IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON

To the editor:

This publication on April 4, 2007, editorialized regarding our home on Madequecham Valley Road: "It is unfathomable that our local government continues to bully forward, waving its rifle of eminent domain to get, not what is best for the town and its people, but for themselves and, perhaps, for the airport manager himself" (Editorial: "Bullies in Denial.")

It went on, citing the town's, "callous disregard for, and reckless treatment of, these parents and their three young children," concluding that the town "should ask Town Meeting to fix the error by releasing the property to its rightful owners - the Shaws."

Well, Town Meeting did just that - unanimously voting to direct the Airport Commission to end its efforts to push us from our home and recognize us as the rightful owners. Airport Commissioner Foley Vaughn stood before Town Meeting and promised the Townspeople a speedy settlement and an end to the Airport's claim.

We were worried at the time that this was just a tactic on the part of the Airport Commission to buy time and remove the dispute from the public eye. It seems that subsequent events may have validated our concerns. The Airport has repeatedly stonewalled, at times taking well over a month to respond to our letters, and has tried to deflect criticism by blaming our title insurance company for the Airport's inaction and excessive demands.

Despite decisively losing a key case at the Massachusetts Supreme Court over six weeks ago on a very similar case, the Airport has yet to do the right thing and drop its spurious claim to our land. Instead of wasting money pursuing these claims, shouldn't the Airport and Town spend the time and resources making sure the records are in order so that situations similar to the case it just lost do not repeat themselves?

Over four months after Town Meeting, the Airport has yet to act on its promise to the Townspeople and our family. Six weeks after the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision, we are still waiting for them to indicate what their position is after comprehensively losing that case. Frankly, the Airport should have more important things to deal with given the upcoming new terminal construction and impending chaos at the Airport, and the myriad other new projects it is proposing. Surely this is an easy problem to solve at this point.

Those responsible for flouting the wishes of Town Meeting and continuing to waste Town money by pursuing this claim ought to be ashamed.

Please, it is time to move on.

- The Mundy Shaw Family