“I think that one thing that the people of

think that one thing that the people of Washington have got to understand is that they enjoy these excellent property values because of the nature and character of the town, and it’s in their best interests right now to give a little bit so that we can still maintain a nice town and also a prosperous town,” Miller said.

Council member Bill Wickens expressed his appreciation for the town’s open spaces and the rural atmosphere of the town. He said that he did not favor having half acre lots since they could be subdivided to create smaller lots for more houses. “I like the idea of being able to look across and see the mountains instead of clutter,” Wickens said.

An important function of the ordinance, said Wickens, should be to maintain a proper balance between commercial and residential property. “When you’re talking about the center of town, that’s one thing, but when you’re talking about streets like Mt. Salem Avenue and Gay Street then you want to maintain that residential tone,” Wickens said.

A town resident, Charles Eldred, asked about the possibility of adopting a temporary measure that would not allow new subdivision or construction for a period of time while the new zoning ordinance is being worked on. Mayor Kramer said that that possibility will be looked into.

Mayor Kramer said that he was not sure he agreed with Wickens’ remarks about keeping open spaces in the town. “I like the openness of the town, but I guess I take a little broader view, though, in that I see in the county that the place for housing the population ought to be in the towns and settlements,” Kramer said. “If we’re going to preserve open space, then it seems to me that it ought to be the true agricultural land that surrounds the town, and that we should provide for some kind of housing land to be available in the town.”