To the Editor:

Does Queen Street have a hidden agenda? One thing that’s always on people’s minds is their property values. I must admit that the diverted traffic onto Glover Avenue and its possible negative impact on our housing values is a concern. That got me thinking about Queen Street. We know that, in fact, there have been almost no accidents on Queen Street over the years, (with the exception of rear end bumps at the intersection of Queen and Glover and an unfortunate child running after a ball at dusk) so safety is certainly an exaggerated issue. It’s clearly no less safe than other roads in town. In fact for its volume of traffic it’s one of the safest.

So there must be another or additional  motivator to get such a small group of people so activated that they demand speed bumps and sidewalks. That’s when I notice that this “small group” The Bee said attended the last Police Commission meeting  complaining about noise on Queen Street had something in common. Besides purchasing their homes on Queen Street with the full knowledge that it was busy and had speeders, all but one made major improvements to their homes once they were there. I don’t mean redecorating; I mean additions each costing well over $100,000. The other person who attended owns a building lot he was trying to develop in addition to his own house.

As I drive, slowly, down Queen Street the number of newer homes or renovations is stunning.  The all look great and represent new and additional confidence in the road. I’m glad to see the improvements. However these major home improvements hardly create the image of a group of residents who claim their street is unsafe to live on, a street that they have to change or move, or a street that children cannot play in the front yard.  Nope this is a street that people like to live on, they are confident that’s it’s a good investment, and worth investing a $100,000 and more on.

Bruce Walczak

12 Glover Avenue, Newtown August 28, 2013