When the College tried to place the Center for Jewish Life at Dartmouth on Occom Ridge Road last year, the Occom Pond Neighborhood Preservation Society protested to the Hanover Planning Board.
When the College tried to move the Dragon senior society from its current location next to Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity to an empty lot behind Delta Delta Delta sorority, the Occom Pond Neighborhood Preservation Society challenged the College in court.
The society, which has existed in its present form for about 20 years, has been a perpetual thorn in the College's expansion plans. But members say they do not protest things for the sake of protesting -- they call the society a necessary check on the College's expansion plans.
"We won't argue with them if they leave us alone -- if they don't invade the residential qualities of this neighborhood," said Nancy Prosser, who is a member of the society. "We want to be reasonable, but we don't want to be treated badly."
"Institutional land that abuts residential land should be treated with kid gloves," she said.
But Director of Facilities Planning Gordie DeWitt said the College treats the neighborhood residents fairly.
"There are lots of checks in Hanover without the association," he said.
"The College works within the framework of the Hanover master plan and ordinances," he said. "These neighborhood groups obviously have their own agenda, and we do listen and communicate as best we can. But I don't think this is how you get changes made in what the College's future plans are."
Society President Trix Officer said the organization existed in the early 1900s and was resurrected in the early 1970s. The group's mission, as defined in 1972, is to "establish the preservation and prominence of the Occom Pond-Pine Park-Golf Course complex intact for single family residential and recreational uses."
Officer said town legal structures are not sufficient to arbitrate between the College and residents.
"I think it would be very helpful to have some kind of town-gown committee that met regularly and discussed issues of concern to both," she said.
DeWitt said "most of the things this group of residents would be interested in, [the College] would mostly share. It is a nice area. It is our area too."
In Nov. 1992 the members submitted a petition against the Center for Jewish Life to College President James Freedman and the Board of Trustees. They expressed concern with "parking size and placement, traffic access and safety, scope of services, and size-design of building."
"I can't pretend we're totally right all the time," Prosser said. "We don't mean to be obstructionists, except in the case of the Center for Jewish Life."
The society is currently trying to block construction of the center by objecting to its site plan that is under review by the Hanover Planning Board.
"On this particular issue it has been very confrontational," Officer said. "I feel bad about that. It shouldn't have been this way."
Another point of contention between the College and the society is the relocation of Dragon. A judge from Grafton County Superior Court is currently reviewing an appeal made by the society.
"The society has urged [the College] to consult with us about their plans and they have done very little about that," Prosser said.
But DeWitt said the College has historically shared its plans with the society.
"We promised we would and I think we have [shared our plans], including some early discussion about the Center for Jewish Life and the Dragon," he said.
In addition to these recent developments, the society has been involved with issues such as the "hospital's relation to property on Rope Ferry Road and smoke emissions from the smoke stacks," Officer said. She said the society's dealings are "various and sundry."
According to DeWitt, the organization has even been involved with issues not directly involving the Occom Pond area.
"A few years ago the College tested the possibility of developing some moderate cost housing in the area of Valley Road. One of the groups that seemed to object to it was the society," DeWitt said.
Prosser said, "they were going to take down some of the old historic houses. It was at a very busy intersection that will get busier over the years. I think we protested it, but I don't know if we protested it as an organization," she said.
Officer said she has been involved with issues surrounding the use of the Outing Club house.
"There was a big to-do over parties and a fair amount of noise at the Outing Club house," Prosser said. "I think a compromise was worked out."
