LETTERS
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SHOOTING RANGE DESERVES IMPROVEMENTS

To the editor:

For over a half century a parcel of Town property off New South Road has served as a shooting range for the people of Nantucket. This simple but effective shooting range, consisting of an old railroad embankment for a safe backstop and about 100 yards of field in front of it, has served generations of Nantucketers well as the place where one can practice the shooting sports. It is a remote spot surrounded by impenetrable shrub oak.

I have often used the facility for target shooting, sighting in rifles and shotguns and plinking with small bore rifles. I have taken both my children and my grandchildren out there to do the same.

The right to improve this facility is being contested by a group of land -owners who have properties a half mile away in a relatively new development. They have decided that the shooting range is unacceptable even though it has been in regular and continual use since before some of them were born.

Some of the property owners, their two lawyers and a sound expert from off-island spoke at length against the project last Friday at the Zoning Board meeting. They cited noise, safety and a possible decrease in the value of their recently acquired properties among other reasons.

The directors of the Hunting Association have offered to work with, and have already worked with, many of the neighbors of the range to address and mitigate such problems. In this case the offer seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

I would like to see these improvements in the shooting range implemented. I believe the ordinary people of Nantucket, those who live here, work here, and make their lives here, deserve a safe and well-regulated range to practice shooting sports. It seems unfair that a small group of property owners could prevent the improvement of what has been part of a long-standing way of life on Nantucket.

- John F. Lochtefeld SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

To the editor:

We were most interested to read the reports in The Nantucket Independent covering the ConCom Meeting of December 5, devoted to the Beach Reclamation in 'Sconset issue, but surprised that no mention was made of an extremely important aspect of the hearing.

A lengthy presentation, with slides, was given by Michael May, Executive Director of the Nantucket Preservation Trust, that stressed the many interesting historic houses in the area, and seemed to connect saving these structures from destruction, with the proposed Beach Reclamation.

What was never mentioned in The Independent's news report was a question from the floor at the end of Mr. May's presentation, namely: Did the NPT receive payment to do this survey? His answer was: Yes.

The next, even more important question was: Was the NPT's Executive Director therefore making this presentation as part of the SBPF team? The answer, with some hesitation, was: Yes.

This is a serious matter, as our nonprofit organizations are not meant to be part of a team arguing for a project before our town boards in return for payment, nor should this be the impression given. This is a clear conflict of interest, as payment puts impartiality squarely in question.

Actually, it seems to us that the NPT presentation argues, unintentionally, directly against the SBPF proposal. If these historic houses are important to save - and we would surely all agree that they are - that is actually the best, strongest reason for moving them to safer ground as soon as possible, as was done with the Lighthouse, since the Reclamation project, whether it happens or not, has no guarantee of success. If it fails, what then?

But the really serious issue here is that nonprofit, public interest organizations must be very careful not to allow themselves to be used to influence town decisions, in return for payment. We are disappointed that the Independent's coverage ignored this completely, and we are writing because we think it is something the public should be aware of.

Sincerely yours,

- Reva and Mort Schlesinger AS BAXTER ROAD GOES ...

To the editor:

Attention gardeners, painters, caretakers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, lumber yard workers, designers, insurers, alarm people, furniture people, drapery people, video communication people, irrigation people, shopkeepers, fuel dealers, housecleaners, even fishermen:

Think of how much business Baxter Road gives you every year. If these houses disappear so does the business. Go up Baxter Road some day and count the trucks and vans.

SBPF wants to save their homes. They want to pay for the job.

If it works, we all gain; if it doesn't, it will be as if we didn't do anything.

Yours,

- George A. Vollans

Siasconset

FRENCH TURF STUDY IS IMPARTIAL

To the editor:

Regarding the Nov. 28 article on artificial turf in The Nantucket Independent, your reporter, Peter Brace, writes that a "two-year study performed by France's Agency for Environment and Energy Management revealed that crumb rubber had no impact on the environment, and that it released very low levels of gas."

The study he references was done in conjunction with (and underwritten by) Aliapur, a consortium of tire manufacturers. Their mission is to figure out what to do with their products once they are discarded. Notice any familiar names below?

Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop Goodyear, Kléber, Michelin, Pirelli.

The only peer-reviewed, independent, scientific preliminary study is the EHHI study done by Connecticut's premier research laboratory. The only other study worth looking at is by the California DEP, which has a motive as well - what to do with all those toxic tires. Their study does show that carcinogens and heavy metals are released but they look to dilution into the atmosphere and water tables as the reason this tire waste is not harmful. Both studies call for more in-depth research on human and environmental health effects.

Please send this to Mr. Brace. Also, we in Larchmont, NY are also trying to warn people about the dangers of rubber crumb. It seems a vocal minority of sports teams want these 24/7 fields no matter what the cost - financially or environmentally.

Thank You.

- Catherine Wachs

Larchmont, NY

ARE WE BEING SERVED?

To the editor:

I would guess that most old-time Nantucketers are especially happy to learn the news concerning the rescue of the Dreamland Theatre and from such questionable development plans as were proposed. It is also interesting to read in last week's I&M that "Primarily this space will house a movie theatre and likely a performing arts space…." The reference to the performing arts space is what has engendered this letter.

There is a present and a potential audience on this island that is not well served by the several venues that are available for performances of the greatest works of musical art. Except for opera, choruses and vocal soloists, the bulk of the works of the western world's geniuses (such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, etc.) are performed by artists who are sitting down, including symphony orchestras. If you go to a concert at any of the island churches or the Coffin School you are seated on a flat floor on about the same level with the players, and only those in the front couple of rows or directly on the center aisle will see anything but the tops of the players' heads.

I have noticed that many patrons of concerts will comment that they have gone to "see" or are going to "see" a pianist or a string quartet. For some people seeing is not important but for most people it is a good part of the pleasure of attending a concert. Nantucket is devoid of a medium-sized hall with a properly canted floor with a real stage. To be sure, one can see the stage well in the Atheneum and also the hall above the Methodist church but these halls are too small. The only canted floors on the island that I know of are the high school, the Dreamland and Bennett Hall. The first two are too large and the latter is too small and, anyway, the Dreamland will be busy being a movie theatre.

Nantucket is no longer the little isolated, provincial place that it once was. Its cultural needs are expanding along with its population. We certainly need a theatre for the production of plays but it is not practical to combine such a use with other uses. But just as much we also need a hall to serve such organizations as the Nantucket Musical Arts, the Arts Council, the Music School and any group that wants to put on events such as lectures and shows. The floor should be canted, with a spacious stage area designed to accommodate a concert quality grand piano. Might it happen some day?

- Adrienne A. McCalley