Robert J. Moon, AIA
Good evening. My name is Bob Moon. I am an architect and live at 11117 Wood Elves Way in Columbia. I have been a resident of Columbia for 37 years. My adult children live in Columbia, as well as my 5 grandchildren, who were born in Columbia.
I am here tonight as a grandparent. Like all grandparents, I believe my 4 grandsons and granddaughter are special and I want what is best for them. My granddaughter says she wants to be a scientist and belongs to the environmental club at her high school. She is already monitoring her “carbon footprint.” A few years ago, my oldest grandson hiked in the Sierra Mountains on a trip to California. It was a life changing experience for him.
Like all grandparents, I want to provide opportunities for my grandchildren.
I want to open doors for them so they can fully experience the world – whether it is through meeting different kinds of people, through travel and cultural experiences or through physical exercise and sporting competitions.
And I want them to have a personal relationship with the natural world. This is hard to do in the suburbs. Suburbanites depend upon parks to give us that contact with nature. It is in parks that we take trails through the woods, see the bounty of flowers and shrubs and trees, and, if we are lucky, where we have lakes, streams and ponds, wetlands and woodlands and wildlife.
And we are lucky here in Columbia, because a miracle happened: 300 acres of undisturbed land was protected for 40 years in the middle of a suburban residential developmental explosion.
And this is wonderful property. The site includes a farmhouse and outbuildings, mature trees, wildflower meadows, wetlands, two farm ponds and wildlife.
This property was purchased 11 years ago, and it remains behind locked gates. Thousands of children have already missed the chance of enjoying its wonders. Let’s begin the development of this property by taking down the gates and building a children’s garden that is sensitive to the environment and sustainable.
I call upon you to preserve this land for our children – to enhance it with beautiful gardens and cultivate it for environmentally-focused education and recreation for all ages to enjoy together.