The fuss over the old IBM property on Route 7 has just begun, and before the dust settles there's going to be some rough sailing ahead for our town.

The property, now called Bennett's Ponds, is owned by New Jersey developers who plan to build homes and offices, plus a hotel, a conference center and a private golf course. When completed, they claim the project will be a wonderful addition to the Ridgefield community.

Some Ridgefielders are skeptical; most of New Jersey is pretty ugly. Specific worries include the impact of 2,000 additional vehicles on Rt.7 each rush hour, degraded air quality, noise, the depletion of Bennett's Pond to irrigate the golf course, chemical run-off from the golf course, damage to the underground aquifers serving the rest of Ridgefield, damage to the local economy from extreme congestion, and additional burdens placed on the local infrastructure and town services.

Individually, some of these worries may be manageable. Unfortunately, once the bulldozers start, this rare and precious place will be lost forever, sacrificed for profits in New Jersey.

Many people in town have suggested that Ridgefield should buy at least some part of this land to protect it for future generations. The new Town Master Plan calls for 30% open space, and if Bennett's Pond is lost that goal will never be achieved. Our state rep, John Frey , has been actively working to get the State to purchase the land. Other members of important town councils and commissions also feel the town should take charge of this land. Even the Board of Finance -- curmudgeons on their best days -- several years ago approved $12 million for the acquisition of this land.

All of this is good.

Only the selectmen have dragged their feet in this effort to protect Ridgefield. Worrying about all the wrong things, scared of lawsuits and under pressure from local economic interests, some of the selectmen are unable or unwilling to recognize that this development will devastate Ridgefield forever. The town we love today will vanish in a blue-gray burst of diesel fumes.

So this is a call to arms. First, I call upon all my neighbors to challenge town hall and tell them that "New Jersization" of Bennett's Pond has no place in the Ridgefield of our future. Secondly, I call upon my fellow selectmen to renounce their foot-dragging ways, to stand tall in the saddle and do not what is easy but what is right. Lastly, I urge them to use their position of leadership to actively protect our town and to apply all the legitimate powers at our disposal -- moral, economic, regulatory and sovereign -- to acquire this property and control its development.

This is the time for strong actions, for clear thinking and straight speaking. Our failure to protect Bennett's Pond today will be a curse on our childrens' future. We can avoid this fate and control our future, but we must start now.

Mike Jones
32 High Ridge