Anti-Trail Residents Came Out in Force at May 21st City Council Meeting
There was strong representation by the anti-trail residents at this city council meeting with 20 or so residents speaking against the trail. They clearly had planned a big push because of the vote and then left their speakers in place even though the vote was pushed back.
They did a good job getting a variety of views out, and if you didn't know the actual facts, the arguments sounded compelling. Not surprisingly, ONLY residents who live along the trail are speaking out against it. They have not been able to extend their support base beyond that. There were also four pro-trail speakers at the meeting, discussing key points such as the wide support that the trail has from families, schools, organizations and businesses, and design points such as trail width.
We can expect many residents living along the trail to again come to speak against it on the day of the vote.
It will be critically important for the pro-trail residents to be out in force on the day of the vote. The facts are on our side, but we need to say them loudly and often, because the majority of residents are still not very aware of the benefits of the trail. (The handy flyer below is a great place to start)