Skip to main content

Spare a few minutes of your time to send an email



Who: You.
What: Help save/create a trail.
When: Now.
Where: Ben Hawes Park - Owensboro, KY.
Why: Because things have gotten silly.
How: Spare a few minutes of your time to send an email.

Back in 2005 local volunteers began developing and maintaining multi-use single-track trails at Ben Hawes Park in Owensboro, Ky. Over the course of the last few years an initiative was started to improve the quality by creating a flowy, sustainable, contour, gateway trail that adheres to the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) standards. In the fall/winter of 2008 we submitted a Recreational Trials Program (RTP) Grant to help obtain this goal. Shortly thereafter the park was closed as a result of the devastating 2009 Ice Storm.
The single-track trails remain closed to this very day. Some fire road and double track trails have been reopened. However, these trails do not meet the needs and desires of the user groups.

Meanwhile, Ben Hawes was identified as a successful 2009 RTP Grant recipient, Unfortunately, the grant project has been plagued with multiple challenges, has been bogged down with red tape and has experienced several delays by our Federal, State and City Governments.
In the last couple of months the project appeared to be gaining momentum and heading in the right direction until this latest issue.....

There's a clause in the Kentucky RTP Grant terms and conditions stating that the recipient is obligated to keep the trails open for public use in perpetuity (forever). Owensboro's management team has determined that this obligation is not in the City's best interest and will not be going forward with the grant. The City of Owensboro is not willing to accept these funds until an official long term plan has been established. (Evidently, there's a slight chance that the city could potentially develop the property. In the event the land would not be used for recreational purposes.)

Fortunately, The Parks Director believes in this project and is developing an alternate plan to continue with the project in house without the assistance of the grant. If approved, this alternate plan will take much longer delaying the project for at least another full season. That would make three years without our local trail. This is unacceptable. Trial construction season is upon us. We must act now and we need your help.

I respectfully ask that you spare a minute of your valuable time to call and/or write our Owensboro City decision makers. Tactfully voice your opinion and kindly explain how important it is that this project be given a higher priority.
You might express how much you miss it or let the know that you would visit Owensboro more often if there was a quality trail. Explain, how tired you are of traveling two hours away to hike or bike the nearest quality trail system. I don't care if you tell them how much you hated it but it was better than nothing. Just tell them something.

Lets not allow countless volunteer hours and years of advocacy efforts go to waste.

We need your help and we need it now! Please call or email the following:

Mayor Ron Payne
E-Mail Address: mayor@owensboro.org
Phone Number: 270-687-8561

Mayor Pro-Tem Charlie Castlen
E-Mail Address: castlencha@owensboro.org
Phone Number: 270-687-8566

Commissioner John Kazlauskas
E-Mail Address: kazlauskasjm@owensboro.org
Phone Number: 270-687-8563

Commissioner Candance Brake
E-Mail Address: brakecc@owensboro.org
Phone Number: 270-687-8565

Commissioner David Johnson
E-Mail Address: johnsondl@owensboro.org
Phone Number: 270-687-8564

http://www.owensboro.org/government/contact/officials


Thank you,
Richard Dixon
270/852-3747

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Frontier Couple Who Chose Death Over Life Apart

Eric Bealer arrived in Sitka for the last time in a boat weighed down with his art.  It was late March 2018. Bealer, an Alaskan artist who specialized in intricately detailed wood engravings , had just traveled for two days from his homestead on Lisianski Inlet, through the rough winter waters off the west­ern edges of Chichagof and Baranof Islands, to the relative shelter of Sitka Sound. His skiff, built by hand using materials harvested and salvaged from Alaska’s coast, was jam-packed with his work: old prints, new prints, even the ink-stained, delicately carved wooden blocks used to make the prints themselves. There was so much art filling the little boat that, during his overnight layover en route to Sitka, Bealer had no room to lie down. He slept onshore, on the ground. Eugene Solovyov met him on the dock in Sitka’s Crescent Harbor. Solovyov, owner of the Sitka Rose Gallery, had known Bealer for more than two decades, ever since the artist walked in one day in the mid-199...
Post a Comment
Read more

Long-Term Review: La Sportiva Bushido II

The La Sportiva Bushido II ($130, 10.5 ounces) is designed as an all-mountain trail-running shoe. It may perform well in that application, but I bought a pair earlier this summer to use for hiking in Alaska’s Brooks Range and on the Yosemite High Route in early-season conditions. Over a five-week period, I put 315 demanding miles on the Bushido II, using it to scramble across granite slabs, hold my edge on steep tundra slopes, scurry over talus and through scree, kick steps into the   snow, and push through thick willows, dwarf birches, and alders. For many of those miles, the shoes were soaking wet, due to countless fords, waterlogged ground, and melting snow. How did the second-generation Bushido perform? And how does it compare to the original Bushido and to other popular backpacking shoes? The original Bushido (see  my long-term review ) was a winner for La Sportiva. It was the bestselling women’s trail-running shoe at REI and an employee favorite. No...
Post a Comment
Read more

6 Reasons Why Denver is the Best Basecamp for Outdoor Adventure

Few cities offer the same proximity to both outdoor adventures and vibrant urban experiences as Denver. Within a short drive of the city center, you can find four seasons’ worth of activities, including world-class climbing routes, fly-fishing oases, snowy slopes, and plenty of trails for hiking, biking, and trail running. And in town, you’ll find arts, culture, and dining experiences fit for any occasion. Staying at one of the many luxurious and unique hotels means you’ll wake up ready to seize the day on the trails or in the mountains. Plus, Denver famously has 300 days of sunshine, so you can easily ski and SUP in the same weekend—if not the same day. On a well-earned rest day, you’ll want to wander around town by foot, bike, light rail, or pedicab to explore the ever-changing art scene or book yourself an experience at any of the unique wellness spas and fitness studios to relax and restore your body.  Here’s just a small taste of what you can do in a week or long weekend wi...
Post a Comment
Read more