Letter to the Editor: Park District Should Stop Bulldozing Homes Along Fox River

As a professional and passionate environmentalist, I support creating green spaces to protect the Fox River. However, the Oswegoland Park District’s approach of bulldozing perfectly sound houses along North Adams is nonsense -- from a fiscal, environmental and recreational perspective.

 By demolishing good homes in an established neighborhood, the Park District creates tiny green patches of denuded land squeezed between houses. These tiny patches of green are void of established trees, erosion control measures and good habitat for wildlife. 

 They provide zero recreational value. Who is going to jog, ride a bike or picnic in a patch of green between two private yards? Furthermore, knocking down homes close to the village center encourages urban sprawl, makes our community less walkable and hurts business at local shops.

To maximize the goals of recreational use and nature conservation, the Park District should focus instead on purchasing land along the Fox River that already has established trees, provides habitat for deer and bald eagles, and controls soil erosion along the river banks. Joggers, strollers and bicyclists would all enjoy a new path through these woods.

It’s our tax money: the State grants that paid for buying and demolishing homes  came from our tax dollars. With elections soon, I ask all candidates for Park District commissioner to state publicly whether they support 1.) wasting our tax money to buy and bulldoze houses, or 2.) expanding real recreational opportunities and advancing nature conservation in our community.

Diane Osgood, Oswego