To the editor:

The mid-day flooding last Saturday, which made the bridge over Silver Creek impassable and the Sip N’ Dip an island, was a stark reminder as to why the proposed hotel on Gooding Avenue should never be built.

Once again rain and an onshore wind created havoc and isolated portions of town. This is now a “normal event” that will occur with increasing severity with continuing climate change and sea level rise that will be augmented by any diminishing of the wetlands of the Silver Creek watershed. Undisturbed wetlands help hold back flood waters and release them more gradually. However, the chipping away at these for various types of development has added to the severity of the periodic flooding and costs for remediation.

Water not retained by the area of wetlands that are slated to be filled by the hotel development could imperil the planned $200,000,000 high school, in addition to worsening the woes near the inadequate Silver Creek bridge. Preserving the wetlands also maintains a largely hidden gem for wildlife and recreation while adding to the beauty of Bristol.

The town now recognizes such relations and last year purchased a wetland area to the east of the proposed site to add protection to the watershed. The whole site of the proposed hotel also should be bought or at the very least the wetland portion. Additionally, to preclude such proposals in the future, such wetlands need to be zoned as non-buildable for town planning purposes. It makes little sense to battle the same issue over and over again. Despite the obvious problems of the site, the developer might have felt emboldened by the decision allowing the reuse of Robbin Rug in a flood zone.

The proposed hotel on Gooding, which would likely be used as a student dormitory, needs to be denied for its potential to increase flooding and degrade the environment, as well as the other problems mentioned by neighbors. We do not want nor need another project that harms the town.

Patrick Barosh, PhD
103 Aaron Ave.