Building the Township
Starting on day eight the Liberty Council began meeting at least 3 hours every day with a couple of things in mind. The first was to draft a Constitution and Bill of Rights, the second was to get a start on colony infrastructure. The meetings were all public and at the end of each the infrastructure proposals were put out for immediate electronic vote. The results were announced the next day and went into effect at once if ratified. The Council was very careful early on to make sure all of these building proposals were going to pass with a large majority so any haggling was done in session and only then put to the vote.
About a 150 grids were chosen for a communal farm. They were mostly meadowland so that logging and stumping would not be required before getting them into production. A tacit agreement was made that these cleared lands would in time be put up for sale with those in charge of the actual farming being given a priority for their purchase. There were a few complaints concerning the favoritism but the majority felt this only proper and so the proposal passed handily.
A land registry was put into place and colonists began selecting Freeholds at once. Within the first four days over 70% had made a choice. A twenty day selection period was enacted and if anyone still had not been able to decide they would need to select from land not approved for some other use.
A road was started which would run along the river from the hydroelectric power site Andy Stuart would build, past the Community building, and then due south bordering the township farm. For the time being it would end at the farm’s southeast corner. Routes were sketched into the map to continue that road to the lower bridge and port area and to eventually build a road along the east side of the river from the upper bridge to what looked to become Reye’s Farm. The road’s right of way was kept to 50 ft. in width and it was agreed to skirt only the edges of grid sections and adjust the boundaries of any grid the road passed through, if selected for a Freehold, so that no net land was lost. And with one exception no Freeholds would be split. Hanna Parker said to go ahead and run the right of way through her lower section. She said land on both sides of the main street into town would give a lot of options for the future.
The continued existence and use of the general robotic labor pool was confirmed and assignments made from it towards the various projects.
Half of the present lumber output would go to the Township, the other half by lottery to colonists at large. Emily parker was one of the earliest winners and she assigned her rights over to Hanna and Jules so that Hanna’s First Inn could begin construction at once. For now the Community Building would be used for anything suitable. Plans were started for food storage and processing and the start of a manufacturing center.
None of the colonists had ever been involved with boatbuilding but Karl and Pamela Nash had grown up around and owned large yachts and so temporarily took on the titles of Port Captain and Ship Yard Superintendent respectively. Pretty fancy titles for a two person outfit but showing the advantages of getting in early. If they worked out those jobs were likely to become permanent. Their first task would be to put up a dock and see about building a small cargo and fishing vessel.
All of the above were fairly easily decided and rapid progress made on other infrastructure issues. But the Monetary System and the Constitution and Bill of Rights were something else entirely.