To the editor:

Last week's paper questioned the validity of the BWSC site choice. The consultant's response was that the new building was outside the theoretical limits of the flooded area. As we all know that is only a line on a plan, drawn based on past historical data and really has no bearing on future flooded conditions that can possibly have little relevance to actual reality. Oops, sorry folks.

In addition this consultant remarks negatively on the hypothetical idea of using eminent domain to acquire the necessary land acreage, which is the standard conservative response using only negative impact examples to disparage this concept and avoid looking further than into this possibility.

The Town of Bristol with a diminishing population since 2005, with only 22.5% of its households having school age children cannot afford to continue to support the quantity of non taxable and non-productive land within its boundaries. Primarily this rather large parcel should at least be paying taxes if not used for other purposes. Brown University's large endowment will not suffer or be diminished by ceding this land back to the Town.

This land was previously used by Brown for an archeological museum now closed, and for a conference center, now also closed.

There are many ways that such an extraordinary wooded and hilly site would allow a really unique design concept with great ocean views with low-rise buildings blending into the topography and nature of the site to generate a marvelously ecological conscious site plan. Frank Lloyd Wright would turn over in his grave at the currently proposed design concept on a poorly chosen site.

A really unique site driven concept on the Brown property would be very different from the high rise urban concept currently being proposed by the consultants that is more suited to a suburb of New York or Chicago. These high-rise larger schools are generally much disdained by today's crop of ecologically woke students.

Regarding the exorbitant project costs, we can refer to many official nationwide data sources that all point to about half the consultant's proposed budget.

The current diminishing demographics of our two Towns consists of a majority of aged pensioners on fixed incomes. The inevitable increases in the tax burden will quickly become unsupportable, but by then the planners and consultants will long be in the rearview mirror.

Why are we persisting in going down this poorly planned and overly costly path? There is still time to reverse course and seek other options .

George Burman, AIA Emeritus
Bristol