To the editor:

Change is hard. But we all experience and even undertake necessary change.

An example currently confronting Pelham is climate change. The long-projected increases in major rain events are now arriving, and they can be expected to increase in both number and ferocity.

Two areas in our village flood with these events. Our neighbors suffer. Our village suffers. Real estate values and our tax base are impacted negatively. So whether out of compassion for our neighbors or hard-headed economic reasons, we must mitigate this flood damage.

The Village of Pelham Board of Trustees has a plan in place and is moving it forward with flood mitigation for two areas of our village. One of them seems to generate some controversy. It involves changes under the tennis courts and on the east side of the rocks at Julianne’s Playground. It will mitigate flooding now impacting neighbors on the north end of Sixth Avenue. And we even get a much-needed restroom for the playground.

Is it a bother that somehow years ago the playground fell under our school district instead of our town recreation department? Yes it is… an expensive one as authority passes from the school district to Pelham village. But we’ll get through it.

Do we wish there was another reasonably priced fuel for the pumps that could substitute for diesel? Yes we do. But the pump testing periods are short, and the pumping during floods may often join the pollution released by our own home-generators during power loss. These are all technologies we look forward to changing out as energy options change in the future.

But, for now, we need to avoid ever increasing flooding in our village. The solution is underway. We need to support our village board in every way to speed completion.

Marilyn Hoyt and Dr. Dan Wharton

110 Sixth Avenue