Reenvisioning the Ethel Bisbee Lot

by Meryl Kelly

“What really matters from the point of view of social capital and civic engagement is not merely nominal membership, but active and involved membership.”

During his keynote speech at the founding of the National Municipal League in 1894, Teddy Roosevelt expounded on the importance of cultivating communities in which civic engagement did not end with the act of voting. He instead called for town officials to encourage selfgovernment, where every citizen feels as though they have an obligation to the greater good of the community. If decision making on local issues is left solely to the discretion of our local elected officials, there is no assurance that the outcome will be what WE the people want. The management of the Ethel Bisbee School and property has long been one of these hot button issues, ripe with the necessity for grassroots input.

In downtown Bethel at the end of Philbrook Street sits the aged yet beautifully stoic Ethel Bisbee School. For over a century the old building provided employment and education to many of our community’s residents, business owners and leaders. In June of 1991 the school bell rang for the last time and until 2011 the building, still operated by SAD #44, was used for a variety of community programs and continuing education opportunities. In late 2014 the Town of Bethel officially acquired the property and so began the process of determining what to do with the historic lot.

Recently, the Board of Selectmen began the process of accepting bids to raze the school. It is the general consensus that the 1.75 acre property would offer the most opportunity as an empty lot. Sadly, the costs associated with getting the (now 12-years-vacant) structure up to code would not only be a considerable burden on taxpayers but would result in a building with inefficient space and severe energy cost challenges. Demolition is expected to be

Municipal Department Needs Sell Off and Pray Community Values

(See the Northern Forest Service/ Gehring house story on page 10) completed in Spring 2023. What comes next is up to us. As Bethel taxpayers our options are endless. So far the formal proposals fall into three categories: “Municipal Department Needs”, “Sell It and Pray” and “Community Value”. Whatever the future holds, the important takeaway is that we as concerned community members have an obligation to get involved and help guide this process in a thoughtful and engaged way — putting aside our personal interests to act upon the vision espoused by President Roosevelt. There are several ways Bethel taxpayers can get involved in this process. We can attend Select Board meetings and speak during the “citizens forum” portion of the agenda, we can connect with like minded community members to gather, synthesize and offer options to community leadership, or we can reach out directly to Select Board members, who are tasked with being responsive to the will of their fellow townspeople. v