Letters

I write in response to recent articles published in The Sag Harbor Express on the proposed Marsden Street athletic field. While this has been viewed simply as an addition of a sports field, the far-reaching consequences have not been addressed.

If the Marsden Street properties are acquired using Community Preservation Fund monies, it will become a landmark case study for future generations, an example of the misuse of funds for development and expansion across the entire East End; of bending interpretations of Southampton Town code to serve a relatively small group of athletes; of acting against the interests of young people in Sag Harbor and across the East End who overwhelmingly support environmental preservation over development of any kind; and of approving an expensive project that has not properly communicated the long-term cost implications to taxpayers.

From a legal standpoint, there is nothing in the code that supports the development of artificial turf and sports facilities over more ecologically minded projects that would benefit the wider community. From an ethical standpoint, it is now clear that the Sag Harbor School Board is playing the role of developer, only sharing the palatable parts of their plan and putting taxpayer money at risk.

If this sounds dramatic for one sports field, it’s because it is. All this will be a very steep price to pay, by the Southampton Town Board and the Sag Harbor community, for the sake of one additional sports field.

Is this additional sports field worth all the legal battles ahead? (Especially when the school has access to an abundance of fields at Mashashimuet Park, a short walk away.) Is an artificial turf field worth the unraveling of the goodwill and vision the CPF was founded on?

“Do it for the kids!” is the catchphrase we’ve heard often from supporters of the Marsden Street development. Any Google search will tell you that the kids (right across America) want their leaders to do what’s right for the environment, and to make the most of the beautiful nature we have right on our doorstep.

Howard Collinge

Sag Harbor