Letters

Remember William Randolph Hearst and his famous statement: “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war”?

It seems to me that The Press, the Southampton Town Board and even some community groups are painting a false, but common, narrative of developers vs. obstructionists.

I attended numerous meetings, big focus groups and small focus groups. A very small number of people were outright against any revitalization.

I heard, still hear, and possess specific objections. These include the location of the sewage treatment plant, turning the Good Ground parking area into a public thoroughfare, and buildings of a quantity and height out of character for Hampton Bays.

Local government and community leaders have a responsibility to create community cohesion, not a fake war. The town could hire a consultant to do a feasibility study on other potential sewage treatment sites. The town could explain how or why taking Good Ground Park is not an alienation. The town could present alternative development ideas. Even Jay Scheiderman’s plan with the dead-end street, water feature and “Good Ground Beans coffee shop” looks like a better plan.

Spinning wheels, painting demons and unnecessarily pitting community members against each other is not productive. It sells papers, as Hearst knew. But it doesn’t resolve any issues or disputes.

Details can be boring and tedious, but someone needs to address them.

Mary Pazan

Hampton Bays