(Ed. Note: The following letter was sent to the Board of Trustees and is printed here at the author's request.)

We are writing with great concern over a proclamation made at the Dec. 9, 1999 joint meeting of the Board of Trustees and the Planning Board. It was announced that all of the construction traffic for the Forest City/Daly Senior Housing Project will be routed off Bryant Avenue. This issue had never been previously discussed in public session and we were not given the opportunity to comment on it that evening. We feel that this is a nightmare waiting to happen and another example of the board's apparent lack of concern for the best interests of the community it serves.

We are very concerned about the hazardous traffic conditions that bulldozers, dump trucks, pave loaders and other construction vehicles will bring to a road that is already heavily traveled. We spoke with Mr. Daly at the Dec. 9 meeting and he stated that he would rather not use Bryant Avenue as his construction entrance. Mr. Daly felt the traffic situation which will arise from this would negatively affect him as well. After the meeting ended, several board members approached us and stated that the town would deal with the nightmarish traffic conditions when they happen. The question is, why? Why should we wait until there is a crisis when we can prevent the situation? These same board members also told us that they were not present when this issue was discussed in closed session. Who was present? What research was done to justify the use of Bryant Avenue as the most effective route for the construction traffic?

This most recent decision regarding the Forest City/Daly Senior Housing Project only deepens our anger regarding the handling of this matter by the board. Our concerns regarding the additional business traffic that this project will bring to the community on a daily basis were never addressed appropriately at any of the public sessions. Mr. Daly's experts stated that the facility would bring at least 120 additional cars to our area at the busiest times of the day. We feel this is significant. We expressed concerns over the height of the project at the north/northeast side where the project borders residential homes. The board's response to this concern was to increase the height of the building to three stories plus a parking facility and an attic. Five stories in all. Our home currently has a beautiful winter water view, which was a selling point for us. Once this facility is built, at the approved current height, the building is all we will be able to see. We asked to be notified of the balloon tests in order to get a better feel for the scope of this development in relation to our home. This request was also ignored.

We moved into this community because of its character and its dedication to historic preservation. We take great pride in our community and the restoration work we have done on our home. Throughout this process, our concerns have been dismissed and belittled. We feel betrayed.

Erica and Todd Rubrum