This land is your land

IN my view the inauguration of the new playing facilities on the Marsh - as outlined in the Citizen - amount to a crude con trick that is an insult to this area. The fact is that welcome though these facilities are, the Marsh area has just lost more than it gained. The reason for this is the closing of nearby playing fields that are adjacent to the Marsh County Junior school. For decades this good sized piece of land was a valuable recreation area. Yet now for some unknown reason the school authorities want these fields off limits to the public. It means for the first time in years the gates to the field are closed. Ostensibly the reason given is one of security, yet this hardly makes sense. The fence surrounding the school is too low to deter anyone with ill intent and only serves as a dangerous hurdle for younger kids who inevitably seek access to their rightful playing ground. I have to say that taking away a valuable recreation area is in very poor taste. The school has considerably more ground than it ever uses, and it seems strange that after countless years this area should be placed off limits. Perhaps someone can explain to me why a field that is maintained by public money should now be excluded from those very people who contribute to its upkeep. Quite frankly this field is public property and there are no excuses for barring it to anyone!