To the editor:

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposal to build a Mainstay Extended Stay/Sleep Inn on Gooding Avenue. The developer has filled out a DEM Wetland Application (#22-0264), requesting to alter the wetlands by filling in 66,215 square feet of wetlands. This Mainstay Extended Stay/Sleep Inn would have approximately 80 rooms.

Many residents I have talked to about this proposal thought it was dead. But, unfortunately, it is not. The current status of the DEM application is “adequate for public notice”. This means that the proposal will soon appear before the Town Council. Once the proposal goes before the Town Council, there will be a 45-day public comment period. During that time, members of the community may express their views about the destruction of wetlands on Gooding Avenue to Town Council members and the DEM Office of Water Resources.

The bottom line is that the preservation of our wetlands is critical. Wetlands mitigate flooding, filter water and provide habitats for wildlife. Destruction of this area will cause more flooding of our neighborhoods, and will degrade Silver Creek.

Sea levels are rising. Storms are getting more intense and severe. Cement does not absorb stormwater. Wetlands do. We need more wetlands in this town. They are crucial to our well being.

Patricia E. Chalmers
Bristol Woods Drive