Before all of us get carried away with arguments and discussions on the findings of the Steering Committee, building guidelines and new development in the neighborhood, we should not forget the important need for our green space. In the year and a half that my husband and I have lived in the neighborhood, we have seen some very positive changes but we have also watched as Castleberry Hill increasingly keeps losing any possible spaces for a park of some kind.

I am all for growth in the neighborhood and will support any development that will benefit all of us but I do not want to live in a neighborhood of concrete. I am a dog owner and as I watch more and more dog owners in the area, I am also seeing more poop on the sidewalks, in part because there are few areas for the dogs to use.

It saddened me to read Daniel Read's comments that he was so excited that something was being built on the corner of Haynes and Peters. As disscused in past neighborhood meetings, I am sure that many of us wish that something was becoming a park.

I understand that I moved into an urban neighborhood, not a suburb (thank godness!), and growth and development is an essential part of city life. However, I would encourage everyone to at least think about what remaining green areas that we have left and how we can save some of them. I would hate for our neighborhood to lose sight of the current and future benefits of undeveloped sections as we continue to argue about the height of the buildings that will swallow up any remaing hopes for a park.

Katy Hutchins

By Katy Hutchins

Green Space

Setting aside the nepotism comments, I completly agree with my wife. We spend a great deal of time walking around the neighborhood with our dog and have witnessed some dramatic changes in the past year. However, those changes have caused us to grow more concerned about the possibility for a neighborhood park. Fortunately, there are still a few pieces of land available that could serve as a park.

I encourage the neighborhood and the neighborhood association to actively pursue the preservation of green space. I would like to see a committee or organization established that will spearhead those efforts. I volunteer my services to help in this effort.

In order to create a park, I think it is going to require a financial commitment from the neighborhood plus other outside capital sources. In order to make this more palatable to contributors, their donations will have to be tax deductible. Therefore, it is imperative that the 501(c)(3) (i.e. non-profit organization) corporation is setup.

By Rob Hutchins

An excellent point

I agree that a park would be great, but that does not lessen my enthusiasm for new development. The more green space, the better, but it seems there is still plenty of opportunity and space. Maybe my perception is inaccurate, but when I walk the neighborhood, I see empty lots and delapidated and unused buildings galore. That's why I get so excited about the new development: new homes mean one less empty trash-filled lot for homeless people to sleep in; a converted building means one less fire trap rat trap empty eyesore, and we have plenty of those. That said, I agree that these opportunities for the establishment of a park will someday be gone, and it's better to act while we can. Also, and pardon my cynicism, a park is not a solution to the dog doo problem: the problem there is inconsiderate people who don't care enough to carry something to pick up after their dogs. Even if there were a park, these same inconsiderate people would let their dogs go on the sidewalk. And if a park was just a corner lot filled with grass and dog crap, you won't find me there throwing my frisbee.

Later,
Dan

By Daniel Read