By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

Weare seventh-grader Sarah Ray would like to see the town bring horses back as a useful form of transportation in the town's future. (Courtesy Graphic)

Everyone has a unique perspective of their hometown, but few have a vision of their hometown as it may look 25 years from now.

Seventh-grader Sarah Ray envisions horses replacing gas guzzling vehicles on Weare's main streets. Another seventhgrader, Amber Lemay, imagines a successful growth management ordinance that would limit residential development and protect Weare's rural character.

Ray and Lemay are just two Weare Middle School students who submitted master plans to the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, or SNHPC, as part of the group's first-ever Students Competition.

The competition – for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the commission 's 13-town region – adds to the commission's Regional Comprehensive Plan, a 10-year plan to establish goals and policies for future growth and development.

Member towns of the SNHPC include Weare, Manchester, New Boston and Goffstown.

“We wanted to involve the students because they represent the future residents of this region,” said the commission's executive director, David Preece. “What we got were some really fresh perspectives of how they see the future.”

Ray and Lemay were two of the four student winners this year. Their master plans – composed of illustrations and essays – were chosen by a group of five judges from about 100 entries.

Submissions were judged on creativity, style and the depth of thought about future issues.

“All the essays we received were very good and they gave us some great insight,” said Preece.

In her essay, “Who, What, Where, When, Why, Weare?,” Ray suggests replacing automobiles that rely on fossil fuels with horses, mules and oxen.

The change, says Ray, would inspire all types of horse-related business, and she even suggests horse rentals for tourists. Ray says limiting concrete roads and putting a cap on business and industry would preserve open space.

“We could use the extra room for recreational reasons such as parks and hiking trails,” Ray wrote. “We could have more room for animals to live and that means livestock for meat, horses for transportation and more. With more room we could feel open and free.”

Ray also suggests there be regular town social events designed to bring members of the community closer together.

She said a closely knit community would foster collaborative problem solving, and could lead to a reduction in crime. In an interview, Ray described her feelings when she found she'd won the SNHPC competition.

“I was so excited,” she said. “I couldn't speak for a couple of seconds.”

Amber Lemay's master plan calls for residential growth limits, aimed at protecting the town's natural resources.

In her essay, “Weare Ahead,” Lemay wrote, “if there is no house limit, then that means that our town will become a Wearester (Weare-stir), and it will not be a country town any more, it will be a city like Manchester.”

Lemay also suggests a resort style hotel and a mall – something she said Weare's teenagers will certainly appreciate. Preece said most of the 100 entries submitted called for a move toward a more old fashioned style of living.

“So many of them were reinforcing the need for villages and for walkability,” he said. But Preece stressed that the visions shared by the students weren't simply romantic or starry-eyed. “They're at a stage where they can start getting involved and influencing public policy,” he said. “They can begin to learn about real planning and policy issues.”

Preece added, “We're hoping also that this will have some effect on their parents.”

Preece said the student competition will become annual event.

To view this year's winning entries, visit www.snhpc.org.