Executive Summary

The 2000 Mont Vernon Master Plan Committee was formed as an outgrowth of the 1999 Community Profile Event, which was coordinated by the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Service. As part of the two-day event, more than 120 residents attended brainstorming sessions that outlined the needs of the town and the direction it should take in the future.

The completion of a master plan was voted the highest priority issue facing the town. Other critical issues identified were to improve communication in town, explore the feasibility of businesses in town, create a network of trails and wildlife habitats and to make better use of McCollom Field and other areas used for recreation.

In putting together this master plan, the 2000 Master Plan Committee and the planning board, with the assistance of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, have tried to meet the needs of the townspeople, as expressed in the Community Profile event, while providing for the town's fair share of the region's growth and development.

Specific objectives and methods for meeting these goals are outlined in each chapter. The Town should have an ongoing Master Plan Committee to monitor the implementation of these recommendations. These are summarized as the following:

 

Community Character

  1. Preserve agricultural lands and follow farm-friendly policies.
  2. Keep the village center the "heart" of the town by continuing to locate municipal services, schools and small businesses there, keeping in mind that preservation of farmlands is the highest priority.
  3. Protect the gateways and viewsheds around town from development through use of scenic easements or outright acquisition.
  4. Encourage pedestrian traffic throughout the town with pathways, sidewalks, scenic roads and road shoulders forming a network connecting residential areas with the village center.
  5. Seek out opportunities for encouraging person-to-person contact, including a trail network and maintaining low-speed roads.
  6. Use and update the Endangered Places list (see Executive Summary) to prioritize Town decisions.

 

Population and Housing

  1. Monitor building permit activity for Mont Vernon and all first and second tier communities on an annual basis. This data should be used to determine if the Town's building permit activity rate exceeds the rate of growth in the first and second tier towns.
  2. Establish Growth Management Ordinance. This ordinance, which would place limits on the number of building permits that could be issued in any given year, may be needed, depending upon future growth trends.
  3. Research the impact of allowing accessory apartments.
  4. Update Statistics. When year 2000 census data becomes available, it will provide up-to-date information that should be evaluated.
  5. Pursue the building of a small, senior housing facility in or close to the Town Center. The facility should not out-scale any building in or close to the Center.
  6. Conduct a survey of homeowners in the Town Center to determine if there are housing issues.
  7. Develop guidelines for citizens and builders containing prototype plans and samples.

 

Community Facilities, Infrastructure, and Services

Fire Department

  1. Engineering and Space Needs Study of Fire Station to determine: the structural soundness of the fire station and to make an educated prediction as to how long it will last and what can be done to extend its life. Determine whether the building meets architectural standards for fire stations. Determine whether it meets accessibility standards. Determine how close the building is to what we will need if the highway dept. moves into a new garage.
  2. Enforce the current state law and fire code requiring builders to undergo approval of a fire plan that ensures adequate water supply through underground cisterns, fire ponds, sprinkler systems, additional apparatus, or any other means as the fire department recommends.
  3. Study existing natural water resources to find additional feasible water access points. Remove four trees at the pump source on Herlihy Swamp on Brook Road, Lot 07-55, to provide access to water.
  4. Generate a map which identifies all properties by house number, to replace the outdated map now hanging in the fire house, and keep the map up-to-date in the future. Provide smaller copies of the map for trucks.
  5. Make sure all homes, driveways, and roads are sufficiently marked.
  6. The town should continue contributions to a capital reserve fund for anticipated purchases, and plan on these appropriations by putting them in a Capital Improvements Program. Plan on replacing apparatus as needed.
  7. Come up with a better plan for use of the parking area so that more cars can be accommodated in the lot.
  8. Continue the program of public education and awareness by continuing annual lecture-demonstrations in the schools and through media exposure.
  9. Maintain and improve the force of volunteer firefighters.. These people greatly improve Mont Vernon's fire-fighting capability at a minimal expense. The Department should continue to recruit and train firefighters and reward them adequate protection equipment.

