On Election Day, volunteers from Y Downtown were at the polling locations collecting signatures for our ongoing petition, which states that the YMCA's proposed move to the residentially located Camp Mahackeno site is not good for the town of Westport. While signing the petition, a number of people asked us whether the approval process for the Y's move to Camp Mahackeno was over. It most certainly is not.

In fact, the YMCA is about to face its largest hurdle yet, the Planning & Zoning Commission's review of its application. P&Z will explore all aspects of the Y's application in great detail, from the plan's impact on the environment to the additional traffic congestion that would result. Westporters will finally have the chance to tell P&Z how they feel about one of the most important planning decisions to be made by this town in years. Building a 102,000 square foot fitness facility at Camp Mahackeno would change the community forever and would affect all Westport residents, no matter where they live or work.

If you want to have a say in your town's future, we urge you to attend the upcoming P&Z hearings on the YMCA's application and let your voice be heard.

Just as so many of you shared with us on Election Day, you also need to let the Planning & Zoning Commission know that building a supersized YMCA at Camp Mahackeno is wrong for the Town of Westport, and that the majority of town residents want the application to be denied.

It was heartening to see many residents using their votes on Election Day to make a difference. Good job Westport. Let's keep up the good work and tell our town officials that they should say "No" to a YMCA at Mahackeno.

Indy Goldberg and Debbie McGinley

Y Downtown

[14 Rices Lane]

Westport, Connecticut