The H.S. 'Clique'

On Sunset Hill

My name is Alexandra Blakeman. I am a 16-year-old junior attending South Royalton High School. I live in Sharon with my parents, Linda and Kevin Blakeman.

Now, my dad has become very well known in the town of Randolph with all of the dilemmas going on with his property on Sunset Hill. Recently, there were two meetings with the Randolph Development Review Board and local residents of Sunset Hill Road to determine whether my dad could build an apartment house on his land, land that is zoned for apartments.

I attended both of these meetings in hopes of better understanding all of what was going on. Then, on Thursday, Nov. 2, my dad received a letter stating that the board had reached a decision: they were denying his proposal.

The denial was completely devastating news. I did not see how this was possible. I went to two meetings and listened to people debate for and against this project. I remember thinking repeatedly how incredible my dad's lawyer was and thinking about how obvious it was that he would win this case. The rules seemed so clear to me!

I remember trying hard to hold back from bursting out laughing listening to some of the neighbors' opinions about how "they like it just the way it is" and that having "new" neighbors would be noisy and disruptive, especially because they like to have parties and play guitars in their backyard! Is that what is called a double standard? Because they were there first they seemed to think they have more rights to my dad's land than he has.

Some people really just sounded completely ludicrous and repetitive. All I could think of was how does this group of people think that they have the right to tell someone what they can and cannot do on the property that someone else owns?!

There is no reason that I can understand why this house should not be built. Aesthetically it fits in perfectly with the tone and character of a Vermont house and looks better than just about every single house on Sunset Hill Road. And, knowing how picky my dad is, he would not let just anyone rent these apartments. He would only rent to intelligent people who would be a very good asset to the "wonderful" community.

As a student in high school, I am well aware of the phenomenon of cliques. The people on Sunset Hill Road have formed their own clique that no one else can be apart of. For whatever reason, they are scared to death of anyone intruding into their clique, so they have to do everything and anything imaginable to stop them.

The DRB is another clique. This clique possesses all the power. Without the DRB on your side, you are basically the loser who sits alone at lunch.

The losers, however, are often the most caring, intelligent and ethical people, but because of popularity, no one wants to be seen with them. No matter how many losers you get together to express their opinion, and no matter how much people know they are right, no one wants be known as the person who sided with them, fearing that they would be pushed down the popularity totem pole, or in this case, to be ostracized from the "powers that be" in Randolph.

In conclusion, my family has been stressing about this property for four years now. For four years I have watched my dad and my family sink further and further into a hole of depression.

My dad has lost the love that he once had for Vermont and the trust he had in the Vermont system of justice. Every day that he came home from a meeting where Randolph had once again changed the rules, he seemed to sink deeper. And with this sinking comes discussions about why all of a sudden everything seems to look duller, cost more, use more energy and things we used to love lose their luster. So, I hope that everyone on Sunset Hill Road is happy with their decision. Because while all of you are keeping things "just the way you like them," you are pushing me and my family down a slow and painful road.

Alexz Blakeman

Sharon