 

Emergency Rescue Squad

  1. Continue current arrangement with Amherst.

 

Police Department

  1. Purchase new computer network with two stations in the next three years. This is used to generate police reports and data. Currently there is one computer and users take turns.
  2. Provide shower facilities for the police department. An option would be for the Police Department to share facilities with the Fire Department.
  3. Increase traffic surveillance during commuter hours to maintain road safety.

 

Public Works

  1. Space needs study for the public works department.
  2. Build new highway garage based on results of space needs study.
  3. New computer capable of running the Road Surface Management System
  4. Update RSMS software. This is a free service of the NRPC.
  5. Rejuvenate Old Salt Shed and its immediate landscape and determine whether it would be more valuable to the town as a "still good" shed or for recreation commission storage space and/or location of an information kiosk or sign.
  6. Repair Mason Road gate
  7. Pave under salt bay
  8. Purchase steam cleaner to clean the equipment.

 

Solid Waste and Recycling

  1. Provide sanitary facilities on the transfer station site. This could be part of the new highway garage.
  2. Roof over trash dumpster platform.

 

Cemeteries

  1. Adopt the old, small, burial grounds not yet under Trustee care.

 

Water Supply and Septic Disposal

  1. The town should develop an educational program for residents, particularly new residents, to educate them about water and waste. We need to emphasize the importance of water quality, how it is finite, renewable, and subject to pollution from domestic waste.
  2. The town should institute a program to monitor the change in static water level in wells over time in the areas of high density growth. Recently drilled wells were registered with the state, and their original static water level was recorded. Noting the change in the static well level might provide us with an indicator of stress being placed on the amount of groundwater available.
  3. The town's water is safe only if septic systems are well-constructed and maintained. Education is one way to help homeowners realize the importance of maintaining their water and septic systems. Although the state ultimately governs septic systems, the town building inspector is responsible for reporting non-compliance. Town regulators and inspectors should be particularly vigilant and wary of potential groundwater problems when considering acceptance of septic construction in order to protect groundwater quality.

 

Recreation

  1. Initiate "Community Night"- Those who participated in the April 1999 Community Profile expressed a desire for a "Community Night" at which people could socialize and share ideas, get reports from committees. It would be an opportunity to publicly acknowledge volunteers for their commitment. Volunteer leaders could be introduced at such a dinner, encouraging new and existing residents to get involved. Kick-off in October 2001.
  2. Investigate acquiring the land adjacent to the ball field to make it larger.
  3. Rejuvenate Old Salt Shed and its immediate landscape and determine whether it would be more valuable to the town as a "still good" shed or for recreation commission storage space and/or location of an information kiosk or sign.
  4. Build a standard-sized baseball or soccer field.
  5. Investigate location for community center.
  6. Put benches in Town Park.
  7. Investigate location for skateboarding.
  8. Investigate location for horseshoe pits.

Library

  1. Build a new library on the Weston Hill Road property purchased for that purpose

 

Public School System

  1. Install oven and dishwasher in MVVS kitchen, to reduce waste and improve usefulness of the school.
  2. Install generator in MVVS. This item in conjunction with item #1 would make the school a viable emergency shelter for the town.
  3. Create a sidewalk from school along Cemetery Road to Pinkham Avenue to Route 13
  4. Create a sidewalk from the school along Kittredge Road down to Rangeway Road
  5. Identify and acquire a site for a future school in Mont Vernon
  6. The Planning Board should explore assessing school impact fees.

