GHORBA MEMBERS: THE Following is an urgent message to all GHORBA members as
well as those concerned about trail and road bike issues in Memorial Park.
If you are not aware of what is going on click on the three links below to
get up to speed. We'll be letting you know early next week what else you
can do to help...thanks Larry Pruitt- V.P GHORBA

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1152010
<http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1152010>

http://bikehouston.org/mp/mou/ <http://bikehouston.org/mp/mou/> >

www.memorialpark.info <http://www.memorialpark.info>


RE: URGENT - SAVE Memorial Park

Dear Friend of Memorial Park,
MP in Houston is a gem. It has it all. Trees, wilderness, tennis courts,
swimming pool, exercise facilties, soccer/softball fields, mountain bike
trails, and my personal favorite, the Picnic Loop that is usually closed to
cars for roller bladers and cyclists to use. All of this might be lost for
weeks at a time every year, and some of it permanently, if the golf
promoters have their way.
At the BikeHouston meeting November 27, we learned that the Houston City
Council will soon decide whether to allow changes to MP and guarantee the
Shell Open Golf Tournament 10-year access to the park. MP would be closed to
most other park users while the SHO is there.
Many questions, such as the impact on bicycle riders and other users, are
completely unanswered. There was a consensus that the impacts on other park
users, including cyclists, runners, tennis players, equestrians,
soccer/softballers, picnickers, etc., mandated firm opposition to the SHO in
MP. Parks like MP are too precious in Houston to give up for extended
periods of time to one user group every year.
This proposal is on a fast track, and City Council must approve it within 3
weeks. There literally is no time to determine the effects on MP and other
park users, and we must ACT NOW to make sure that this is not a done deal.
Choose from the following as one or more of the things you can do to help
save MP:
1. Contact Houston City council members
<http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/citygovt/council/
<http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/citygovt/council/> > by mail or telephone and
tell them you don't want to give up MP for the SHO every year. Remember to
BE POLITE. For a sample letter Click here:
http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm>
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm> > .
2. Forward this email to all of your friends and ask them to do the
same.
3. Go to Council Member Parker's Neighborhood Protection and
Quality of Life Committee meeting tentatively scheduled for Monday Dec 3.
(To be confirmed w/ Parker's office 713-247-2014 by 11/29 3 pm).
4. Speak at city council (Tuesday afternoons: Dec 4, 11 & 18).
Call city secretary, Anna Russel, at 713.247.1840 to schedule your speaking
time.

5. Write letters to the Chronicle: Letters can be mailed to
Viewpoints, C/O Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, Texas 77210.
Letters may also be sent by e-mail to viewpoints@...
<mailto:viewpoints@...> <mailto:viewpoints@...
<mailto:viewpoints@...> > or by fax to 713-220-3575. Letters must
include the name, address and telephone numbers for verification purposes
only.
6. Volunteer to hand out fliers and collect signatures on a petition.
Click here: http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm>
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm> > for more information.

To keep up to date, Click here: http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm>
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm
<http://www.bikehouston.org/mp/index.htm> > .
Just doing one thing on the above list will help save Memorial Park.

To make political change, it takes either money or people. We
don't
have the money to fight the big golf promoters, so it will take action
by
concerned citizens like you to save our Houston parks for all Houstononians.
So do it now.
BikeHouston
www.bikehouston.org <http://www.bikehouston.org>