First, I feel that agricultural zoning in Oxford should be left alone and sacredly protected. Horse and farm country are not to be restructured in any way!

For those of you on the planning commission who want to add airports, hotels, or any other ridiculous commercial properties to this zen of Mother Earth, I suggest you take a drive and spend some time there.

How many of you are actually connected with nature and aware of the time, money, and hard labor required to uphold pastures for livestock and horses? Or crops?

We are extremely lucky here in Oxford to have one of the best patches of vast, rolling green-lands for farms and horses which people are passionate about maintaining! They settled out here intentionally along with the Hunt Club from Detroit who settled in our neighboring Metamora. This land is worth more than potential profits from real estate; this is a way of life and it needs to be fully supported and sanctioned.

Second, what better place on Earth to bring abused, homeless, or juvenile children but to this very zen of Mother Earth!

Maybe House of Providence will incorporate some animals and land for the children as healing therapy, and help them to become better integrated with their surrounding community…. so let’s give them time to build and assimilate.

What kind of welcoming committee are we if we just say get out, you’re not wanted here! To feel that property values will go down because of such an effort is to give into fear of change without basis.

Go there, meet the Dunns, ask if you and your land and your animals couldn’t offer to be of some help in any way. At the very least help these kids get their hands dirty with some good old-fashioned gardening! And time spent grooming a horse is the best therapy ever! Nature is what they need; it provides ample nurture.

I agree that the building is somewhat of an eyesore to the farming landscape. But then I’ve never seen Oxford approve any new construction with an aesthetic eye to its proposed surroundings.

Trust me, I live directly across the street from a brand new eyesore. Maybe the planning commission can urge both to plant some trees and make an attempt to have their buildings blend in somewhat, rather than looking so out of place! Didn’t we used to have a design committee here?

Robin DiMeglio

Oxford