People have an emotional connection to their parks. And I do to mine.

The Byron Linear Park is the kind of park that Jane Jacobs would’ve loved. It’s not a precious park. It’s a park that takes you places.

When my daughter was little, we’d take it to get to the summer festival in Westboro Village. We’d stop to chat with friends, have a snack, look for pine cones under the trees…the journey was almost as much fun as the destination.

The day always ended back on the path, walking home with little red or blue dots floating in the sky.

We’re not losing this stretch of park to the LRT; we’re losing two large sections a little west of here (at the end of Sherbourne Avenue and at New Orchard.)

Still, many in my community are concerned that the impact: breaking up the park in two places, lost connectivity to the pathway and creating a barrier between communities.

If this was your section of the linear park, wouldn’t you want to preserve it for future generations to run and play along?