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Windy Ridge Park, a park that Mount Airy town residents voted to keep as open space, is being prepared for the development of a huge park with ball fields, dog parks, pavilions and trails.

The town surveyed its residents in 2007, and found that 42 percent of respondents wanted to keep this property as natural open space, 29 percent for a pool, 26 percent wooded area, and 22 percent ball fields and so on.

The Mount Airy Town Council wants most of the access go through New Estates, a Frederick County neighborhood that is not within the town limits. The majority of access will not be on town-maintained streets, but through a neighborhood that has narrow streets, no sidewalks or lighting, and is maintained by Frederick County.

This is a small neighborhood located off of Prospect Road at North Annapolis Drive in Frederick County, not in the Town of Mount Airy.

I find it amazing the Town Council is talking about building this multimillion dollar park, which would be similar to the sports complex Emmett Full wanted to build with his own money on the Rigler property. The council rejected his plan because of traffic concerns and unsightly views for the residents of Summit Ridge.

But the council feels it will be OK to access a huge park through a neighborhood in which the roads have no lines and in some places are only 20 feet wide. The access for this park should be through town streets that were intended for this use: Westridge Road, East West Park and Rising Ridge extended.

Every resident of New Estates that I was able to contact (22 homes out of 35) wrote letters to the Town of Mount Airy, asking them to not access the park through the neighborhood that has roads inadequate for the traffic the park will produce. We do not oppose the park; just the access through New Estates.

The town's Parks and Recreation Commission will talk about the plans for the park at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall, 210 S. Main St.

Melanie Jackman, Mount Airy