Minutes from 11 July 2005 Meeting
10 people in attendance
Even on a gorgeous summer day, folks attended a lively meeting of Friends of Tully Lake this afternoon.
1. We are planning a big multi-family tag sale for Saturday, August 20, from 8am to 4pm. We will hold it at 3708 Chestnut Hill Road, Athol. This is a major opportunity to raise funds for Friends of Tully Lake, and to inform our neighbors about the issues surrounding the proposed subdivision. Spread the word! Make donations for the sale by contacting Nancy at 978-249-7472.
2. We have 300 new bumper stickers available, kindly donated by Jon Hardie of Royalston! Put them on your car and make your opinion known! Tell your friends!
3. Friends of Tully Lake members and Mr. Duquette were recently interviewed for a lead story soon to appear in the Greenfield Recorder. Clearly, the threat to Tully Lake is receiving wider attention.
4. A letter to the Editor was also recently published in the Greenfield/Athol/Orange Town Crier.
5. We are well in the black and continuing to fundraise extensively. Donors should be notified to make their checks out to the Miller’s River Watershed Council with a designation for Friends of Tully Lake specified in the lower left corner of the check. All donations are tax-deductible. We are updating the fundraising letter to announce the upcoming tag sale.
The next meeting of Friends of Tully Lake will be on Sunday, August 10 at 4:00pm at 3514 Chestnut Hill Avenue in Athol. Join us! You can make a difference in the future of the region!
April 2005
Dear Neighbor:
We are writing to let you know about an important issue facing the towns of Athol and Royalston. A large subdivision of 44 homes is planned for 80 acres directly overlooking the southern end of Tully Lake. All who camp, canoe, hunt, fish, or just drive Route 32 and enjoy the serene views around the lake know that such a large development will forever alter the landscape there. We are also learning that it may pollute the lake, generate new traffic and noise, and place a burden on town services to maintain steep new roads.
New home building and new industry can really enrich our economy, but this proposed development will come at the expense of one of a major town treasures — one that attracted over 36,000 people to visit the area in 2004, each of whom brings new income to our towns.
You can help to guide growth in Athol and Royalston. Your neighbors have formed a citizen's committee called "Friends of Tully Lake." With a lot of local expertise, we are carefully reviewing the pros and cons of the proposed development. Already, we have won an appeal to require that the full impact be reviewed by the Athol Conservation Commission. We have set up an informative web site to keep you informed at http://www.friendsoftullylake.org. We have also raised over $3,000. How can you help?
Join Friends of Tully Lake — Attend our next meeting on May 15, 2005 at 4 pm at 3514 Chestnut Hill Ave. in Athol to find out more about the issue and learn how you can guide the town to a good solution for all concerned.
Give a tax-deductible donation to support a thorough assessment by an attorney and engineer of the impacts of the plan, and to keep people informed about the project. Send a check made out to "Miller’s River Watershed Council/Friends of Tully Lake" to Joyce O'Hara, Treasurer, 2381 Old Keene Road, Athol, MA 01331. If you have already donated, thank you! ...and know your funds are being put to good use. Please consider renewing your gift.
There are many other ways to get involved! We are a diverse group of concerned local residents, abutters, and lake users, who value the lake and its surrounding towns and want to ensure a healthy future for the community. Please get involved. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Friends of Tully Lake