Town Character, Environment/Landscapes, and Historic/Heritage

Enfield’s town character is shaped greatly by friendliness and strong sense of community with people who understand, and care about, the history, environment, and fellow residents. Support for one another is high. This is manifest in many ways through municipal-sponsored and grass-roots programs that span generations, socio-economic segments, and years of residence in Enfield.

Some examples of our “can-do” attitude can achieve include: the new high school, annual civic events, zoning, rehabilitation of the downtown area, EVA, and Friends of Mascoma. Town officials feel they have a mandate to preserve and support this enduring and unique characteristic of Enfield.

Officials sense that residents prefer “evolutionary” change over “revolutionary” change, in part because residents seem to like Enfield as it is – rural, beautiful, spacious, friendly, down-to-earth, proud of its history and heritage. Similarly, residents don’t seem to want to be dictated to, but rather to be engaged in dialogue about the future of their community.

Residents also voice that municipal government and the schools should be managed so that taxes remain affordable for all residents and residents aren’t forced to leave due to financial pressures. Enfield’s adoption of strategic governance is intended to support that desire by combining strategic thinking with effective operational governance, with the goal of delivering the high level of service residents expect at a more efficient cost. Controlling municipal expenses plays an important role in ensuring the community remains affordable to a diverse population. 

The historic nature of many structures in Enfield also has implications for the deliberations regarding municipal facilities. Some of the operating departments are located in historic buildings that aren’t really suited for their operations. As a result, if the community elects to move departments to newer, more suitable space, the town will have to ensure that the historic buildings (i.e., Whitney Hall and Ambulance Building) receive appropriate consideration for the next stages in their evolving history.

Additionally, as Economic/Community Development activities intensify, a more robust effort will be needed to limit potential impacts on the environment, landscape, and historic buildings that may no longer house town departments.