 

Town Offices

  1. Provide fire-safe storage for Town Hall and Town Clerk's office
  2. Install wheelchair ramp on north side of Town Hall, architecturally in keeping with the building
  3. Purchase software capable of posting and writing checks simultaneously
  4. Network municipal computers
  5. Increase Selectmen's Secretary's hours to 40/week when population reaches 2,200
  6. Increase Assistant Secretary's hours to 14/week when population reaches 2,200
  7. Install panic button in Town Hall office
  8. Increase Town Clerk staff hours by 2 per week when population reaches 2,500

 

Transportation

  1. The Town should post restricted weight limits on bridges.
  2. The Commuting Patterns table should be updated as soon as the 2000 Census data becomes available.
  3. The Town should develop and adopt alternative roadway design standards and subdivision standards for new roads as described on pages T-7 through T-9.
  4. As unpaved roads contribute to the rural character of Town, paving of unpaved roads should be listed as separate line items in the budget, in order to give the Town opportunity for input at Town Meeting.
  5. The Town should employ access management techniques in the commercial zone along Route 13 for the purpose of preserving roadway capacity and ensuring safe movement for vehicles entering and exiting curb cuts and side roads. This would be accomplished through the adoption of various subdivision and site plan regulations pertaining to Access Management. (See page T-11 for specific policies.)
  6. The Town should develop design guidelines for commercial site development to preserve the aesthetic qualities along the Route 13 corridor. The site design guidelines would also serve to enhance the access management goals. (See page T-11 for specific policies.)
  7. The Town should consider adopting a 100-foot setback from the edge of the road for structures located on scenic roads.
  8. The Town should consider posting "Scenic Road" signs on designated roads.
  9. The Town should consider designating Lamson Road, Horton Road, Salisbury Road, Cross Road, Mason Road, Cemetery Road, Brook Road, Trow Road, Dow Road, and Smith Road as scenic roads.
  10. The Town should consider alternative deicing chemicals for use on roads during winter storms, and should work with the NHDOT to study the long-term affects of alternative deicers on the environment compared with the present policies. Salt-sensitive areas should be defined and treated accordingly.
  11. The Town should utilize the TEA-21 Transportation Enhancement funds and other methods to protect view sheds off of public and scenic roads and for the development of a local network of biking and pedestrian trails.
  12. Where a bike route on a major road is identified (Route 13 for example) there should be a minimum of a four-foot paved shoulder separated from motorized travel lanes by a 6- to 8-inch painted stripe, and appropriate "BIKE ROUTE" signage should be prominent..
  13. The Town should develop a town-wide hiking and walking trail system, possibly with the use of TEA-21 Transportation Enhancement funds. Active and abandoned Town-owned Class VI roads and woodland trails should be utilized where possible.
  14. The Conservation Commission should research the status of Class VI roads for the purpose of using them for trails.
  15. The Class V road network should be reviewed to determine if any roads should be discontinued i.e. made subject to gates and bars.
  16. The Planning Board should require a traffic impact study as a part of the subdivision approval process.
  17. New roads in the Town should be local roads in function and classification, limited to providing access to adjacent parcels in subdivisions.
  18. The Town should study the need for roadway surface improvements based on an orderly growth pattern. This can be accomplished through the use of the "Road Surface Management System" (RSMS) Plan recently completed by the NRPC.

 

Historic Preservation

  1. Create a Heritage commission and associated fund at Town Meeting to coordinate efforts and raise funds to protect historic water towers, barns and farmlands from being lost and to provide guidance for owners of historic properties outside of the local historic district.
  2. Ask the Historic District Commission to adopt the design standards recommended by the Department of the Interior when reviewing proposed alterations/construction (including parking lots) in the local historic district.
  3. Undertake a historical resources survey, which is a detailed descriptive and photographic inventory of all buildings and other sites worthy of preservation throughout the town.
  4. Nominate eligible properties throughout town, both municipally and privately owned, and the entire local historic district, to the National Register of Historic Places.
  5. Educate owners of historic properties throughout the town about the benefits of maintaining the integrity of historic interiors and provide sources of information about maintaining, rehabilitating and renovating the properties.
  6. Update the survey of existing historic homes and include listings of buildings destroyed since the last survey and location of cellarholes, if applicable.

