[note: Teri Shors and Billie Jo Rylance sent the following letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern. They provided TonyPalmeri.Com with a copy].

Miller's Bay or will it be "Seagull Bay?"

We were told, "it's a done deal." But we didn't listen and fought to preserve the last remaining green space in Oshkosh: Miller's Bay. After all, another pier was not included in the City's Park Plan.

The Council approved construction of the Otter Street Fishing Club Pier Proposal without discussion or citizen input in less than 25 hours. They approved a new fishing pier for children and children with disabilities without knowing the design of the pier or any of the issues regarding the pier.

Through research on their own, Oshkosh residents unraveled the facts and issues.

The Common Council approved:

• a 124 X 120 T-shaped dock which will extend from New York Avenue into the Bay in a marginal fishing area,
• a location near a busy and complex intersection with no restroom facilities, lighting or parking nearby,
• a pier without railings, lighting or reflectors for children,
• a wooden construction susceptible to ice shove, boat and snowmobile damage,
• a likely attraction to more seagulls, along with guano, avian influenza and E. coli.

This doesn't sound like a wonderful and safe children's fishing pier!

We asked the Council to rescind the resolution to approve the pier and reconsider locations that would preserve green space, provide safety for children and allow for less maintenance cost. We asked for a compromise.

The Common Council did not listen to the citizens including an attorney, a scientist, an educator, and residents who were former members of the Parks Board and residents near or far from the Bay.

Citizens were told that residents near Menominee Park did not receive notification of the pier because they lived near a City Park. But, if one lives near a neighborhood park, residents receive notification and are allowed input. Isn't this a double standard? Isn't a neighborhood park a city park?

Why couldn't the Common Council say: " We really need to take another look at this issue."

That is all it would have taken.

Teri Shors & Billie Jo Rylance