To the editor:

The long-standing flooding problem in the Silver Creek Watershed will be worsened if the DEM's approval of the proposed hotel site on Gooding Avenue is allowed to stand. It flies in the face of the work of the State Planning Commission to alleviate flooding along Route 114 and sets a dangerous precedent. There have been series of meetings in Bristol, Warren and Barrington this year, with the town of Bristol's active participation, highlighting the flooding near route 114 and ways to mitigate it. Preserving the Silver Creek watershed and correcting its flood-prone Silver Creek bridge are two of the main issues and the proposed hotel plans would add to these problems. The planned hotel would eat away a portion of the watershed that provides retention to slow runoff. It is just such taking of wetlands and stream channels bit by bit that has resulted in Bristol's past inland flooding.

Ignoring the water flow in the watershed in the past has caused ongoing problems and great expense to the town and the state. The many letters received by the DEM by knowledgeable neighbors and the Bristol Conservation Commission detail these. Dismissing these concerns and those of the State's Route 114 taskforce is incomprehensible. Merely stating that these "do not constitute an objection of a substantive nature" and require a public hearing does not eliminate the hazard. It is reminiscent of the inadequate I-195 bridge inspections. To make matters worse, anyone requesting a hearing to question this flawed decision would be charged $2,000; an undemocratic measure meant to stifle dissent.

Furthermore, the site is not particularly suited for a hotel, which stands a good chance of being used for student housing or changed to condos as has happened to previous hotels. The old location of "Bennys" on Metacom would be a much better location.

This decision opposes the findings of groups that have studied the water issue, and the town has been working to acquire land to maintain the Silver Creek wetlands to address the flooding concerns, as well as for environmental and recreational uses. DEM's contrary action needs to be reversed and any construction in wetlands halted.

Patrick Barosh, PhD
103 Aaron Ave.