 

Lamson Farm

  1. Reconstruct garage and ice house on their original locations
  2. Develop scenic view site on McCollom Hill
  3. Develop maple sugaring program
  4. Conduct a wildlife habitat survey that includes a mammal, bird, amphibian, and insect census
  5. Either develop a larger volunteer pool or hire a paid curator/program developer
  6. Investigate developing the barn for organized activities
  7. Resolve staffing and insurance issues
  8. Investigate the need for a family picnic area, and if one is established, publicize its availability
  9. Develop a more consistent funding base for operational and capital improvement programs
  10. Develop a maintenance plan
  11. Develop an inventory of Lamson Farm assets
  12. Replace the outhouses with new ones
  13. Identify and acquire adjacent properties as they become available in order to provide a buffer zone
  14. Designate Lamson Road as a scenic road
  15. An additional buffer zone should be included in any proposed subdivision of adjacent properties.
  16. Community non-motorized access to Lamson Farm through any adjacent subdivisions must be incorporated in site plans

 

Wildlife Habitat Conservation

1. Map Significant wildlife habitat in Mont Vernon. The Following maps should be done:

These maps should be used to make a composite overlay map which will give a complete picture of Mont Vernon’s significant wildlife habitats.

2. Compare the build out analysis map of the town with a significant habitat map to determine whether or not current land use and zoning regulations protect or threaten habitats in Mont Vernon.

3. Voluntary measures for habitat conservation should continue. These approaches include fee simple land acquisition, conservation easements and land swaps which would allow Mont Vernon to exchange a town owned parcel for another piece that will maintain an unfragmented area. Land acquired by the town should be reviewed by the Conservation Commission for best conservation uses.

4. Using information gathered from the habitat mapping and build out analysis Mont Vernon should develop conservation plans and subdivision , zoning and site review regulations that would address threats to wildlife habitats. These measures should also include innovative land use controls. Technical support for innovative land use controls can be found in the Office of State Planning, the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, private planning firms and the New Hampshire Municipal Association.

Priorities for protection should be set according to the following guidelines:

i. Combining habitats of importance into larger areas.

ii. Increasing the size of protected lands.

iii. Increasing buffers around priority habitats.

iv. Connecting areas of significant wildlife habitat.

v. Protecting the habitats of rare species.

Wildlife sensitive development decisions should include the following actions:

i. Concentrating development in areas where existing infrastructure can be used.

ii. Minimizing fragmentation by new housing developments by placing roads so they don’t divide the unfragmented pieces of land. Undeveloped corridors from the remaining portions of the unfragmented block to existing unfragmented parcels should be maintained.

iii. When intensive development is planned information about the impact to wildlife habitats should be collected and used to protect the integrity of the habitat.

iv. Cluster buildings together in commercial developments for easy access, minimal road construction and large buffers of undeveloped land.

v. Maintain some areas with low density of human habitation.

vi. Use protection strategies for rare species listed in Appendix I of Identifying and Protecting Significant Wildlife Habitat.

5. Begin cooperative habitat protection planning with Lyndeborough, New Boston and Amherst.

6. Mont Vernon should participate in the Keeping Track Program. This non profit group, based in Vermont, trains volunteers to observe and document wildlife signs in their areas.

7. A conservation easement for the Purgatory Brook Trail should be secured.

8. Mont Vernon should pursue the acquisition of a town forest.

9. A Mont Vernon Land Trust should be established within the town of Mont Vernon, or a collaboration should be sought with existing land trusts.

10. All money from the current use tax should go to the Mont Vernon Conservation Commission, in part for the purpose of protecting wildlife habitats.

11. The Mont Vernon Conservation Commission should identify the highest priority parcels for protection.

12. Vernal Pool Inventory. Obtain current information from the NH Natural Heritage Inventory.

 

Natural Resources

Topography Recommendations

  1. Amend the zoning ordinance to require no development on slopes exceeding 25% slope.
  2. The Planning Board should investigate ways to preserve ridgelines.
  3. Consider developing programs to protect and provide public access to high elevation areas in the community. These locations often provide scenic views of the surrounding countryside.

