Long-term needs will outlive current events


 

BY JEFF MCDONOUGH The year 2020 has delivered to us a viral pandemic and the long-needed momentum for racial justice.

Both situations promise to have a lasting impact on our society. There is no doubt our nation’s leadership (or absence of) has made the situations worse than it should be.

As we are tested by these unexpected moments in our history, here in Jamestown we must continue to focus our attention on the specific needs of our community.

Affordable housing

Jamestown is an eclectic community that attracts people from all across the nation.

I’ve lived on the island for some 30 years and in that time the cost of housing has continued to escalate, making it ever more difficult for those of lower incomes to find a place to reside here.

I know of several recent instances where folks have been forced to move elsewhere because they could not afford to either purchase a home or rent an apartment in Jamestown.

Our public servants, such as town employees, teachers, police, and volunteer firefighters, often find it nearly impossible to live in our community. Even my own daughters cannot afford to reside in Jamestown as they set out on their lives after college.

The town has made some effort to develop housing that is considered “affordable” by state regulations, but we still fall below the state-mandated guidelines.

Jamestown faces the same dilemma as many other resort communities. I have heard it suggested that at least 20 percent of the houses in Jamestown primarily are used as second homes. No one really knows how many homes are being rented through the internet sites like Airbnb. The popularity of second homes and vacation rentals add further pressure on the price of housing and directly impacts those seeking to live here year-round.

The recent move by Church Community Housing, with financial assistance from the town, is a step in the right direction. The proposed Carr Lane project is another affordable housing development that will help with the situation. I believe the town should do more to encourage the development of housing that not only meets the state housing affordability regulations, but that also can serve the needs of those people who may not qualify for state-regulated affordable housing because they earn a little too much money.

Affordable housing of both types is all about keeping Jamestown a diverse and vibrant community. The town should make available more affordable housing a goal for 2030.

Village vitality

The health of any community can be linked to the economic vitality of its business center. The same is true in Jamestown.

Local businesses pay taxes, employ islanders, and are major supporters of community clubs and organizations. They actively donate to many community-based events, too. It is tough to operate a small business anywhere, but local businesses always have found the island an even harder place to succeed.

First there is the island’s small population. There are just not all that many people who live here year-round and those who do often find shopping off-island easier and sometimes more competitive.

Second, Jamestown is certainly not a destination shopping attraction. Yes, we are lucky to have the vital businesses, such as the hardware store and the grocery, but the village itself has a small commercial district footprint which limits the number of sites available to storefront businesses. That critical mass of shops and restaurants often can attract shoppers from out of town, but it just doesn’t happen in Jamestown very often.

Then we have the feast-famine cycle of a resort community that brings us a brief surge of population and visitors during the summer months followed by a lean winter downturn since the second-home residents and summer day-trippers are a boon to the shops and restaurants for the months they’re here.

This year, we have the unexpected added stress placed on local businesses, particularly restaurants, due to the coronavirus pandemic. That leads to the big question — will they survive?

I believe there are several moves the town can make to address this issue. The first would be to ease parking restrictions, especially for restaurants.

The town of Bristol made the move in the late 1990s to make parking easier in their community and it appeared to benefit the growth of the local business community. Furthermore, Jamestown is a popular summer cruising stopover, and visiting boaters always want to dine, shop, and explore the island. A trolley service to far-flung areas, such as Beavertail, could help improve the island’s attraction to boaters and day-trippers.

The town also could establish an economic development commission to explore ways to encourage and help businesses in the Jamestown village. The commission should work closely with the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce.

Many of us grumble when spring rolls around every year and we see the frequency of out-of-state license plates increase. It’s easy to say we don’t welcome more visitors. Yet, as residents, we must remember these summer visitors help our businesses survive the lean winter months and provide the goods, food, and service that we rely upon.

Bicycle accessibility

Biking is growing in popularity and Jamestown is a wonderful place to explore on two wheels. This pandemic has served to increase the popularity of bicycle riding and bicycle shops are booming.

The town has made some progress toward developing a bike path that helps to provide a safe route past the north end reservoir to East Shore Road.

However, we can do much more to make the island easier to navigate on a bicycle. Some ideas include marking bike lanes on main thoroughfares and paving the shoulders of the roads going to the north end and to Beavertail to make bicycle riding throughout the island safer and more pleasant.

I believe additional biking accessibility also will be a boon to the economic vitality of the downtown. People would visit Jamestown to cycle around the island and have lunch at one of our local restaurants, possibly also visiting one of our unique shops.

Public recycling

Jamestown participates in residential recycling and it has proved fairly successful.

Drive around the island on the evenings prior to the morning pickup on different streets and one can see that most people enthusiastically participate. However, we can do more.

Communities in Europe have strong public recycling programs. In most places, trash disposal receptacles have places for plastic and glass, paper and trash. We could do the same here.

Wherever we have places to dispose of trash downtown, we also should have bins to place items that can be recycled. One bin for trash and one bin for glass and plastic. That way plastic bottles and glass bottles do not end up in the landfill or worse, in the ocean.

Yes, the volume of recycling that would be collected on our public streets might be small. But, every bit we can do to help heal and preserve the Earth counts.

Jeff McDonough published The Jamestown Press for 25 years prior to its current ownership. He has lived on the island since 1990. Jeff and his late wife, Kimberly, raised two daughters, Kelsey and Lauren, who are both now pursuing their own careers.

It’s time to have your voice heard

The sixth community forum in the “Jamestown 2020: A Vision for the Future” series has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Once a date is established, it will be publicized.