conservation efforts in Chatham?
They are sufficient 16%
More work needs to be done 42%
Not sure 26%
Other 16%
Would you support zoning regulations that limit development in ecologically sensitive areas?
Yes 81%
no 0
Maybe 19%
Appendix C Expanded list of Project ideas
Proposed Ideas
1. Invasive Species Reduction Campaign to address the toringo crab apple Create a list of meadows overrun by the invasive Toringo Crab Apple. Create a community task force to remove it -with landowners' approval and participation- from fallow meadows ranked by priority. Have participating landowners place remediated land in some form of conservation easement.
2. Create more public trails to interconnect our dirt roads. Chatham has an extensive network of trails on private land that are generally off-limits to the public. It would be a great benefit for recreational activity if we could open some of these trails to more public access. Linking these trails together via interconnected gravel roads would create a great public resource for walkers, bikers, horseback riders and runners alike.
3. Widen the shoulder for a bike path on Rock City Road and reduce the speed limit. Speeding on Rock City Road makes it dangerous for biking and walking. Reduce speed to 35 and add bike paths.
4. A local task force to support Chatham’s immigrant farm workers Farming and food manufacturing is environmental stewardship. Farming requires a skilled labor force. Friends and neighbors are under attack through illegal searches, seizures, sequestration, detentions and deportations. These are our allies in the future of regenerative, economically equitable, viable agriculture. Part of our climate adaptation and carbon sequestration strategy needs to be improving local, state and federal protection of our immigrant workforce. Advocate to pass the NY for Act, to limit the use of state resources and prevent state and local law enforcement from colluding with ICE in their federal immigration mandate.
5. Promote solar energy with homeowners, schools, local businesses and other stakeholders.
A community drive to promote solar energy locally. Provide residents and businesses with the information needed to harness the sun for their electricity, rather than fossil fuels. Embrace solar--when and if possible, based on local conditions--to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut our energy costs, and be an example of 'change from within' in small towns.
6. Survey the schools to find out how the community can be more supportive and involved. Specifically around promoting energy efficiency and Future Farmers of America type programs.
7. Collect data and improve water quality. A dedicated task force to collect data on water quality and suggest solutions. Possible protections: buffers and enforced "no build" zones in stream, wetland, and lake corridors. Tighten the building code. Several new homes have been constructed in the floodplain of creeks. Grandfathered construction close to surface water impacts the water table, and should be monitored for septic and other pollutants from run-off. Most parts of the country do not have clean or adequate water to support their populations. We are blessed with abundance, let's protect it.
8.Community swimming pool and playground upgrade at Crellin Park (or other location TBD)
9. Create a public space to talk about environmental issues and ways we could protect our town and its beauty together. Create a public space/venue/opportunity to talk together, as a community, about environmental issues and ways to protect our town and its beauty. The Town Board is not serving well in this capacity, and there is inadequate transparency about their decisions.
10. Create a road map for local food security. Map out what it will take to be food secure/independent to feed ourselves in Chatham.
11. Create more local signage to slow traffic Develop attractive small signs that remind motorists to slow when passing horses and pedestrians - post on dirt roads.
12. Create a plan to address potential data centers I'd like a discussion or taskforce to address potential data centers so the community is prepared for handling that if one is proposed.
13. Expand the Rail Trail in Chatham. I would like to see the rail trails expanded in Chatham. There is a great unused line from the village up through Old Chatham that could be improved and would be a great place to bike or walk.
14. Get a grant to remove invasives at Crellin Park and dig out Smith Pond- it's filled with silt.
15. Encourage hunting and fishing in Chatham Initiate a Town-wide easement type plan to encourage landowners to allow hunting and fishing. This might include creative language to limit land owner liability.
16. Improve connecting farmers to land Accelerate getting food growers looking for land connected to land. Figure out how to bring back or encourage more farming and have the farmers be very happy with their situation.
17. Improve the farmers markets and promote community gardens. Form a new organization perhaps. Maybe a nexus with CSA pickups. Make it easier for sellers to participate. More promo and communication online. More outreach and mentoring of future producers. Have tailgate sales to complement. More community gardens in more locations would also be cool.
18. Launch a local campaign to eliminate herbicide application on State Roads in Chatham Campaign to encourage the state to use non-toxic means to manage plant growth on road shoulders.
19. Adopt Local Tree Bylaws for street trees Impose a 'no street tree cutting without permit' ordinance…like Woods Hole Massachusettshttps://www.mass.gov/doc/tree-bylaw-and-ordinance-guide/download
20. Map areas of ecological significance in the town.
21. Develop more parking in downtown Chatham. Improve shopping access to support local businesses
22. Pave or gravel some dirt roads that become a hazard when muddy by preventing emergency vehicles from getting through. As an example, this happened at the bottom of Pitt Hall Road earlier this year and restricted access to all homes and buildings on it and Hunt Club Road.
23. Promote Biochar Production Have a mobile biochar unit that can wheel to farms and homes, so people can pyrolyze their wood waste. Biochar can be applied on fields as a soil amendment. There are potential carbon credits earned via Carbon Future, who already toured Chatham and are looking to do a project here.
24. Put road bumps or speed humps on cut through streets and avenues
25. Reopen Spangler Bridge as a trail connector The reopening of Spengler Bridge to pedestrian, cycling & equestrian usage would make whole again Chatham’s unique network of scenic dirt roads and save an important piece of Chatham’s history at the same time. Reopening the bridge was called out as a strong desire of the respondents in our recent Comprehensive Survey.
26. Task Force to Push for solar on big buildings like Sonoco Crellin and Price Chopper. I think there should be more push for solar on big buildings as an alternative to solar farms. I disagree with solar farms. I believe they destroy farm land and habitat.
27. Repair the High Bridge Road spring box. There is an active spring on High Bridge Road that to my knowledge is the only one of its kind in the town. The spring box - which keeps the spring water viable, is old and deteriorating. It would be great if we could work to find funding and expertise to repair the springbox and keep this resource viable for future generations.
Appendix D Ballot that was mailed to households:
Image of ballot