Coming To The Table Empty-Handed: A Challenge

I’m still torn on the issue of selling Long Beach West: I hate the idea of giving up such an incredible piece of pristine beachfront property, and I know I’m not alone. Unfortunately, no one has offered a viable, credible option in the form of what would be done with the land under the continued ownership of the town. As a result, we have been left to debate the merits of only one proposed solution: the sale of Long Beach West to the Fish & Wildlife Service.

The proponents of this sale have gone so far to draft an agreement proposal, provide for an easement for public use, implement a federal funding schedule, estimate the cost of cottage removal, and execute a plan for the proceeds that includes protecting the principal while providing a revenue stream in the form of interest accrued. They have brought in a third party to facilitate the sale while having the principals speak at town forums to clarify the particulars of the agreement.

Say what you will about the merits of this proposal, but at least they brought something to the table. In a town known for moving slowly on important issues, they got the ball rolling.

Rather than receiving credit for starting this important process and making it available for debate, these people have been vilified in online forums and chastised for abandoning a sacred trust to keep this land for future generations. I agree that it’s a shame we can’t seem to make it work under our own stewardship up until now. However, when I look to the leadership of the other side, they’re too busy attacking the original proposal to offer anything of substance to counterbalance the other side.

I challenge the opponents of this sale to stand up and perform a valuable service to Stratford: come up with the alternative plan. Talk about a referendum—how much more effective would this be if we could choose between options that had been thoroughly debated and clearly defined? Rise above the politics of retribution and pettiness and focus on solving problems rather than delaying the process of dealing with them. It’s easy to tear holes in something, but creation is an act that takes effort and commitment.

Those in favor of selling the beach have had to explain why there are no guarantees on the federal funding, no written promise of the boardwalk access, the specifics of our access in light of the piping plovers, why we’d have to wait five years for the funding to come through, why we’d be liable for property as those funds are procured, etc. I commend those who initially brought these issues up, as they are important and worthy of spirited debate. Now we need the opponents of the sale to come up with something that can withstand similar scrutiny.

For this alternate plan (or plans) to be valid, we need to be practical: we have to move forward without regard to the former owners of the cottages. As cold as that sounds, we have to move past this ugly chapter in our history if we are to make the best decision regarding this land. We also have to put aside ecological biases because the town government is not primarily in the business of creating refuge wildlife sites. Although we have a responsibility to protect our environment, buying or selling that land does not endanger this habitat—that would depend on future plans for the site. Instead, we must focus on a plan for real-world use of the property if Stratford should keep Long Beach West.

That plan would have to include, among other things, the cost of emergency access after the five years we’re already on the hook for. Where is the funding for the upkeep of this land? Where is would the funding be procured for the destruction of the cottages? What else will generate income at the site comparable to the interest on the ten million dollar sale (keeping in mind the costs involved in the creation and upkeep of this venture)? What firms have been lined up for estimates or counsel? Finally, and most critically for those who favor the sale: how can you assume that the town can effectively manage this property when it hasn’t been able to do so in the twelve years since the bridge burned?

It is certainly not a lock that much more could be accomplished given five more years. We’re still trying to clean ourselves up ten years after winning a settlement in the Raymark hazardous materials suit, still trying to fill the Stratford Army Engine Plant that’s been empty for twelve, and still debating the fate of a landmark theatre that’s been dark for twenty-five. The task of the opponents is to answer these questions better than the proponents have managed to answer theirs.

This is leadership, folks, and the town’s future hangs in the balance. We deserve options, and I challenge the opponents of the sale to step up to the table. I want to keep this beach. We need to know how to save Long Beach West from ourselves!