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Approved 11/14/2011 OC Board of Adjustment – 6/13/2011 Page 5 of 44 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Pastor Road. We have been living in our house for 15 years before any of the folks from Greenwise were living there. Michael Harvey: Would you state whether or not you have been sworn. Deborah Pearson Moyers: Yes I stood up here. We felt really blessed to find our land. We looked for a couple of years. Every time we came over the Diaryland, it felt like our chest would open when we see that beautiful farm and you could feel the good energy that Bob and Chris Nutter created with their family farm. Our next door neighbor was Muffin who was there daughter. We understood we were buying a lot because the farm is in transition. They built a bottling plant. They didn’t want to be like other dairy farms that went out of business because they were selling bulk milk at the same price from 1970. That had an idea so they built the bottling plant and from there on they built an ice cream store and now, thank goodness, the Ag Center. Now we are adding education and even the possibility of a party. I have no problem of having this special use permit. In fact, I would highly value it. I ride my horse with Bob’s permission, across his land, regularly to the Ag Center. I have never heard noise there. I am not saying it is not true. I also consider Meredith and Nancy friends of mine so I am confused and haven’t spoken before. I really wonder what is behind it but probably we will never know. When I am riding my horse, although I haven’t heard any noise from the Ag Center, I have heard a lot of barking dogs and that is part of living in the country. We all have animals that make noise. There are miniature donkeys, horses and dogs but as far as noise from the Ag Center, I have no complaints. I have been to several events there. I have been to the open house, yoga classes, which were marvelous and I have been to Muffin’s memorial service which was held there. I hope you will have wisdom and reason and bless the Ag Center. Thank you for listening. Bonnie Hauser: I am Bonnie Hauser, I have been sworn in. I am speaking for a community called Orange County Voices, you may have heard of us. We advocate for issues on rural character and rural community including no airports, no waste transfer stations and we love Maple View because Maple View has been a partner in helping us keep rural character in our community and it is very important. I also am a member of the local community. I live off Orange Grove Road and I will start by saying we are proud of the contribution that Maple View Farm has made to our community which most recently includes the Ag Center. We also appreciate the concern among Greenwise neighbors about noise and nuisance but it is in that context that we ask the board to expand the uses in Maple View’s special use permit so that Maple View can continue to develop the center as a community resource. Maple View is and has always been a good neighbor. The facility is an educational resource. I was surprised when I read it was a party center. Its leaders, Mrs. Nichols-Klapper and her associates are educators and farmers. They are not party planners and throwing wild parties there. The facility has been designed with four classrooms with a barnyard. It has a bigger room and outdoor exhibition gardens. It has a tiny little kitchen that no caterer would want to work in so it doesn’t work as a party center and there is no evidence that we can see that Maple View intends to convert it into one. With that said, we would love to see this resource evolve into a community resource. It worked well for Town Hall and community events fundraisers, even social events like a film showing, a square dance or meeting that enhances our connection to each other and to the farm. We believe that flexible and creative limits can be defined that are reasonable. Maple View respects and has always complied with the County’s Noise and Nuisance Ordinances. Outdoor music has been rare… maybe a couple of times since the facility has been opened. It makes sense to require things like outdoor amplification be focused away from the neighbors and that maybe maximum decibel levels be prescribed assuming that our ordinances are insufficient to control that. We see no need to restrict the activities in the center in any way. The space is small, traffic impacts are naturally limited so please acknowledge the important evolving role that this center is playing in our community and find a flexible way to assure the neighbors that the resources are enhancing and not threatening their community. Thank you. Marilee McTigue: I am Marilee McTigue and I have lived in the Maple View area for over 20 years and I live on 10 secluded acres in the woods on top of Pickard’s Mountain so I look down in that direction. I assure you that noise happens even in the country. Dogs bark at midnight, house parties go into the wee hours. My neighbor’s son learned the trombone on the back deck and I can assure you that was an interesting thing to sit there every day after school and listen to. I also live next to Pickard’s Mountain Echo Institute. They do occasional fundraisers and have music out in the woods and honestly, I don’t mind that in the least. It shows me that we are successful in what they have been doing. It is everybody’s job to be a good neighbor and that means minimizing our personal impact on our neighbors but it is just as important to be tolerant and accepting of the sounds of life that come with living next door to people. I ask the board to expand the uses of Maple View’s special use permit so Maple View can continue to develop the Ag Center as a community resource. Maple View is and always has been a good neighbor.