To the Editor:
This letter was also sent to the Oak Bluffs board of health.
I’m writing to express my appreciation and hopes. Thank you for the diligence and time you’ve all put into this process. In many ways we entrust our health to you. I can only imagine the weight of this decision as it rests on you.
There’s been a lot of information whirling around this project for years now. Right now it comes down to making a precautionary decision. Science evolves constantly, we know that, with the information we have I believe it’s prudent to create fields made of natural turf. As stewards of our community we need to be aware of both the immediate and long range future. It saddens me to reflect back on the effects of decisions made based on greed, misinformation, or ignoring data. The tobacco industry is one example. And in our country alone, the effects of poor quality, even toxic water, has sickened and killed many. Sadly in these instances a lot of pain could have been avoided.
The students at MVRHS deserve good athletic facilities. They also deserve good health. Our community deserves safe drinking water. Our sole source aquifer will supply that if we take care of it. And yes some PFAS chemicals are being detected. This creates urgency. We need only look at the PFAS chemicals reaching wells in West Tisbury from the airport to know what can happen. We cannot gamble on the health of our water and island community.
This community, spurred on by young people, has taken important steps in reducing plastics and other chemicals on our island. It’s a long journey to eliminate toxins in our lives and it’s imperative we continue in that direction. Our future depends on it. Thank you.
Susan Desmarais
Oak Bluffs
