Editor:

From early March through early April I followed with interest coverage of the discordance between the town council and the Conservation Commission in regards to the development near Eastern Road.  This coverage was provided by other papers; coverage in the Leader was curiously absent.

Although I do not condone disrespectful or inappropriate communication from either side of an issue, I do understand what it is like to bring a significant issue to town hall and have it fall on seemingly deaf ears.  In that scenario, a citizen or a group has one of two options:  give up, or, continue to work persistently through any and all available channels.

In the end, several changes were made to the plan in order to protect the Scarborough Marsh, a resource that is appreciated by many who live in Scarborough.  I do not believe that these changes would have occurred without the efforts of the Conservation Commission.  My hope is that the lessons learned from this particular development could help establish a more constructive working relationship between the planning board, council and the commission, and that the Conservation Commision will have the opportunity to contribute to future projects. 

Cathy Dragoni

Scarborough