GIVE THEM A FAIR HEARING

To the editor:

We are writing because we are saddened and dismayed by the harsh criticism of the proponents of beach nourishment in 'Sconset. It seems to us that some recent comments we have read focus less on the operation and plans of the Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) than on its members, people who have been at work for almost 15 years to address beach erosion.

This privately funded organization has, from the beginning, tried its very best to create a dialogue with the Nantucket community, presenting its studies, making commitments, and asking for our comments in open public meetings before the rulings by the appropriate bodies of the island, state and federal authorities.

Let's remember these are our neighbors. They are people who love the island with everything that makes it unique and special, just like the rest of us.

So, let's get on with a fair hearing of their plans without making their efforts become the focus of personal criticism. Any of our island organizations deserves this courtesy.

- Don and Mary Warren Moffett