To the editor:

A lot of things we are happy to enjoy and celebrate on Bainbridge Island were here before we came, such as the extraordinary natural beauty of this special place.

But thousands of islanders have worked long and hard to secure many of the other things we appreciate, including the park lands that give us all access to that natural beauty. It is all available now, and we might be forgiven if we sometimes forget that many of the places we enjoy so much today (including the Grand Forest and Gazzam Preserve) were subjects of the bond campaigns and public votes of the past.

We looked to the future in those votes, and the island is better off because we did so. The decision of the parks district to purchase the Sakai property wisely asks us to continue to think about tomorrow and prepare for it. The island will continue to grow, and we will need to be vigilant in making certain that there are sufficient open spaces and public places.

A higher percentage of our population is concentrated inside High School Road than ever before. If we purchase this property and make ourselves an all-new park proximate to Winslow, in future years we will be very, very happy we did such a thing.

There was a suggestion in a previous Review that purchasing this property is bad for other property owners, because public ownership takes the property off the tax rolls. For decades on this island, the exact opposite outcome has been realized. Wonderful park spaces have contributed to island property values and thus have benefited property owners.

The island is a work in progress. Let’s vote yes and continue our exemplary record of parkland acquisition.

DAVID HARRISON

Arrow Point