The pagoda is living history, a centenarian, it’s an antique, and in the plant world, it is art! Please be a conservationist in the true sense by sharing the pagoda with Edgartown and all tree huggers of the world. Please be a hero; over cocktails in your renovated home discussion could be about the fine tree, its history and your continuance of its safe preservation. Imagine, most everyone in town would praise your decision to opt out of a cantilevered garage for an ancient pagoda tree.

Please rethink your material wants. It’s puzzling how an inanimate object such as a garage could be more valuable than a unique old tree specimen. Priorities? Sensibilities? Earn bragging rights for stepping a positive carbon footprint, be a model, make a decision to rescind your garage request because that would be a life lesson for children and adults. Be the homeowners that continued the gift of the pagoda to the town. Be creative, think out of the ubiquitous box and discover a new solution for a spot to place your garage (rent a space, buy a property nearby). I image many people would help you with that solution. Step up! Be a leader for the environment. Please change your plan about possibly endangering the pagoda tree, and be applauded by most everyone. Please be gracious, magnanimous and rescind the plot against the pagoda. Please remove the possible hazard of a garage toward the ancient and preserve the pagoda as is.

Cassandra Kloumann
Chappaquiddick