A recent letter to the Journal regarding the Zylstra Lake boondoggle shows that even those of us who may have profoundly opposed views on many subjects can find common ground when our community has been taken for a ride. It is revealing as well that personal comments made on this issue have resulted in astonishingly frequent “attaboys” from all sorts of folks.

Some local projects such as The Village at the Harbor and the San Juan Island Community Sports Fields have been tremendous contributions to Island life. However, too often we have seen vanity and elitist projects drain resources -even if they are private- which could be spent elsewhere for the real benefit of all. In these tight financial times, greater public oversight of those who have made these questionable investments needs to be enhanced as well.

Mark Fishaut,

Friday Harbor