Dear Editor:

At a Town Meeting on November 8th, the citizens of Killingworth met to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed recreation complex on the no-longer-to-be-called "Bosco" property. The urgency of the town’s need for playing fields is not in question. Most proponents stressed this need and said we must act now.

I submit that no degree of urgency will make this project prudent. The amount of money and the wetlands issues both argue against its going forward. On November 20th this project may be approved at referendum. That approval might address our immediate needs. It will not make this property any less costly to develop or lessen the impact on our local environment.

This issue failed at referendum once before. Responsible leadership would have provided the citizens of our town a viable option by now. If we had better - or any - choices, agreement on this issue could have been reached long ago. If contingencies had been part of the original planning perhaps we would be building new fields right now.

I do hope a lesson that will carry over to the next issue has been learned by all: Choice builds consensus. The real issue here is not our unarguable need for playing fields but the ability of our leadership to represent all our interests and concerns fairly. Mr. Denvir, tear down this wall!

Ray Celmer
Killingworth, CT