 

Soil Recommendations

  1. Require that all maps be created according to the Site Specific Mapping Standards.
  2. Require review of subdivisions site plans by a consulting engineer to assess engineering design, stormwater management, and drainage.

 

Agriculture Recommendations

  1. Because of the key role agricultural and associated open spaces play in the essence and visual character in Mont Vernon, the Town should encourage the preservation and conservation of priority agricultural lands and operations. Conservation easements, purchase or transfer of development rights, or fee simple purchase of land should be pursued through LCHIP, CARA.Funding, Farm Land Trust, and USDA funding.
  2. Consider open fields as the desirable land to be kept as open space in a subdevelopment as opposed to the traditional too-steep, too-wet land now commonly preserved as open space.

 

Mining and Excavation Recommendations

  1. Include an Excavation Ordinance in the Zoning Ordinance.
  2. Include setbacks for excavations and associated processing operations in the Zoning Ordinance to protect surface waters and wetlands.
  3. Adopt a Noise Ordinance for mining or gravel excavation and processing operations.

 

Forestry Recommendations

  1. Acquire property to be managed as a Town forest.

 

Water Resources Recommendations

  1. Initiate a volunteer-based effort to collect water samples on the major streams for base line data.
  2. Undertake a Prime Wetland inventory to give these wetlands additional consideration by the Wetlands Bureau when building proposals are presented to the Town.
  3. Adopt and enforce a set back of a minimum of 125-foot from all open water bodies and perennial streams.
  4. Adopt a minimum three hundred (300) foot buffer for the entire length of Purgatory Brook.
  5. Establish a pad and salt storage containment area for the Town’s Highway Department stockpile. Identify all sensitive areas along roadways and develop and implement a comprehensive road salt application and management program to limit or prohibit applications in sensitive areas of the Town.
  6. Silviculture activities in Town should be strictly enforced and regulated. Frequent inspections of silviculture activities may detect a potential water quality problem before it is too late for remedial action.
  7. Town officials and residents should document any uncontrolled direct discharges of stormwater into any pond or stream. A best management plan should be designed to treat or reduce the nutrients and pollutants that enter surface waters via stormwater runoff.
  8. An educational program or the distribution of Agricultural Best Management Practices Manuals could be made available for those people in the watershed who practice animal husbandry or manage "hobby farms."
  9. Implement a public education plan for water resource conservation, pollution prevention, wetlands, and groundwater, use of lawn chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), and proper use and care of septic systems.

 

Conservation Recommendations

  1. A Mont Vernon Land Trust should be established within the town of Mont Vernon, or a collaboration should be sought with existing land trusts. A top priority purchase is the Southern Route 13 viewshed.
  2. An environmental assessment should be part of the subdivision/site plan review process.
  3. Taxable parcels should be reviewed to see if a land-swap would be of value to the Town.
  4. Actively manage the existing conservation lands and easements to ensure continued quality of wildlife habitat, open space, recreation, and forests.
  5. Obtain additional conservation easements and/or lands through negotiations with developers, particularly those lands adjacent to sensitive areas such as wetlands, surface waters or critical habitats.
  6. Develop a conservation land stewardship plan for all Town controlled properties.
  7. Pursue funding, right-of-ways, and easements that would result in continued trail and greenway development.
  8. Involve the Conservation Commission in review of development proposals presented to the Planning Board. During development review, promote the conservation of interconnected habitat areas that will provide wildlife corridors along which animals can travel from one area to another. Modify Zoning Ordinance and subdivision and site plan regulations as appropriate to accomplish this.
  9. Actively work with New Boston and Amherst to protect one of the regions biggest tracts of unfragmented forest lands: the New Boston Air Station.

 

Visual Resources Recommendations

  1. Determine the need for obtaining conservation easements or ownership to protect important views and vistas.
  2. Scenic roads should have a minimum setback of 100-feet on all designated roads and an undisturbed buffer of 25-feet.

