The following letter to the editor was submitted by Sue Doctrow of 99 Westminster Ave.:
I appreciate the YourArlington story on Article 30, presenting not only the proponent’s view, but also those of concerned Mt. Gilboa residents and key Arlington entities such as the Conservation Commission.
I would like to clarify, however, the events and the timeline. Through the Mt. Gilboa Neighborhood email list, we became mobilized to address this article very early in the process. I feel that the way the events were presented in your story did not make this point accurately. The conversation began on Feb. 10, not Feb. 11, and, more important, this was *exactly when* Pam Hallett sent our Mt. Gilboa Neighborhood email list notification of the Warrant Article. (In other words, this was not a discussion that got “ramped up” over a week afterward, as I believe your article’s chronology implies).
Pam’s email alerted several of us, including David White, conservation commissioner and neighbor on our email list and, like Pam and myself, a Town Meeting member for our precinct. Many of us took immediate action, first trying to learn about the article, including how much land was in question and whether the article could really threaten the conservation land.
I was impressed by the range of voices that spoke up over those first few hours to offer their perspectives, including people — some still residents, others who have moved but still care — who had advocated for the town to protect the land in the first place. At least two of our neighbors attended and reported back on that very evening’s (Feb. 10) Finance Committee discussion of the article. Within 24 hours, we had had numerous discussions, off-list and on, and had reached out to others to learn more.
We urged one another to write to the Board of Selectmen and the Conservation Commission expressing concerns. I sent my letter — which you quoted in your article — officially to the BoS, the Concom and a number of others in the town, on Feb. 14. This was after having consulted with some members of relevant town entities, and even some experts outside of our town, seeking information and greater understanding.
All of our contributions, in my opinion, reflect the strong level of communication and advocacy that is encouraged in our neighborhood. It is this advocacy that, before my time here, led to Mt. Gilboa being protected many years ago. It is also this advocacy that I was proud to be part of as a newer resident, in 2007, when we joined together (in fact, forming the Mt. Gilboa Neighborhood email list for that reason) to persuade the town to address safety concerns following a fatal car crash on Westminster Avenue.
I am proud of my neighborhood for our ability to communicate with one another and work together. And, I am very proud of our respectful, strong and informed advocacy against this article. Thank you, again, for providing this forum.
This letter was published Thursday, March 17, 2016.
