Lexington Minuteman
May 31, 2001

Is the National Park really worth saving?
Guest Commentary

In the battle against Massport to stop expansion at Hanscom I routinely
question my motives. Are we really fighting to preserve the Minute Man
National Historical Park, or is it just NIMBY?

Many people accuse the Hanscom-area towns of simply trying to maintain their
own property values and not really caring about the park. Those detractors
say, "Saving the park is just a smoke screen, and besides, Bunker Hill is a
historically significant area too, isn't it?"

A few weeks ago, I took my family canoeing down the Concord River to the Old
North Bridge. I've done this many times before with my son, my neighbor's
kids, and out of town friends, but this was the first time that I took my
younger daughter on such an outing. It was a special treat for her to go.
Typically we have a lazy ride down the river, watch turtles slide off logs
into the water, eat a snack by the Minute Man statue at the North Bridge,
and paddle back up. On this most recent trip, while sitting at the bridge
with my daughter on my lap, I silently pondered the question of NIMBY vs.
Save-the-park. Once again, I reaffirmed my commitment that the park is truly
worth saving. There I was at the Old North Bridge, contemplating our
heritage at the birthplace of democracy (pardon the cliché). While I sat
there I imagined Minute Men and Redcoats firing shots at each other. I
wondered if they knew they were on the verge of creating a democracy that is
still successful more than 225 years later.

A few years ago, when I confronted one of our local leaders - John
Williams - about the question of Save-the-park being hollow, he explained it
to me like this: People have a right to contemplate history and their
heritage. They have a right to do it in peace without being interrupted.
This is a right of all Americans, not just those who live in the
Hanscom-area towns and not just those who can afford a ticket. It's a very
subtle point that many do not understand. But it is an important right, for
you and me, and our children, and for any American.

We are stewards of this park. It is one of the special places that Americans
have set aside for all to enjoy, like Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the
Everglades. We wouldn't build a commercial airport in the middle of any of
those national parks and we shouldn't build one in the middle of this one
either. Doug Brinkley, history professor at University of New Orleans, calls
this park "one of the four or five most important historical sites" in the
nation and said, "It belongs to Massachusetts no more than the Grand Canyon
belongs to Arizona."

So why is Bunker Hill any different then the Minute Man Park? It's not.
Massport made a big mistake by incrementally expanding an airport so close
to the historic waterfront and harbor historic sites in Boston and trashing
them. They continue on that same destructive path by trying to build another
runway there. Let's not allow them to make the same mistake here with
Hanscom.

Rent a canoe and take the trip down the Concord River to Old North Bridge
sometime. Enjoy the peacefulness of the slow running river. Contemplate your
own heritage at the Old North Bridge. Decide for yourself if this is a
special place that is worth saving.

Charles Lamb is a Lexington resident and Town Meeting member, Precinct 4.


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