I recently went to a dispiriting land bank commission meeting. One topic was public comment on the new prison yard fence at Tradewinds Airport in Oak Bluffs.

Public comment was taken but not really considered. The atmosphere was: “we’ve heard all this before.” One comment from the board, also made at other meetings, was that the property hadn’t been acquired to be a dog park. That is certainly true, but nor was it purchased to be a large fenced in playpen for the exclusive use of a few aircraft and the land bank staff. I think it was purchased to save a lovely parcel of open space that might be shared by people, aircraft, and the natural plants that grew there. There are endangered plants there, but the property was never intended to be for their propagation to the exclusion of everything else except airplanes.

Another comment was that there were no paths there when the property was purchased, and I don’t think that is accurate. A plan from 1982 does show paths. There have always been trails and old roads between Tradewinds and Harthaven. The 1994 conservation restriction for the nearby Farm Pond Preserve calls for this property to be kept in its natural state, as is the mandate for all land bank properties.

It is hard to conceive of anything less natural than a big fenced-in pen. The land bank has been asked to provide proof that the prior use caused serious damage to the endangered plants. The staff has data but refuses to summarize it in a manner that may be released to the public. It appears that the land bank proffered this fence proposal to curry favor with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program by creating a large plot of land that is dedicated to endangered species. But this isn’t the land bank’s mission. By rigidly refusing to consider a compromise that allows public access, the land bank has shown incredible arrogance to the town, the town advisory board and the public.

The commission should insist that the land bank adhere to the intent of the enabling legislation.

Lucy Abbot

Oak Bluffs