As regards the plan to build a multi-use artificial turf field at Tappen Beach I would ask that [the Town of Oyster Bay] reconsider this until people in our area are truly informed of what's at stake. And what is at stake is, in my opinion, is nothing less than the McMansion-ization of Tappen Beach, dressed in aluminum and Astroturf with bright stadium lights marking the spot where we will come one step closer to becoming Queens (I really don't think our local politicians will be happy until we've paved and overbuild every square inch of this county).

I am always struck by the sight of families gathered at the Tappen Beach picnic area. To me there's something wonderfully reassuring about seeing families together in a public park. Families looking to escape the heat and find a patch of grass or shade that their own houses or apartments don't offer. Why would we want to limit their exposure to the park and picnic area? By doing this it would seem to me that the TOB is saying "yes" to North Shore Lacrosse and "no" to these families and anyone else who would rather we think long and hard before building something we're all going to have to live with for a long, long time.

While I'm sure there is much that can be done to improve the layout of Tappen Beach, I would hope that the changes would be made in small, well-reasoned measures. And I would think that whatever is done would be done to benefit the majority and would, as well, work within the framework and landscape of the area.

Martin Foley