Doug Shepherd, Westford resident
As the town meeting comes closer, more and more I am reading neighbor vs. neighbor and if you don’t vote a certain way you are anti-Westford. It’s too bad actually. Money has divided this town as it has our country too. I’ve read people only move to Westford for the school system. That could be true because that’s all we can offer anymore. The town leaders let that happen back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  Unchecked growth for the sake of growth has ruined this town.
What used to be a bucolic farm town is nothing but paved suburbia. We used to be able to get fresh produce at a number of farms across the town. Drew’s , Anderson’s, Fletcher’s ( best corn on the cob ever! ) Hill’s as well as smaller side of the road little stands. There were horses, cattle, and sheep.
But change is inevitable, Westford has changed. I suppose change is good, you need to keep up or get left behind. But what’s happening is the more affluent (another word that has been tossed around a lot) move into town, demand changes only to move out once they are done here. The town leaders need to learn to say No or At least bargain for the change. There are some families that are multi generational that can trace their Westford back to the beginning, these are the
People getting hurt the most. Older on a fixed income that is not keeping up with the cost of living. Or disabled veterans that have given just about all they could for our country that are on a fixed income.
What I see is Westford will become a turn style, just another town on a map. People will rotate through, great school system, awesome commuter location, heck, we are an MBTA town.
I find it sad that the town is losing its history and make up for the sake of a dollar. You must understand why a lot of seniors and older townspeople are sad too.  I can trace my family back 5 generations in town. There have been farmers, town employees, a lot of blue collar workers that couldn’t survive this growth.
Ok I’m done with my piece. Just remember after Saturday, your neighbors are still your neighbors and you all have to get along.
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