What is it that makes Exeter West-Greenwich special? Is it the people who live here, the untouched woods and streets not illuminated by artificial lighting? Or is it more precisely the schools? Exeter West Greenwich High school is the heart and soul of these towns. Everything that happens including functions are held at the schools. Everyone is connected through it. EWG High School is what makes Exeter and West Greenwich special. The Borderlands Project is here to make sure that this stays true. This project is focused on keeping Exeter-West Greenwich as unique as it is, and not letting it become another community swallowed up by chain stores and restaurants, to keep the feeling of a tight knit community.

On October 10th, there was a Borderlands meeting at EWG High School hosted by Mr.Nuzum. Many staff members attended such as Mrs.Boule, and even Superintendent Guismar. During this meeting many issues were addressed. Such as, what will Exeter/ West Greenwich look like in the next 45 to 50 years? What do we want it to look like? The answer was that the general public's opinion was needed. Public transportation was brought up. Is that something that people would like to see more of, especially kids who attend the school and need transportation to other places that school buses cannot take them. Would that be a good thing to add to the community?

Then an even more important topic came up; what could the Borderlands association do for the younger generation in E-WG? How to make E-WG not just home to families with young children or retired couples with money? One idea was to build a community center for the younger population. This community center would be a place for teens to hang out and socialize. Where to put this community center was another issue altogether. Would teens want it in the middle of E-WG? Or the Southern part of the community or closer to the school? So many questions, but who was to answer them? Not the adults; this was a matter concerning the students. This is the one situtation where our voice really matters.

The association knows that it is slim that students after graduating from high school and going to college or even after college will be able to put roots, such as a house, into the community in which they were raised. This is not because they do not want to, but because of the simple fact of money. E-WG is a place where many people have money, be it inherited money from family or money that was worked hard for over the years--the community is generally one of the wealthier in the state. High school and college graduates do not usually have the money, especially in the economy nowadays, to be able to buy a house in the area. So a question was raised about Multifamily housing. Is it something that maybe Exeter or West Greenwich would like to have in the next few years? This would make the community a little more diverse when talking about the age bracket that lives in the area. The organization again wanted to hear from the students what it thought about this idea. If there was affordable housing in these areas, would students stay or come back after college? Would doing this be a good investment for the towns? Only the students themselves can answer that.

This Borderlands Project team is here to “conserve and enhance the natural amenities that make community unique.” It is designed to help plan for the future direction of the towns, such as economically where it is going to go. Things like housing developments, more restaurants, and shops, community centers...and if these are going to be allowed, how many should be allowed, and where are they going to be located in such a rural community? The group feels that they need the help of the community to answer these questions.

The biggest question is how will this project effect, personally, the teenagers in the district. One idea kicked around at the Borderlands meeting was that there should be a community center where kids of the community can come together. One question raised at the meeting was, why should adults have all the say on what makes a good community center and where it should be located? The team feels that this would not be right, and that EWG students need to get involved now. The team recommends that students of the high school and their parents participate in upcoming meetings and events. The project website (www.Borderlands.org) has a blog on which people in the community can leave their comments and concerns about this project. Then the comments and concerns will be answered by someone on the Borderlands team, hopefully with a reassuring answer.