Neighborhoods succumb to airport expansion

To the Editor:

As the expansion of TF Green Airport progresses, neighborhoods in Greenwood are disappearing. In a subculture of Greenwood known as The Birches, over 60 homes are being acquired in order to accommodate this project. With an ample number of homes, a walking path, and ball fields, this truly was a neighborhood. Now the area has become almost unrecognizable. With each blink of an eye another home or tree is gone, while dumpsters and bulldozers have become a familiar part of the landscape. Where the sounds of life were once abundant, only the distant hum of traffic and construction fill the void.

For some a neighborhood is a place to raise a family, but for others the neighborhood is the family. It’s a community of people who look out for each other. The kind who watch out for you when you’re ill, or look after your home when you go away. They take in your recyclables, and your driveway is mysteriously cleared of snow when you come home. You can call them any time of day or night with an emergency. This is more than a neighborhood, it’s an infrastructure, and the loss of such for some, can be profound. As each member leaves, the grief is real and painful. Once living in a joyous, cohesive colony, now some reside in isolation – feeling like a lonesome wolf without its pack, waiting for their turn to go.

While relocation will inevitably take place, and compensation should be fair, don’t underestimate the toll this move may take on some. In addition to the laborious task of physically moving, forming new bonds will take time.

I know that life consists of movement, and to not accept change is to not invite progress. My commentary is to merely highlight the emotional impact these changes can have. So when you pass through this area and notice that the houses once there have disappeared, know that there is so much more missing. It’s the pulse of a community that is gone.

Tammie Dickerman

Warwick