Let’s spend less time complaining that the new middle school should move full speed ahead regardless of the consequences to the town’s open space, and more time promptly fixing the problem that is of the town’s making. We can, of course, trade away our dedicated open space bit by bit for this school or that development project year after year until we have none. Or we can seek assurance that if the town needs to build on dedicated open space, bought with our money, it makes absolutely sure to replace that space with open space of equal value, as required by law.

It has become abundantly clear that Boulder Heights does not meet the equal value test. It isn’t helpful to ask how the town failed to follow the law in identifying an equally valuable land swap for the Merritt property. It was a different Town Council and a different town manager who made those decisions. Let’s give the new town government some space to find a solution that the courts and the Office of the Attorney General will find adequate, and move forward so that the middle school construction can stay on schedule. I’m optimistic that a win-win solution is possible.

Lynne Marshall

Groton