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To the Editor:

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…” This old Joni Mitchel tune goes through my head whenever I think of the 460 Project.

As the song goes: “They took all the trees put ’em in a tree museum/

And they charged the people a dollar an’ a half just to see ’em/Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”

Like clean water in our lakes, and rivers, fresh air to breathe, safe roads to drive.  Imagine the runoff and pollution that comes with this trade off.

I’m sure by now you know most of the facts and statistics about the size and scope or this project from all the very intelligent articles and letters that have appeared in  this paper.

I want to appeal to your better angels and ask the question:  How is it ever a good idea to pave over some of the most fertile farmland on the planet?  Have you seen what’s going on with drought, fires,and floods lately?

What do you want your city to look like? A mind-numbing series of concrete and metal buildings, complete with a non-stop parade of loud, fume-spewing trucks or some wide open spaces to welcome people to our fair city.

Personally, I’d rather see another solar farm. Not a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but at least it is a safe and productive alternative use of the land. And it can go back to being agricultural land again if needed.  There must be some sane alternatives to this project… any ideas?  I say this one is a “big no.”

Susan Andrews

Suffolk