To the Editor:

It's easy to see why the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission has chosen the High Meadow for a destination monument.  And it is just as easy to see why so many oppose this location choice.

These high, grassy fields provide peaceful, unspoiled views in all directions for residents who walk there. They offer refuge to many species of wildlife that require such habitat. Maintaining open land in its natural state protects our watershed and the aquifer beneath.

For these reasons, the town has officially designated these 65 acres for passive recreation and for conservation, and I believe that overturning this designation sets a dangerous precedent for other town-owned properties that have been permanently set aside.

In this case, it also shows a woeful disregard for the honest intent of citizens, land use agents, and conservation commission members who worked hard in good faith to preserve this unique place.

If there must be an isolated monument with a paved entrance road, paved parking and infrastructure necessary to maintain security as the police commission has requested, I believe the SHPMC should look elsewhere.

Simply put, the Sandy Hook permanent memorial does not belong in the middle of the High Meadow open space.

Dottie Evans

1 Reservoir Road, Newtown         March 30, 2016