To the Editor:

At the last meeting of the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors, a request was made for the county to purchase the land at the intersection of Brewers Neck Road and Route 10 to be used as a buffer area for St. Lukes Church.

I believe the county should not be in the business of buying land for any reason unless it is in the best interest of the county.

At this time the land is now used by several different businesses that are paying taxes to the county and the state for the right to operate at that location.

If this land is purchased by the county, we not only lose the tax revenue, but we incur the cost of the purchase. In order to meet the requirements of those who proposed this project, the land will have to be cleared of all buildings, the fuel tanks will need to be removed, and the land would have to be landscaped and kept up.

Who will pay for this work? Not the taxpayers.

I think that this is a fine suggestion, but the cost of all of this should be paid by those who are interested in the project.

These interested parties should band together and bring this project to completion, doing it in a similar fashion as was done by the group that made the Boykins Tavern come to life.

Tom Gaskell
Zuni