Town of Dunbarton, New Hampshire Master Plan 2004 Developed by the Dunbarton Planning Board With assistance from the Central NH Regional Planning Commission Adopted April 20, 2005 Town of Dunbarton, New Hampshire Master Plan 2004 Adopted April 20, 2005 Developed by the: Dunbarton Planning Board and its Master Plan Subcommittees 1011 School Street Dunbarton, NH 03046 With assistance from the: 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PAGE 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As the process for the development of the Dunbarton Master Plan draws to a conclusion, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support shown by the community to this process. In November 2003, over 1,100 Community Surveys were distributed with 490 residents responding with their thoughts and opinions on Dunbarton and its future. This was a remarkable rate of return. Also, there was exceptional community participation at the Visioning Forum that was conducted in January 2004. The input was extremely valuable and critical to the direction the Master Plan would take. And a very special note of gratitude to those members of the community who went the extra mile and routinely participated in the planning process by attending meetings, and providing input and support. We also want to acknowledge the dedicated support that the Steering Committee has received from the Dunbarton Planning Board. Throughout the eighteen month development of this Plan, they have demonstrated a consistent and unswerving determination to ensure that the planning process was open, objective, and comprehensive. Lastly, we want to especially acknowledge the untiring efforts and commitment of the members of the Steering Committee who served during this process. They worked many long hours to ensure that the final Master Plan reflected the vision and goals of the community. Without their enthusiasm, this process would not have achieved this level of success. Along with funds and information from Town of Dunbarton, many additional financial and data contributors made the development of several Chapters of this Master Plan possible. Funding Funding for the REGIONAL CONCERNS CHAPTER was provided by the Central NH Regional Planning Commission (CNHRPC). Through their affiliation with CNHRPC, Dunbarton was able to obtain the following funding for various Chapters from different State agencies: DUNBARTON MASTER PLAN 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PAGE 2 Funding for the TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER was provided by the NH Department of Transportation through its annual agreement with the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission (CNHRPC) to undertake local and regional planning transportation planning activities. Funding for the POPULATION AND ECONOMICS CHAPTER was provided by the NH Office of Energy and Planning (formerly the Office of State Planning) through its Targeted Block Grant agreement with the CNHRPC. Much of the statistical data in the Plan originated from NH OEP/NH OSP publications. Funding for the NATURAL RESOURCES CHAPTER was provided by the NH Department of Environmental Services through its Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP) agreement with the CNHRPC. Data Many sources of information were used to develop this Plan. Information from the NH Office of Energy and Planning (formerly Office of State Planning), NH Department of Employment Security, NH Department of Transportation, NH Department of Environmental Services, previous Master Plans, past Census and current 2000 Census data, Town records and maps, and from Town staff and volunteers, in addition to the sources previously mentioned, comprises the bulk of data contained within the Plan. Additional data from various sources is also included and is appropriately cited. Last, much of the basic digital data for the maps of the Master Plan was initially made available through the NH GRANIT system before its modification to fit the needs of this Plan. Land use and build out GIS data was provided by Dunbarton volunteers, and tax map data was provided by the Town. The remaining layers were developed by CNHRPC for use in this project. With Many Thanks, Brian Nordle – Co-Chair Ron Slocum – Co-Chair DUNBARTON MASTER PLAN 2004 CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION PAGE 3 DUNBARTON MASTER PLAN 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 1 Funding........................................................................................................ 1 Data............................................................................................................. 2 CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION...................................................................................... 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................. 4 CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF A MASTER PLAN .................................................................................. I-1 DUNBARTON’S MASTER PLAN HISTORY...................................................................... I-1 1983 Master Plan........................................................................................ I-1 1990 Master Plan........................................................................................ I-2 2004 MASTER PLAN........................................................................................ I-3 November 2003 Community Survey.............................................................. I-4 January 2004 Master Plan Community Visioning Forum.................................. I-6 Master Plan Development Process................................................................. I-7 Public Participation .................................................................................... I-10 Base Map with Topography DUNBARTON MASTER PLAN 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 5 CHAPTER II – MASTER PLAN VISION INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. II-1 2004 MASTER PLAN GOALS.................................................................................. II-2 THE VISION OF THE COMMUNITY ........................................................................... II-4 THE VISION OF FIFTH GRADERS AND TEENS............................................................... II-5 THE VISION OF THE SUBCOMMITTEES....................................................................... II-6 Chapter III - Historical and Cultural Resources .............................................. II-6 Chapter IV - Population and Economics........................................................ II-6 Chapter V - Housing................................................................................... II-7 Chapter VI - Natural Resources.................................................................... II-7 Chapter VII - Community and Recreational Facilities with Utilities.................... II-8 Chapter VIII - Transportation ....................................................................... II-8 Chapter IX - Existing and Future Land Use..................................................... II-8 Chapter X - Regional Concerns.................................................................... II-9 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... II-9 DUNBARTON MASTER PLAN 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 6 CHAPTER III – HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................III-1 OBJECTIVES OF THE CHAPTER AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..............................................III-2 COMMUNITY SURVEY AND VISIONING RESULTS ..........................................................III-3 Community Survey......................................................................................III-3 Community Visioning Forum........................................................................III-5 A BRIEF HISTORY OF DUNBARTON ..........................................................................III-6 FEATURES AND RESOURCES .................................................................................III-10 Local Historic Markers...............................................................................III-10 Historic Sites and Structures.......................................................................III-10 Churches .................................................................................................III-11 One-Room Schoolhouses..........................................................................III-12 Town Structures ........................................................................................III-12 Shops......................................................................................................III-12 Sites ........................................................................................................III-13 Mill Sites..................................................................................................III-13 Cemeteries ..............................................................................................III-15 THE HISTORICAL AREA OF PAGES CORNER ..............................................................III-17 Page’s Corner..........................................................................................III-17 COMMUNITY CHARACTER ...................................................................................III-19 Geographical Character ...........................................................................III-19