Budleigh Past and Present

[I read today, 17 June 2009, that public opinion counts for something in Brewster. That’s not always the case here in the UK, even in Budleigh Salterton]. Christmas came in June for the Brewster “Christmas tree” as the white spruce at the intersection of Satucket and Stony Brook roads was spared from the woodsman’s ax. The fifth iteration of the Stony Brook mill site drainage and roadway improvement plan not only leaves the tree and traffic island intact, it’ll maintain the parking spaces at nine (instead of 20-plus), add a handicapped space, improve sightlines up and down the road and include curbs to limit parking and control runoff. At Monday night’s meeting the selectmen voted 5-0 to support the plan after rescinding their support of the previous plan. “Clearly we heard the signal at the last meeting,” said selectman James Foley, referring to the huge crowd that protested the original plan. “The tree stays. The island is larger. We’ve eliminated a lot of pavement (3,733 square feet...