To the editor:

Thank you Mr. Mascena for pointing out what appears to be obvious to all but the Bristol Planning Board and Town Council. Giving up that beautiful waterfront property to a developer rather than the taxpaying citizens of Bristol was an opportunity lost.

All the debates and discussions and meetings regarding this property fell on deaf ears, except for the developer, who the town council heard loud and clear, caving to his many demands and giving back little or nothing. The small parking lot at the corner of Thames and Church could have been purchased by the town versus making concessions to the developer as if he was doing the town a favor.

As for historic property, there is one building in that whole hodgepodge of shoddy construction that warrants historic status and that is the original burgundy stucco building that was built on the site in the 1860s, everything else was an add-on and unsightly. So please, let’s not hear the cry that we needed to save them all. The only one benefiting from saving them all is the developer himself with a nice return on his investment.

Like Mr. Mascena, I too had suggested floating a bond or at least letting the voters and taxpayers of Bristol weigh in with their vote. Keeping the one and only historic building and repurposing it, taking the rest down to create a park or seaport village would surely have been more beneficial to the Town of Bristol and its citizens than it is going to be to the developer, who will take the money and run, leaving the taxpayers holding the bag.

Paul J. Salesi
249 Hope St.