Editor,
I was one of the people who spoke at the Dec. 19 Parks Commission meeting. Is it fair to say that I “voiced criticism, suspicion, and doubt” about Mr. Huss’s contract with Trailblazers? No, not really. I criticized the Parks Commission for depriving the community, including city council, of their rightful part in decision-making on the construction of a system of gravity trails for downhill mountain bikers in Leatherwood Park – a system that will encompass some 200 acres of the Park’s most ruggedly beautiful terrain. (If Miner’s Rock is your favorite trail, you’ll want to get out there now before it’s closed, truncated, or re-routed to accommodate the gravity trails.)
Parks Commissioners violated the first rule of good governance – “Anyone affected by or interested in a decision should have the opportunity to participate in the process for making that decision.” Some might say that the commission and Mr. Huss conspired to prevent the community-at-large and the city council from knowing about the plan for six to eight gravity trails – a plan the commission didn’t reveal to the public until the legal contract to carry it out had been signed, sealed, and delivered.
At least state law required SWEPCO to notify people in the path of its transmission line and hold public hearings. Is there a city ordinance requiring the Parks Commission to notify the community and hold hearings before making decisions on the fate of the enormously valuable real property that is the city-owned 1,600-acre park? Apparently not. But that can be remedied. City council can enact an ordinance requiring the Parks Commission to commit to a public participation plan that ensures there are no more backroom deals. Or, Eureka voters can repeal the Parks tax.
Now that the Parks Commission has accepted the Walton Family Foundation funding to construct a gravity park within Leatherwood Park, where is the plan to designate a substantial share of the Park as natural habitat that is to be protected and preserved? Where is the commission’s plan for assessing and restoring Lake Leatherwood – its water quality and eutrophic status, including sedimentation? Where is the plan for inventorying the geological, hydrological, and botanical features as well as the wildlife in the entire Park so appropriate protection measures can be taken? Where is the plan for educational programs, especially local schoolchildren? Where is the plan for an equitable allocation of the Park trails to hikers and bikers? In short, where is a comprehensive Master Plan for Lake Leatherwood City Park?
Pat Costner