Letter to the Editor: Preserve Busa Land as Community Farm

Dear Editor:

On Sept. 15, a crowd of citizens filled Cary Hall to declare their support for preserving the Busa Farm land as a community farm.   

The Busa Land Use Proposal Committee, appointed by the Board of Selectmen to study the potential uses of the Busa Land, invited the public to contribute their ideas on the subject. They heard the people speak overwhelmingly with one voice. Of the 100 or so people in the room, 47 had the opportunity to address the committee, and 40 of them spoke in favor of a community farm. 

One after another, young and old, residents spoke with passion about what a community farm would bring to Lexington – healthy food, healthy work and healthy connections to the land and to each other. Many spoke of educational and recreational possibilities. Others lamented the passing of beauty and open space in Lexington. And most reminded the committee of our historic and environmental responsibility to preserve our last working farm. 

The case for a community farm is obvious and compelling, and as the nearly unanimous outpouring at Cary Hall shows, the public's support is nothing short of a movement. I hope and expect that the Board of Selectmen will hear the voice of the people and establish a community farm on the Busa Land.

Ken Karnofsky
Bertwell Road, Lexington