Pending the final P&Z vote to deny Eureka's petitions related to the Bennetts Pond property, and in anticipation of the developers' next application, ROSA has been actively working throughout the summer months. The following is a summary of some of our recent activities:

In an effort to bring the issues of the Bennetts Pond property, open space and the environment to the forefront of the upcoming local elections, we have formed an Elections Committee. Chaired by Robert Kleinberg, the Committee met several times during the summer and formulated our plans for the November 2 elections. Our focus will be on the Board of Selectman and Planning and Zoning Commission races.

Upcoming activities include:

• ROSA-sponsored debate on open space and the environment between First Selectman candidates Abe Morelli and Rudy Marconi. This debate will be moderated by Bob Kleinberg, and will be held at the Dayton Program Roomof the Ridgefield Library on Thursday, October 14 starting at 7:30 p.m. Both candidates have agreed to our proposed format for the debate, and we hope that you will attend in order to learn about the candidates' views on the critical issues facing Ridgefield in the coming years. A reminder of this event will be sent closer to the date.
  
  
• Candidates' Forum: ROSA's Elections Committee has prepared a list of 12 questions related to open space and the environment for all candidates for Board of Selectman and Planning and Zoning. These questions were submitted to the candidates in writing last week, and we will have their responses by mid-September. The questions and the candidates' responses will be published in their entirety on our web site (http://www.rosaopenspace.org), sent via email to our distribution list, and excerpted in the Ridgefield Press. Based on the responses we receive from the candidates, ROSA may specifically endorse some candidates.
  
  ROSA is a non-partisan organization and we will not support any candidate based on party affiliation. Our support will come solely from the responses to the questions posed as well as prior positions taken by the candidates on the issues which concern us. Your feedback on this Forum will be important, so please give us your comments and reactions when we email the Forum Q&A to you.

We have worked out the problems in our delivery of the yard signs, and thank those of you who are currently displaying them in front of your home. We have many supporters throughout Ridgefield and beyond, and we'd like to be able to demonstrate that support by having the yard signs, which read "The 2nd Battle of Ridgefield - Save Bennetts Pond", displayed throughout Ridgefield. Please consider purchasing a sign now - we'll deliver and provide you with a handy self-addressed envelope for mailing the $15.00 contribution to cover our costs and help defray our legal and environmental expenses. Order yours today - email us at rosa@mags.net and we'll deliver!

The final vote on the denial of Eureka's petitions will be taken at the next P&Z meeting to be held on Tuesday, September 7 starting at 7:45 p.m. Please note: this is a public meeting, but not a public hearing so the public cannot speak. The meeting will be held in the P&Z meeting room at the Town Hall Annex, 66 Prospect St.

Ellen Burns
Ridgefield Open Space Association