Whoomp 

Editor:

Thank you, Heidi Walters! There it is in black and white print. Thank you to Miles Slattery of the City of Eureka for clearly stating the issues regarding the clean-up of the Balloon Track ("Sympathy for the Brownfield," Aug. 26).

The state Water Quality Control Board approved the interim plan for remediation of the site after public review, a step not normally needed nor required. The article states that a 1.5-acre site contaminated with higher levels of dioxin than exist at the Marina Center site will be allowed to be merely capped, consistent with state protocol. Slattery correctly indicates that when some plans are protested, you should look at who's protesting and why. He doesn't believe a lot of the issues surrounding the Marina Center remediation plan are truly environmental issues. They are more about what the proposed development is going to be and who wins politically over it.

The Marina Center debate is a political battle, not an environmental one. Environmental laws are merely the weapons in this battle. This is the reason Measure N is on the November ballot. It will give the citizens of Eureka a chance to voice their opinion on rezoning the site as a necessary first step in moving the Marina Center development closer to approval.

Your vote in favor of Measure N will let your voice be heard beyond the smoke and mirrors of the protesters, and send a strong political message to Bonnie Neely, our area's current representative on the Coastal Commission.

Joel Canzoneri, Arcata