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Municipalities
across
Montgomery
County
voted
resoundingly
to
support
the
Open
Space
Referendum
on
the
ballot
on
November
4th
.
All
62
townships
and
boroughs
endorsed
the
$150
million
bond
question
with
an
overwhelming
78%
of
voters
saying “yes” to
the
proposed
Green
Fields – Green
Towns
Open
Space Program,
and
a
new
ten-year
open
space
initiative.
This
powerful
vote
shows
that
the
people
of this
county
care
deeply
about
their
communities
and
are
willing
to
spend
tax
dollars
to
save
special
open
spaces
and
to
assure
that
their
neighborhoods
are
green
and
livable.
Endorsed
by
54 municipalities
prior
to
the
vote,
the
referendum
had
bi-partisan
support.
All
four
county
commissioner
candidates
endorsed
it
as
well.
In
a
time
of
intensifying
partisan
politics,
the
support
for
continuing
open
space
preservation
and regreening
of
our
towns
unified
voters.
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Dulcie
Flaharty, Lisa
Sullivan and Scout,
an open space
supporter
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County Commissioners appointed a Green Fields – Green
Towns task force chaired by Representative Kate Harper (MCLT Chair)
to develop a plan for the new program. Phoebe Driscoll, Sheila Bello, Ellen Bard,
Elkins Wetherill, and Dulcie Flaharty joined Kate on that committee of 25.
The
Green Futures Action
Committee was created
to advocate for the
passage of the referendum,
and energetically pressed
for a “Yes” vote
throughout the county.
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Our
own
efforts
in
land
preservation
over
the
past
decade
led
Montgomery
County
Lands
Trust
to
take
a
leadership
role
in
the
promotion
of
the
new
program,
this
time
with
dedicated
funding.
The
first
Montgomery
County
Open
Space
Program
officially
ended
on
October
31,
2003.
Montgomery
County
Lands
Trust
launched
an
intense
voter
education
program
thanks
to
the
generous
funding
support
from
The
William
Penn
Foundation,
Claneil
Foundation,
Pennsylvania
Environmental
Council,
Natural
Lands
Trust,
Pennypack
Ecological
Restoration
Trust
and
Wissahickon
Valley
Watershed
Association.
The
last
few
months
have
been
a
whirlwind
of
work
and
events,
but
we
think
the
end
result
was
worth
it
and
we
believe
the
residents
of
Montgomery
County
think
so
too!
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