Community Corner
Year in Review: Year's Longest Conversations
The year's most-commented stories range from the appropriate location for a dog park to hunting season to downtown development — Brookfield readers weigh in.
The 2012 Year in Review continues with the stories that sparked the most vibrant discussions among Brookfield readers.
Happy Landings Suggested for Kanine Kingdom
By-and-far the most-commented story of the year centered on a proposal to build a dog park, Kanine Kingdom, on a portion of the town-owned open space at Happy Landings. The first post on the proposal garnered over 200 comments, with follow-ups reaching 127, 76 and 75, and several other posts and opinion pieces with 50 comments or more. The question of whether or not to use an acre of Happy Landings as a dog park was easily the most-commented story of the year.
Annual Controlled Deer Hunt
An article on the yearly controlled deer hunt sparked a discussion on the cost of a growing deer population and how best to deal with it. The comment thread eventually reached 82 posts, with readers debating the importance of keeping humanity safe and healthy while still being humane.
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Shots Fired on Surrey Drive
After a Brookfield youth was charged with unlawfully discharging a firearm in his back yard, readers began a 67-count comment thread about where and how guns should be shot safely.
Developing the Town Center District
Readers got into a discussion about the future of the Town Center District (TCD) — the business district around Four Corners that is slated to become a pedestrian-friendly, commercial-residential town center — on a story about a historic home that is being offered free to anyone qualified to move it. The 64-comment thread includes discussions about what qualifies as historic, what atmosphere should be preserved and cultivated in the TCD and whether new development is good for Brookfield.
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Digging Deeper Into the Budget
After the 2012-13 budget passed decidedly on the first referendum this year, readers engaged local officials on the specifics of the budget, including pension funding and ways to adjust for rising costs. The comment thread registered 50 posts, making it the fifth most-commented article of the year.
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