Let’s pitch in to help rather than shout at people trying to help Knox

To the Editor:

The Knox Town Board meeting in April was the usual entertaining production.  One highlight — or not — included the reaction to Earl Barcomb’s proposal for an agricultural committee to exchange ideas and promote agriculture in the town.

The most vehement opposition came from Laura Pasquini Martin, who belittled some of the proposed members as not being full-time farmers (and somehow therefore unable to contribute). She said she was a full-time farmer, but when Earl asked if she wanted to be on the committee, she rejected the idea. She said that Agricultural Extension had lots of classes available for farmers and therefore the committee wasn't needed.

Earl pointed out that exchange of local information was important — such as telling people with livestock but without hayfields where they might buy local hay. I’d like to add that the exchange of information seems key.

Farmers (even part-time) are generally very busy people, and if one or two of the committee could attend a useful Ag Extension program and then report back, it could save a lot of time.  (I also wonder how Laura considers herself a full-time farmer. As far as I know, she supervises volunteers, and, although she may do physical work as well, I doubt her income is tied to the price of corn or beef — or even to the weather, something I’d consider critical to the definition of a full-time farmer. I’m sure she will correct me if I'm wrong.)

Another interesting development was Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis’s announcement that he was forming a committee to study the needs of the highway garage. As a member of Amy Pokorny's committee to become a Clean Energy Community and to obtain a grant, primarily to fund the renovation of the garage (the committee started meeting last July), I find his interest a little delayed.

He also told me at a board meeting two or three months ago that the town hadn’t decided to look at the garage. (I was protesting the delay in applying for a grant that could have provided more than enough funds to do the repairs.) Whether or not the town merges with the county for highway services, having a large well-insulated building owned by the town could only be a good thing.

Now he's ready to consider the town garage. I hope voters will remember that the town could have had more than enough money to fix it up — now Knox may become eligible for half the original grant amount — $50,000 instead of $100,000. As the requirements for the grant still haven’t been completed, the town may well get nothing at all.

But that will please the Lefkaditis supporters who were chanting, loudly, that they didn’t want the grant, when Amy was asking for board approval to install an electric-vehicle charging station at the town hall, the final requirement.

It was in response to that chanting that my husband wrote a letter referring to the “pitchfork people.”  Linda Carman seems to have embraced the term, going so far as to hawk buttons at the board meeting with “Pitchfork People” on them. At least she is promoting business in the town, even if it is home-based.

One last thing.  Shortly after I moved to Knox, almost five years ago, I pulled the car onto the shoulder to take a phone call. I was stopped about five minutes and in that time, three cars passed. Two of the drivers, one man and one woman, stopped to see if I needed help. The warm and fuzzy feeling that gave me has started to fade and I’d like it back.

Let’s start showing some respect, and let’s start “pitching in” to help rather than shouting at people who are working to benefit the town.

Dee Woessner

Knox

Editor’s note: Dee Woessner is a member of the Knox Conservation Advisory Council.

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