Dear Editor,

Below please find a link to a draft parks plan that the city is preparing to publish. On page 18 — 10th page of the PDF document, the plan falsely asserts that Washington Park is “suitable for intense development.” Washington Park is completely natural, and a formally recognized Passive Use park. “Intense development” is of course anathema to its primary purpose.

On page 22 — 12th page of the PDF document — misguided plans to convert the entire Washington Park into — for all intents and purposes — an amusement park for mountain bikers are outlined. The plan seeks to squeeze six miles of mountain biking trails into the 65-acre park, and construct a “mountain bike skills track and bicycle pump track” there too. In addition to other developments:

http://www.pawild.org/pdfs/WarrenCityDraftParksPlan2021.pdf

And here is their agreement with the consulting company. They want to waste $10,000 to plan this egregious assault on the natural integrity of Washington Park.

http://www.pawild.org/pdfs/MackinAgreement1621.pdf

If this outrageous plan succeeds, Washington Park as the quiet, remote natural area that we have always known it to be is over forever. Please write to the mayor and members of the City Council and politely ask them to permanently preserve Washington Park from all forms of development as the Passive Use park that it has always been.

Also, please be wary of the possibility that those behind this plan may well be deliberately asking for the sun, moon, and stars to begin with as a tactical ploy, so that they may then “fall back” to a more “reasonable” ask later on down the road with a “scaled-back” plan for developing mountain biking trails at Washington Park. The old “please don’t throw me in that briar patch” ploy.

Do not fall for it. It is important that Washington Park remain completely free from all developments, in perpetuity. That must be our firm position, or we will with time risk losing the park and it’s qualities that we cherish.

Kirk Johnson,

Warren