Tipping Point

Tipping PointAs a concerned resident of Little Fresh Pond Road, I have been watching the struggle by homeowners here in a fight against a huge commercial development on Little Fresh Pond—a swimmable, public-access lake. However, despite all the environmental and zoning laws, which were intended to protect this type of area from detrimental commercial development, there literally has been almost zero help from local government.

Now, we are now at the tipping point, not just for Little Fresh Pond but for all such local habitats and waterways that we have come to expect would always be here. These places can vanish instantly—if local government does nothing. Will there ever be a situation in which our local government actually stands up to deep-pocketed developers, and protects long-term residents and natural habitats?

We do not know the answer yet, but it is unfortunately clear to me that local government often works hand-in-glove with developers—and their insider go-betweens—to help nullify regulations on pollution, safety and quality of life, which have been on the books for decades. In Little Fresh Pond alone, we see a 500-visitor-per-day business allowed to operate with a Nixon-era sewage treatment system, and local government has done all it can to ignore this situation and the impact it will have on once-pristine Little Fresh Pond.

So, let the message go out now to all area residents: Either the local government actually stands for the homeowners, and the laws to protect our neighborhoods and environment, or it stands with commercial developers. But it’s not too late—the public across the region must be made more aware of the tipping point we are now at.

If nothing is done to save Little Fresh Pond then no other place is ever going to be safe for anyone else in the area, as you can be sure local government will be there to ignore the homeowners, while offering limo service to the developers, who can pop up anywhere, even right next door to the readers of this letter.

Frank KalamajkaNorth Sea