Letters: Resident doubtful that cars in park is major cause of damage

I wish to express my disagreement with City Planner Will Caplinger on the issue of the environmental sensitivity of the trees on Beachfront Park. Also, the "regulations" that have caused our local car club to consider dropping out of Sea Cruise seem completely unnecessary.

According to the article, "Club pulls out of Sea Cruise," Caplinger states that "one pass over the root zone causes root damage." Is this really the case? I have to question that. The fact that these trees are not indigenous perhaps has more to do with their lack of ability to thrive at Beachfront Park. It seems that if there were a weekly off-road mudslinging competition in this area, perhaps the trees might suffer a bit, but "one pass" over the "root zone" seems quite unlikely to contribute to the changes you say you see when comparing aerial photos of the property.

Terry DeGross

Gasquet