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May 21, 2009
Plan B
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| Image: On to Plan B. Five City Councilors supported keeping the short disc golf course at the highway 32 site for up to 5 years Tuesday night. The site will be shrunk a tad and go from 18 to 12 holes. But we'll be able to add improvements to reduce impact and improve playability. The fab 5 deserve some atta-boys for making a good decision. The five councilors, none of whom are quite as lovely as Neve Campbell or Lacey Chabert, but all handsome men nonetheless, will forever be known as the "Party of Five". And every year on May 19th we'll watch re-runs of Party of Five episodes at the Outsiders corporate HQ, and then act them out with the councilor's names replacing those of the main characters. Supportive councilors included Walker, Wahl, Nickell, Gruendl, and Holcombe. Flynn and Schwab declined to support the motion. In fact, Flynn had declined to meet with Gregg and I to discuss alternate locations prior to the Park Commission's decision to select Caper Acres as a disc golf site. She cited the fact that she knew everything she needed to know about disc golf. Unfortunately, some of the anti-DG folks followed Flynn's lead, and as soon as the conversation shifted to the park commission all decisions about alternate locations omitted the opinions of people that play disc golf. That fact, and the reality that other park users and neighbors would oppose most proposed sites, resulted in a site selection that really wouldn't work (Caper Acres). That resulted in a return to the highway 32 site. They were so sure they controlled the process that they allowed it to fail. They are still sure that we won't raise the funds or commit to maintaining the 32 site. Continually underestimating the commitment of people that actually use the park for recreation is probably not a winning strategy. We're still interested in finding a new place for the short course. But we'll likely shy away from anything to do with the park commission, and work more closely with CARD. And since we've got 5 years to pull this together I'm hopeful we can find a solution. In the meantime, recreation continues in upper Bidwell Park. And 182 days later disc golf has been restored. |
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Posted by Lon at May 21, 2009 7:52 AM
Comments
I think tom hithcock deserves credit for this coming to an end of sorts. without his rambeling drivel of threats, the council would still be on the fence. thanks tom for pushing them in the right direction.
Posted by: about time at May 21, 2009 8:16 AM
yeah, we're taking our sign down today, trying to begin that community healing that our mayor was talking about.
Mary Flynn needs to go in 2010. I don't know whether she's really got drug problems or she's just high on her horse, but she's not workable. She's completely unprofessional. It was really insulting to listen to Ann tell us we were dividing the community with Mary sitting up there.
We're the public, we're supposed to be allowed to holler and boo, as long as we don't resort to fisticuffs. But those people are supposed to have some sense of decorum, and Mary left hers in the car.
And Ann needs to get off her box as well. She's on a power trip around the planet. She threatened us at the meeting the other night, saying she'd bring in a referendum, after she threw ours out - what a bully!
She's got a bigger swing than Teddy Roosevelt. Last week at the reopening of the old muni building, she acted as though the project was her baby. She went on forever about how she was reclaiming Downtown, "as the heart of our community," blah, blah, blah. You'd think it was her victory speech or something. Afterwards I was standing out back, and Steve Peterson remarked that Ann should have given her speech from the balcony, "Evita style." I had to agree.
and now, back to work. 16 tons, and whattya get? You get another day older and deeper in debt. St Peter don't you call me cause I can't go, I just got to make it to the 18th hole!
Posted by: juanita at May 21, 2009 8:27 AM
AT,
There's no doubt that some of the abusive back-channel communications worked against people wanting disc golf removed. I would also give some credit to John Merz who, whether intentionally or not, talked down to Councilor Nickell at the April meeting.
In fact I think we need to give great credit to Nickell who took so much time to find an alternate site, educated himself on the history of the issue, and really took a lot of personal flak on this issue.
Tom resisted political pressure of all sorts before the decision, and I'm sure he's feeling it right now. His standing as a man of the people is certainly improved.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at May 21, 2009 8:51 AM
what flynn did at the meeting on Tuesday was embarrassing. I dont see how anyone could vote for her after seeing how she handled this situation. Happy that we finally got some resolution and that the councilors that were totally against this listened to the people and looked at the facts. Will be by sometime today to pick up my disc(finally haha)
Posted by: John Coutts at May 21, 2009 10:21 AM
John,
I don't mind the rectal exam from Flynn regarding non-profit status. However, I doubt she would treat anyone else that way.
What was more problematic was her facial expressions and demeanor in response to people she didn't agree with. I think a City Councilor should have more decorum, as Juanita put it.
It would certainly be nice if she returned to the kind of councilor she was when first elected. She seemed a lot more thoughtful then, and more apt to listen to dissent.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at May 21, 2009 10:42 AM
Lon,
You are a saint. You showed tremendous restraint during the Flynn rectal exam, not to mention the Holcombe jab re the MMP. He knows exactly why the MMP was attacked. Pure grandstanding. It's almost humorous to listen to Holcombe, Flynn et al pretending to be fiscal conservatives.
Kudos to Matt for pointing out that disc golf is not jumping to the head of the line.
Thanks to Mr Wahl for supporting DG. But his Tour of Cali vote is exactly the kind of vote that has caused my support for him over the years to wax and wane.
#5
Posted by: Sean Baber at May 21, 2009 2:50 PM