Citing Alameda City Council’s refusal last week to place an initiative on the ballot to tighten restrictions on the sale of city-owned park land, “Protect our Alameda Parks” is moving forward to collect signatures to put it on the ballot themselves.
A circular from the group notes that they have already begun gathering signatures for the initiative and gathered over 500 last weekend. Last week, Councilmember Doug deHaan motioned for the city council to put the initiative on the ballot, but it was not seconded.
Protect Our Parks supporters outside Alameda City Hall on February 21, 2012.
The group is in a race with Bay Farm Island Developer Ron Cowan, who wants to exchange a portion of the Chuck Corica Golf Course for undevelopable land he owns along North Loop Road. If Protect Our Parks can get their initiative approved by Alameda voters on the November ballot, and Alameda City Council has not yet voted on final approval for the exchange, they may have blocked the swap.
Mr. Cowan has promised to build sports fields on the North Loop Road parcel, to compensate for the loss of the golf course property.
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Error: Mr. Cowan has NOT promised to build sports fields on his parcel. If built, some other entity would build them. See City Council Mar. 6 agenda, item 6.b (1). Regardless, any fields there would NOT compensate for the loss of the Mif golf course. Furthermore, they would NOT solve the problems by 130 new houses built on the Mif.
Mary – Cowan started off by saying that he would build, or otherwise cause to be built, the sports field at North Loop Road. Then, the Alameda Youth Sports Coalition/Foundation stepped in and said, “no, give us the money to build them.” Either way, Cowan is saying that the sports fields will get built in exchange for him getting the land.
http://www.action-alameda-news.com/2011/11/16/sports-coalition-proposes-to-develop-sports-fields-in-mif-albright-land-swap/
PLEASE CLARIFY: The Alameda Youth Sports “Coalition” is NOT the same as the newly formed Alameda Youth Sports “Foundation.” There are a number of prominent youth sports leaders and coaches who are NOT part of the Foundation,who do NOT want sports developed on the N Loop Road, and who do NOT support the Land Swap. They have a number of excellent reasons.
The public should be aware that the “Foundation” does NOT represent all youth sports, even though it speaks as though it does.
Those youth sports leaders and coaches should come forward to tell their story – newstips@action-alameda-news.com
BTW, Erica Madison is working on a story on the swap.