I just got this e-mail. Lets help save a good thing!
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Hi Everyone, If you love Elings Park and want to continue to ride there, please send this out to everyone you can and please, please attend this rally at the County Supervisors offices Tomorrow Thursday May 27th at 4PM. We need everyone to help send a message that you can't keep pushing the biking community around just to insure your entitlement interest. This directly effects the parks funding, to insure the future of biking in the park and our community. Please help Elings Park defend themselves and us the community, and fight this embarrassing law suit based on greed and entitlement interest at the expense of all of us. Please read and I will see you all there!!! Ed
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steen Hudson <shudson@elingspark.org>
Date: Wed, May 26, 2010 at 2:56 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release: County Tries to Shut Down Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival
To: Steen Hudson <shudson@elingspark.org>
Please join us and send this out to any interested party.
______________________________________________________
Bike-In Planned Thursday After
County Hires O.C. Law Firm
To Shut Mountain Bike Festival
SANTA BARBARA If youre among the many people wondering about the Countys priorities, try this on for size. Theyve just hired an expensive Orange County law firm to sue a local nonprofit park and shut down a hugely popular, family-friendly mountain bike event thats been running successfully for five years.
At a time when the county is strapped for money, what on earth is the point of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a last-minute lawsuit to block an event that promotes healthy living, gets kids outdoors and away from the TV set, brings money into the community and benefits a charitable organization that provides recreational opportunities for local families at no cost whatsoever to the taxpayer? said Michael Fauver, President of the Board of Directors for Elings Park, where the two-day mountain bike event is to be held on June 5 and 6.
It just seems unconscionable that on almost the same day that the County released a budget providing for significant program cuts, and at the same time they were asking County employees to agree to salary and benefit cuts, the County hired a large Orange County law firm to come into Santa Barbara and force a local non-profit to shut down one of its most popular programs.
The annual Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival has drawn thousands of kids and their parents into a healthy, wholesome activity that combats the epidemic of obesity, brings families into an affordable sport, and subsidizes hikers, dog walkers and others who use the same trails. The County has allowed this event for the last five years and now they want to stop it. What has happened? We have done nothing different, but 10 days before our 6th Annual Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival they file a lawsuit? Its hard to believe there isnt another agenda here.
Elings Park believes the lawsuit is a cynical manipulation by some of the parks wealthy neighbors to use public money to advance their private campaign to end mountain and off-road biking in the park.
Theres a small, elitist group that wants to keep South Elings Park as their private backyard at a time when were trying to expand recreational opportunities for the entire community thats what this is really about. Were using the land exactly the way weve always said we would and the same way weve been using it for the past five years. Elings Park is a recreational resource for the entire community that relies completely on charitable donations and volunteers to operate its soccer fields, softball fields, picnic areas and mountain trails. If this elitist group succeeds in shutting down the bicycle festival, whats next? said Marcia Constance, Chairperson of the Elings Park Board.
Elings Park is asking residents who believe that kids and families should have a safe place to ride and enjoy nature to bring their bikes to a rally at 4pm Thursday May 27th at the corner of Anacapa and Anapamu Streets by the County offices.
Wed like to hear the County explain why theyre closing down youth programs and then turning around and spending money they say they dont have to shut down the bicycle festival, Fauver said. If you think thats a bad use of taxpayer funds, if you think our kids need more recreational opportunities instead of less, if you think its time for government to stop meddling with programs that are working, then wed like you to join us on Thursday and send that message to the Supervisors.
For further information, please contact Elings Park Executive Director Steen Hudson at 805.569.5611.
Steen Hudson
Executive Director, Elings Park
v: 805.569.5611 ext.12
f: 805.569.3316
shudson@elingspark.org
=========================================================
Hi Everyone, If you love Elings Park and want to continue to ride there, please send this out to everyone you can and please, please attend this rally at the County Supervisors offices Tomorrow Thursday May 27th at 4PM. We need everyone to help send a message that you can't keep pushing the biking community around just to insure your entitlement interest. This directly effects the parks funding, to insure the future of biking in the park and our community. Please help Elings Park defend themselves and us the community, and fight this embarrassing law suit based on greed and entitlement interest at the expense of all of us. Please read and I will see you all there!!! Ed
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steen Hudson <shudson@elingspark.org>
Date: Wed, May 26, 2010 at 2:56 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release: County Tries to Shut Down Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival
To: Steen Hudson <shudson@elingspark.org>
Please join us and send this out to any interested party.
______________________________________________________
Bike-In Planned Thursday After
County Hires O.C. Law Firm
To Shut Mountain Bike Festival
SANTA BARBARA If youre among the many people wondering about the Countys priorities, try this on for size. Theyve just hired an expensive Orange County law firm to sue a local nonprofit park and shut down a hugely popular, family-friendly mountain bike event thats been running successfully for five years.
At a time when the county is strapped for money, what on earth is the point of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a last-minute lawsuit to block an event that promotes healthy living, gets kids outdoors and away from the TV set, brings money into the community and benefits a charitable organization that provides recreational opportunities for local families at no cost whatsoever to the taxpayer? said Michael Fauver, President of the Board of Directors for Elings Park, where the two-day mountain bike event is to be held on June 5 and 6.
It just seems unconscionable that on almost the same day that the County released a budget providing for significant program cuts, and at the same time they were asking County employees to agree to salary and benefit cuts, the County hired a large Orange County law firm to come into Santa Barbara and force a local non-profit to shut down one of its most popular programs.
The annual Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival has drawn thousands of kids and their parents into a healthy, wholesome activity that combats the epidemic of obesity, brings families into an affordable sport, and subsidizes hikers, dog walkers and others who use the same trails. The County has allowed this event for the last five years and now they want to stop it. What has happened? We have done nothing different, but 10 days before our 6th Annual Santa Barbara Bicycle Festival they file a lawsuit? Its hard to believe there isnt another agenda here.
Elings Park believes the lawsuit is a cynical manipulation by some of the parks wealthy neighbors to use public money to advance their private campaign to end mountain and off-road biking in the park.
Theres a small, elitist group that wants to keep South Elings Park as their private backyard at a time when were trying to expand recreational opportunities for the entire community thats what this is really about. Were using the land exactly the way weve always said we would and the same way weve been using it for the past five years. Elings Park is a recreational resource for the entire community that relies completely on charitable donations and volunteers to operate its soccer fields, softball fields, picnic areas and mountain trails. If this elitist group succeeds in shutting down the bicycle festival, whats next? said Marcia Constance, Chairperson of the Elings Park Board.
Elings Park is asking residents who believe that kids and families should have a safe place to ride and enjoy nature to bring their bikes to a rally at 4pm Thursday May 27th at the corner of Anacapa and Anapamu Streets by the County offices.
Wed like to hear the County explain why theyre closing down youth programs and then turning around and spending money they say they dont have to shut down the bicycle festival, Fauver said. If you think thats a bad use of taxpayer funds, if you think our kids need more recreational opportunities instead of less, if you think its time for government to stop meddling with programs that are working, then wed like you to join us on Thursday and send that message to the Supervisors.
For further information, please contact Elings Park Executive Director Steen Hudson at 805.569.5611.
Steen Hudson
Executive Director, Elings Park
v: 805.569.5611 ext.12
f: 805.569.3316
shudson@elingspark.org
