Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for the coming year. As I begin to write this column, the temperature is in the upper 50s, and I can’t help thinking about spring and the coming golf season. However, I am sure winter will return with a vengeance; it always does.

I must begin with an apology for not beginning the New Year on an upbeat note; however, I could not write this column without at least mentioning local Winchester politics after the recent election. The HLWA Board of Directors has tried to remain out of the political fray without much success. A number of candidates were and are still seemingly convinced the HLWA is responsible for a number of local problems, including the delays for Mr. Silano’s developments. The HLWA became a campaign issue, and nothing we could say or do prevented these candidates from repeating these reckless, ignorant and irresponsible claims. It appears in the absence of an ability to present a well-thought-out program, it was easier to charge the HLWA with stopping progress and make that a campaign issue.

It seems this is a defining moment for the Town of Winchester. A defining moment is historically a point that will be referred to in the future as the date at which the origins of major trends or events can be pinpointed as having begun.

Why a defining moment? The Board of Selectmen now has the power and the will to make some major changes in the political scene in Winchester. They have quickly replaced the Town Manager, stopped the work that had been done on the Bond Issue, and introduced a commission to make changes in the Town Charter, such as replacing the town manager form of government with a mayoral model of government. They also have supported and argued for a quick rewrite of the Town Plan of Conservation and Development by the legal representative of Mr. Silano in order to fulfill the requirement of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP had apparently refused to grant the developer permission to install water and sewer lines to the proposed Aurora Rosa developments unless the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development had been revised.

We will look back at this period of time and, hopefully, look at these changes as having made a major and a positive difference in Winchester. The HLWA Board of Directors is committed to supporting any changes approved by a vote of the Town electorate. At the same time, we are committed to maintaining our stewardship of the Highland Lake Watershed and sincerely hope these two commitments are not contradictory. Our New Year’s wish is good luck to all of the Town’s Boards and Commissions, and we hope the politics of the election is over and the Town comes together to support the elected leadership in their new challenges. It is also a defining moment for the property purchased by Mr. Silano for the new developments, as the tree harvesting on his property has begun this winter. As I write this column, I can look out my window and see a beautiful fox in my yard. I had heard there were foxes near the lake but had not seen one before this most defining moment. Are they being disturbed and driven out by the tree cutting? Will we continue to see these animals in the future?

On another subject, the Winchester Land Trust has accepted a .5-acre property on East Wakefield Boulevard donated by sisters Gail Yaffee and Andrea Garbus. The property consists of four small lots. The Winchester Land Trust also owns several similar lots in the area. The HLWA has agreed to share responsibility for monitoring the property as part of our new Legacy program.