Neary-Sighted

The longtime chairman of the Lakewood Parks and Recreation Commission writes, with justification, to gently chide me about some of my word selection. I think I am guilty; when you write volumes of words for newspapers, you sometimes forget the power of a word. Roger Laybourn's note follows.

The upshot of his point is that when I say there may be a 'park' at a street end, it sounds like we are planning a parking lot, soccer fields, and a big signs that says "teen-agers come here to drink." In fact, the only concrete ideas I have heard - and again, these are just ideas - involve maybe a place to sit and to launch a kayak. Anyway, here is Roger's note:

Walter, the Parks Board has tried to clarify the idea of what to do with the street ends and what not to do with them. There is no plan to make parks out of any of them. Enhance public access to those where that is possible but not to turn them into parks. That misconception is at the heart of much of the anxiety expressed at the public meetings even though the statement is presented both orally and on the slide that states the purposes of the meetings. I hope this helps clarify the issue. I know it's a fine point but one that we've been trying to make since we started this series of meetings. Thanks for your interest and support. Roger
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