A Letter to the Editor of The Hammond Courier

This letter is from Seth Sherwood, whose property abuts the preserve. The letter argues that Towering Pines is quickly becoming an eyesore and a hazard to public safety. The writer fears that the forest has become a fire hazard.

From The Hammond Courier, August 1, 2001, page 18.

To the Editor:

I have lived on Highway 98 for more than three years. My house and property are right next door, you might say, to Towering Pines.

My wife and I were devastated by what the tornado did to that beautiful old forest. But now we’re even more devastated by the idea that the town might not do anything to clean up the mess.

Towering Pines is now an eyesore. We look out our kitchen window and see not a gorgeous forest but a field of stumps and fallen trees. It’s depressing! We retired to Hammond for its natural beauty. We didn’t come to live next door to a wasteland.

What’s more, Towering Pines is now a hazard to public safety. I know that the mayor says that the fire hazard isn’t much worse than it used to be. I also know that some people want to keep everything as it is, without changing it a lick.

Not everyone lives as close as we do to the preserve. More than anything, it looks like a pile of firewood. And if the town lets it stay that way, it’s putting us in serious danger.

Sincerely,

Seth Sherwood

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