Dear editor: 

In reference to Ryder Payne's letter, “Old rifle range is a better solution to Ryerson Park traffic woes than Niagara Shores,” (Dec. 17), I think that is a fantastic idea.

The old rifle range should be a park. It wouldn’t bother anyone and it should never become a housing development.

I’m sure there are many developers who are keeping an eye on it for just that purpose, thus permanently removing it as a solution to the growing shortage of green space here.

Green space in NOTL is being overrun by out-of-town visitors. All summer and fall the parks are overflowing with families. Presumably, we want to keep the visitors but also keep the town habitable for residents.

The old rifle range is the perfect solution. We need more parks and more space in general if we want to preserve the town’s character and keep it a pleasant place to live.

Opening up the rifle range, which was mothballed years ago by the federal government, would definitely solve the Ryerson Park/Shakespeare Avenue thoroughfare problem because it would pull people to a better place, making the Chautauqua area a better place for its residents.

Jackie Bonic
NOTL