All Things Considered

An anonymous commenter complemented my "Cautious Optimism" post with this thoughtful, er, comment that I think deserves greater notice:

There was little in the press release that actually supports the claim of a
smaller footprint, or "scaling back". The proposal still includes an asphalt
plant, an expansion of the quarry, and rock crushing and washing operations. It
could be that this latest proposal is less about compromise and more about PR,
trying to postion Pike as cooperative without actually giving up anything.
Another twist is that Pike may try to push this proposal through the planning
board without a "special exception" application. That would simplify things and
give the opponents less opportunity to defeat it at the Planning Board level.

I have not seen Pike's press release (unless the commenter is referring to the news articles). And frankly, I'm unaware of what a "special exception" application is. So if anyone is able to enlighten my readers and me about the points made in this comment--or to express a counterpoint--please post comments below or e-mail me privately at riverbank_republic@yahoo.com.

- John C.L. Morgan