I just wanted to give you a quick update on our progress.  We are attacking the project on several fronts right now and need lots of volunteers.  So if you have a few hours to spare, give Steve or I a call.  His phone number is 593-9226 and mine is 598-6106.

First, we had a very successful fundraising event at Steve's print signing.  Kemper's was a fantastic host and their 30 year support of our neighborhood is just awesome.  We covered the printing costs before the show.  So all the money raised is going directly towards the open space.  Great work Steve!  We have contracted with the Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) to act as our fiscal agent in order to provide a tax deductible donation option.  Plus, we are beginning the process of obtaining our own 501(c)3 non-profit status.  ABCA is going to need this status to go after grants.  The process takes a while.  So starting it now is a prudent step.

Next, we are continuing the process of converting the city land to an Open Space.  Parks and Recreation has been working on it a bit over the past few months, but progress has been slow.  So we are taking a more active stance in trying to facilitate the protection.  By shepherding the project, we aim to get things finalized in a much shorter time.  Plus, it is important to make sure that we all have access to the trail through the protection process.  Sometimes, conservation easements can become so protective that they actually restrict the usage of the land that is being protected.

No word from the church yet.  They have hired some consultants and appear to be on the same development plan as before.  They had a member BBQ and trash pickup this past weekend.  I doubt that the development committee has fully disclosed the amount of resistance that our neighborhoods have to their plans in the general congregation.  The next step will be another small group meeting to represent their plans to ABCA and lobby for our support.  We expect that meeting to be in early June.  They will also have to hold a public meeting at Grant School before they can go through the sub-division and planning process.  So there are still a number of hurdles for them to tackle.  It is our hope that a compromise solution can be reached between our groups so that much of the open space character of the land is protected and there aren't wall to wall patio homes.

We have been tracking down more information on the hillside areas as well.  Boy, there have been some big plans that included new streets and tiered houses all the way along.  The hillside overlay only provides a little protection.  It allows the City Planning to recommend places to build but definitely does not provide blanket protection against building.  We are in the process of beginning the negotiations for obtaining two of the parcels and will update you as soon as we know more.

Finally, we have been involved in working with City Planning on the University Park Master Plan.  Our concern is that there is very little or no access to much of the remaining open space throughout the Houck Estate from the east.  TOPS purchased a very nice section over by UCCS.  However, there is only one 50 ft path planned to get on trail system with no access to the other open space hills.  We are asking for small paths to the hillsides along some of the new streets.

Scot