 

Hazardous Threat Recommendations

  1. Investigate the possibility of setting up an underground storage tank (UST) survey for all tanks in Town. Maintain a data base of USTs that includes (at least) type, size, date of installation, predicted life. Record all USTs in a database.
  2. Develop and implement a public education program about the problems of leaking USTs and need for prompt removal and remediation.
  3. Adopt a reduced or no-salt program in sensitive areas near concentrations of individual wells and surface waters.

 

Existing and Future Land Use

Zoning and Subdivision

  1. Future regulations and development reviews need to continue to evaluate the hydrologic impact of development, and should encompass issues related to nitrogen loading, pesticide loading, road salt analysis and erosion control.
  2. Areas to be protected in open space development should be those that have significance for recreation, resource protection, wildlife habitat or viewshed protection.
  3. Mont Vernon needs to develop a Wildlife Corridor/Conservation district and a Scenic District as overlays in addition to those that currently exist (Historic, Wetland Conservation, and Purgatory Brook Watershed).
  4. An overlay zone that would decrease density and require open space subdivision for the areas containing prime agricultural soils should be established.
  5. A regulation should be added to the zoning ordinance which encourages senior housing and which sets guidelines to follow in the site plan reviews of this use.
  6. The planning board should research the impact of permitting accessory housing.
  7. Applicants should consult with planning board and abutters to determine acceptable building envelopes.
  8. Subdivision regulations should be written to allow flexibility in street scale, street design, and storm water management.

Mont Vernon's 10 Most Endangered Places

The following areas are places that are at risk of being lost forever to the town if immediate actions to preserve them are not taken.

1. Southern Viewshed on Hwy. 13. The property located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Hwy. 13 and Purgatory Road is quintessential New England countryside. It is one of the most defining characteristics of Mont Vernon, with its Colonial-era home and large red barn at the base of a hay-covered hillside. In fact, for many residents, this property and the dairy farm and fields on the other side of the highway is the unofficial "gateway" into town. The property has been approved for subdivision by the planning board, but the owner has recognized the importance of this property to maintaining the rural character of the town and has been willing to work with the town to preserve the house and the adjoining field. The town should either purchase the development rights of this property, or allow a transfer of development rights (TDR) to a non-adjoining property.

2. Victorian-era water towers located on Main Street, Hillcrest Road and Hutchinson Road. These magnificent reminders of the booming resort era in Mont Vernon have been neglected. The towers, which consist of cisterns atop pipelines that connect to the associated houses, provided running water to the households - a true luxury at the time. Some, if not all, of the towers once used windmills to draw water from wells located immediately below them. The current homeowners are not willing to undertake all of the repairs necessary to salvage the towers, but all have expressed an interest in working with the town to save the towers if matching funds can be obtained. One method of preserving the towers would be to form a Heritage Commission and an associated fund so that money can be raised to provide matching grants to homeowners to repair the towers. Volunteers could also be recruited for some of the work. The commission should research ways to protect the commission’s investment in the towers.

3. Historic barns. The large barns that were so vital to residents of Mont Vernon in the past are threatened on several fronts: taxes, lack of need, and repair expenses. Several options are available for saving them:

4. Cropland that supports our town farmers. Waving to farmers as they chug by in their tractors is one of the favorite pastimes of many children - and yes, many adults - in town. These farmers are on their way to and from the hay and corn fields they lease to grow feed for their herds. In order to be economically viable, cattle farmers should be able to reach the fields within a "fifteen minute tractor ride." As these nearby properties are developed, the farmers are forced to travel farther away to manage the fields, thus taking valuable time away from their herd. When cropland is no longer available within the range of the farmer, then feed and hay must be purchased, often using farm credit, which adds financial burdens to the farmer. Thus, it is not the threat of the farm being sold for development that jeopardizes the farm as much as it is the chipping away at the smaller lots used for feed production that drives the farmer out of business and into the sellers’ market. Productive fields within the range of cattle farms should be identified and protected from loss of agricultural use through the Town’s acquisition of the real estate or the development rights. If the property is being developed for residential use, then efforts should be made to use an open space design and agreement with the property owners that would allow farmers to continue using the fields while allowing for cluster development of houses. High priority and consideration should be given to preservation of cropland. Buffers around the existing dairy farm would help ensure its survival.

