On Tuesday, Feb 7th at the City Council meeting, we 'll be asking that they reject the proposed addition of cement in Polliwog Park. (Please see photos and details below) and then please let the City Council know your thoughts. Writing your own thoughts is best, but if you don’t have time you can copy/paste: Please reject the proposed addition cement in Polliwog Park in the “SRTS” proposal.
E-mail All City Council Members with a Copy to City Manager for Request Tracking
The details:
In a city-wide project called “Safe Routes to School” there is a plan to put a 350’ cement bike path in Polliwog Park. Our members who have seen the plans feel that it makes no sense. Here’s why: Middle School students have already been riding bikes through the park since the school was built! It’s a safe and beautiful way to get to school. The number of bikers that ride through the park to school varies from only 1 or 2 on rainy days and from 7 or 17 in dry weather. Most bikers won’t ride along this particular proposed path, because students’ homes are in all directions from the park, and so they enter from many different directions. Only a fraction ride in the direction of this particular path. Many students on bikes ride across the grass cutting diagonally, some use the existing cement paths part way and others just ride across the grass. The grass is soft and not dangerous. Another design element for the middle school calls for removing 30 feet of the south fence. We agree with this because right now there is a bottleneck and that would relieve the bottleneck. However, we do not think that we need the cement! Throughout the school day on campus, these students use grass to sit and have lunch and activities on the campus south lawn and the north field. Grass is really nice. MBMS is a Green Ribbon School, which recognizes schools that show combined progress in ALL three of these areas, collectively known as Pillars, serves as the basis for recognition:
Reduce environmental impact and costs;
Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and
Provide environmental education, which teaches many disciplines, and is especially good at effectively incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways.
Walking through green space has been proven to bring many health benefits, such as reducing stress and violent behavior in school. We know that these Polliwog Park grasses are important for absorbing city rain water and that we have dozens of species of birds who forage for food in them.
We ‘re asking that the City Council not accept cement in Polliwog Park in this “SRTS” proposal. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has".- Attributed to M. Mead
Thanks for all you do!