Today

Surry’s immediate future is wrapped in its past. For more than three years, residents from all walks of life have been busy planning and providing for the town’s gala bicentennial celebration next spring.

Selectman Wilbur Saunders said getting ready for the 200th birthday celebration is one of the big issues being addressed in Surry today.

The original Bicentennial Committee has spawned several subcommittees.

“Everybody is involved, working hard and having a lot of fun,” Saunders said. “Everybody is looking forward to having a good time next June.”

The community support for the bicentennial is typical of the way Surry addresses its needs and concerns.

When concerns about the possible proliferation of communication towers arose earlier this year, voters enacted a moratorium on construction of any tower or antenna in excess of 35 feet in height.

That was followed immediately by the formation of a committee charged with drafting an ordinance that would address future construction of communication towers in Surry.

Saunders said other pressing issues in town include updating the comprehensive plan and writing a harbor ordinance.

Again, volunteer committees are making a difference.

Saunders said the Harbor Committee is drafting an ordinance that would give the town better control of its freshwater and saltwater resources.

Surry currently has no harbor ordinance.

The Comprehensive Plan Committee is updating the town’s comprehensive plan to address anticipated growth and needs over the next decade.

One need identified by the committee involves the building that houses municipal offices and the Fire Department.

Saunders said both entities need more space than is now available.

A separate committee studying the issue will recommend solutions.

Citizen participation in Surry this year led to the formation of Concerned Citizens for Open Government, a nonpartisan group advocating changes in local government.

The citizens’ group, open to all residents, proposes changing the town’s fiscal year to coincide with the state’s and changing the board of selectmen from a three-member to a five-member panel.

Lois Stevens, a founding member of the group, said its primary goal is to foster government accountability at the local level.

She said the group urges all residents to attend meetings of town boards and become informed about issues in town.

“We’re working toward a better Surry,” Stevens said. “We are getting more people involved because better-informed people are going to make better decisions. We’re all in this town together.”

Though they often disagree on issues, Stevens and Saunders share a belief that Surry’s strength lies in the strength of its residents working together.

“All our committees are very active,” Saunders said. “We appreciate the work these people have been putting into it.

“Surry always has people come forward to help. That’s one of the reasons it is such a nice town.”