When a family (or individual) chooses to settle in a small town, they seek minimal traffic, low population density, and easy access around town. Can you imagine, in less than a month, all of this taken away? That is what happens when someone builds a mega-sized neighborhood in a small town, like Yarmouth.

It causes quite the social disturbance. Ever since someone started to build the new neighborhood right next to the school, I have to dash out the door and am usually late due to the construction. The huge increase in residential housing causes an ecological disturbance. A large patch of trees has been cut down, bigger than some neighborhoods already in Yarmouth. I observed it was at least 10 acres, which really put me down in the dumps. There is also the safety disturbance to consider. It makes it harder to walk or bike to school, at least for now.

I realize that some people think developing in small towns is a good thing, but not with excess. It’s like a kid eating 12 cookies before his bedtime. The idea doesn’t seem so terrible at the time, but it turns out bittersweet in the end. Maintaining the character of a small town is important, because once a community has morphed from rural or suburban to urban, that small town has been lost forever.

Evan Lucca
Grade 5, Harrison Middle School
Yarmouth