To the editor:
A basin or hollow is an indentation or depression in the surface of land. And example is the former Sylvania parcel at the corner of Boston and Bridge streets proposed as the site of a new Salem Senior Center.
The traffic controls at this intersection result in carbon monoxide emissions from the thousands of motor vehicles that pass through here daily.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that enters the bloodstream through the lungs. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can cause cardiovascular or respiratory problems, particularly for children and senior citizens. Even healthy persons may experience chest pain, impaired vision or loss of alertness.
In a low-lying area like the former Sylvania site, poor air circulation and cooler temperatures near the ground can keep carbon monoxide from rising into the atmosphere.
Other potential hazards connected with this site include the presence of hydrocarbon emissions, also the result of the heavy traffic; and the contaminants that might still be in the ground from when Sylvania operated a manufacturing facility there.
Not to mention the fact that sharing a building with office uses, as has been proposed, could subject seniors to exposure to airborne allergens, infection, dust, and cigarette smoke.
The health and wellness of our senior citizens should be paramount in selecting a site for the new center. The facility proposed for the Salem Willows would be built on solid New England blue granite with the breathable, salty air completely filtered by the natural greenery and woods of Fort Lee and the adjoining parkland.
What better legacy can we leave our future citizenry than by supporting a facility that fully meets the needs of those who made Salem what it is today?
dr. Milt Vorgeas
Salem
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