5. Unpaved roads. Road upgrades cause traffic, according to NH Municipal Association legal counsel Bernard Waugh. In an article published in NH Town and City (April 1999), Waugh asked, "How often has a town bowed to residents’ demands to pave a road, only to hear them start griping about folks short-cutting through their neighborhood? Road ‘improvement’ can be a vicious circle. Upgrades attract development, causing more traffic, thus ... calling for more upgrades ad infinitum." As conditions improve, speed increases, and the roads can no longer be used safely by pedestrians, horseback riders or bicyclists, according to the article "Un-urbanizing standards for our rural roads," in "Places," the NRPC newsletter (Winter, 1999 Vol. II, no.1). Using road design standards devised for more urban settings often destroy the very rural characteristics the Town set out to preserve.

6. Purgatory Brook. There is no conservation easement for the recently created trail that crosses an area bounded by Purgatory Brook, Old Wilton, Purgatory and Upton Roads. The town Conservation Commission should acquire a conservation easement for the Purgatory Brook Trail. This is the only greenway corridor that allows wildlife access all the way to the Souhegan River. The area also has historical significance dating back to Mont Vernon's hotel days.

7. Mont Vernon General Store. Use it or lose it, may be the unofficial motto of capitalism, but it also needs to be the motto of shoppers who enjoy the convenience and charm of the store but who choose to do all of their shopping elsewhere.

8. Scenic Roads. The officially-designated scenic roads, such as Old Milford, Wilton, Old Amherst and others (listed on p.T-7) are a treat to the senses. Travellers driving slowly are rewarded by the sights of gently rolling hills, stone walls, historic houses and working cattle, goat and horse farms. Large-diameter trees growing in the right-of-way provide shade to pedestrians, equestrians, and joggers in the summer and a breathtaking kaleidoscope of colors in the fall. RSA 231 states that trees may not be removed and stone walls may not be disturbed on scenic roads unless a public hearing is held and town officials give written approval. Town officials should respect the significance of scenic roads to the rural atmosphere of the town and should not attempt to "upgrade" the roads by widening, straightening, or paving them. Instead, drivers should be made aware that the roads are designated scenic roads through the posting of signs at each end of the road. The road corridor should also be protected, perhaps by creating design standards for new structures, increasing setback requirements or through other means.

9. Historic houses. Some owners of historic houses are unaware that the changes they are making as "improvements" to their home may actually be detrimental to the historical integrity of the structure. Educating homeowners on the history of their homes and the resources available to help them with remodelling may help preserve the houses from unintended damage. Information packets that include names and officers of local, state and national preservation groups, advice on how to find contractors who specialize in working on historic properties and a copy of the Secretary of the Interior’s "Standards for Rehabilitation" could be given to owners of historic properties. Hiring a historical preservation architect to tour homes and to comment on the importance of various aspects of individual homes could also benefit homeowners (and the town) by highlighting exterior as well as interior characteristics that should be preserved.

10. The Night Sky. Many of us who live high on the hills of Mont Vernon spend our summer evenings lazing on a grassy hillside counting shooting stars, pointing out the hazy blur of the Milky Way Galaxy to our children, and watching satellites crawl like spiders across the web of stars in the night sky. Watching the stars is a long-time human pursuit, taken for granted as something that just "is." But for many of the communities around us, it is no longer possible because of the glare from exterior lighting fixtures, such as street lights, business signage, and spotlights. Preserving our night sky will depend on cooperation from neighboring towns to limit external illumination, but we can do our part by creating ordinances that prohibit lighting fixtures that create upward illumination.

Coming together to find ways of preserving the above 10 places for future generations will go a long way toward keeping our little town on the rocky hilltop a place to be cherished.