Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Let’s discuss some facts about Mathews Heritage Park. Recent contributor Keith Ellenberger, I’m sure, had admirable intentions when he provided his remarks about the park. Good intentions without facts, however, serve no good purpose.

FACT: No private property is being threatened by the park. The access road and legal right of way to the former farm (now park property) was established and built over a century ago for the sole use by the owners of this property decades before any other homes were built on the adjacent parcels. Since other property owners in the area rely on that same right of way on a daily basis, are they also considered a “threat?” Should they be denied their legal rights to use the existing access road? I think not.

FACT: Not only will the park bring a growing number of kayakers and nature lovers to Mathews, it will also be utilized by schools and youth groups, the U S. Naval Research Lab and at least three universi...