To the Editor:

Congratulations and thank you to our Planning Board for bringing us all together to hear the CVS proposal and to share our concerns in a civil and productive way. The meeting Monday night in the Music Hall with 150 concerned Marionites brought forward some positive ideas about the development of Route 6 and citizens’ wishes for the quality of life in our town.

Clearly, we were all dismayed by the size and scope of the CVS proposal. The negative impacts would outweigh the positive ones so obviously that there seemed to be total unanimity about keeping huge box stores out of Marion.

Thank you, CVS, if you decide NOW to look elsewhere for your next project.

We urge our Planning Board to focus on Marion’s Master Plan and our vision for Route 6 in particular. We suggest expanding your sub-committee to include a few citizens and look forward to hearings and public meetings for input and consensus. It seems that we could encourage smaller businesses and retail shops to come to our town. Rather then a unilateral “no formula/box stores in Marion” bylaw, why not agree, through the updated Master Plan, that size and scale matter most to us, as well as businesses run by folks who live and work in town and cater to our needs.

The Aubuchon Hardware in Wareham might be a “box store,” but one we could like. How about a sporting goods store, a small motel, country inn, or bed and breakfast, and some more restaurants? Why not open a bed and breakfast or inn at the Captain Hadley House?

This CVS project truly mobilized many in town to express their ideas and to appreciate Marion’s small town character. Hopefully, it will also encourage people to run for Planning Board and other town offices and take an active role in local policy making.

Thank you, Chair Steve Kokkins, and your entire board, for a job well done. This was a seminal moment, allowing for better definition of our vision for our little town on Sippican Harbor, and high hopes for moving onward in the right direction.

Tinker and Bill Saltonstall