I urge the taxpayers of Hopkinton to vote no on Article 8 until a strategic plan is offered that is realistic for the townspeople of Hopkinton, agreed upon by the Planning Board, that then can be brought to the state.

The first plan was voted down at Town Meeting and has no place being reconsidered. The people have already spoken; it goes against the integrity of the voting process to push a proposal through that the voters have already said no to. The second plan was introduced less than two weeks ago. Last week, the Planning Board did not recommend either option. After Wednesday’s Planning Board meeting, there is even more confusion, which leads me to a no confidence vote on Article 8.

The plans currently being proposed may address the guidelines being imposed from the state, but they do not address the impact to our town resources, and they dismiss the real potential of immediate development under the guise of an “overlay district.” Westwood, Somerville, Winthrop, cases in point. The state has threatened to withhold future grants and potential unnamed funding, and yet the cost will be held by us in other ways with the potential of more children in the classrooms, more teachers to be employed and possibly another school. You need infrastructure to support the roadways with the volume of cars 750 units would disperse. Can our DPW, which is posting for winter plowing, support more vehicles on our single-lane roads? Can our Police Department, currently understaffed, handle this much outreach and potential caseloads?

As of Wednesday, the Planning Board admits the disorganization of submitting these options. The long-term development of our town is at stake. This will cost us more than any lost grant money if we do not push back on the state. Until we have a clear path forward that addresses the full impact on the town, I ask you to vote no on Article 8.

— Molly Myers, Hopkinton

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