Shop 'n Save and Wal-Mart, making it a service center for many surrounding towns. It recently instituted curbside trash and recycling pickup, not typical small-town services. Wisecup grew up in Windham, left for 35 years and returned five years ago. The town is five times as big, she said. North Windham's commercial strip was nearly unrecognizable to her when she returned.
People have to give some consideration to what direction they want the town to go.
Wisecup became involved in town issues two years ago when a developer proposed building 41 homes off Windham Center Road in an area she and others considered environmentally sensitive. Eventually, Windham Citizens for Sensible Development became the Windham Land Trust and bought the land and preserved it as open space. Bill Diamond, one of the leaders of the group that fought the development, said he hopes the town learns from its experience there. He said the Planning Board and Town Council should seek more input from citizens. He pointed to a referendum in Portland last week that would place a moratorium on major new construction until the city came up with rules for greater neighborood participation in the planning process.