DOP Blog: February 2006 Archives

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February 11, 2006

Bush Admin Proposes Large Public Land Sell-Off

In a blatant attempt to privatize the nations' commons, the Bush Administration has proposed selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of National Forest land in the United States. California is hit the hardest. This sale is ostensibly to help balance the budget.

Remeber, this isn't an isolated incident. This is part of a mentality that wants to make sure every single public good in this country is shifted into private hands solely for the sake of making a profit. Only the future owners of these lands that are sold will actually get to enjoy them. And it is unlikely that the developers or resource exploiters that would be interested in buying will do so. The wildlife that now depends on them and the people who recreate them will be shut out.

Our public lands are what make each of us in this country actually rich. Everyone is an owner. Not when the trend of privatization continues.

Read more about it in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Posted by dop_editor at 10:07 PM | Comments (1)

February 07, 2006

Garfield Park Saved in Grand Rapids

After insisting that a community center can only be built in a City Park, Salvation Army officials retreated and said that they are no longer considering plans to build a new community center in Garfield Park.

Why was Salvation Army forcing citizens to decide between a public park and a private community center.

Below is the Opinion Piece I wrote about the situation, that was never published. (The Salvation Army pulled the site the day the newspaper received the piece.)

For more information about the situation, please check out our friends at Save Garfield Park

Garfield Park Ultimatum is Unreasonable

By Jason Kibbey

Salvation Army officials delivered a strange ultimatum to Grand Rapids officials: if you don't give us part of Garfield Park we won't give you a community center.

The Salvation Army is recognized around the world for its good works helping people in need and working to improve communities—so why is it insisting that only publicly owned parkland be used for a new community center? When Joan Kroc earmarked more than a billion dollars to create new Salvation Army community centers around the country would she have wanted to see precious public parkland lost in order to make way for her well-intentioned centers?

The good spirit of Mrs. Kroc's gift is being threatened by the quid pro quo mentality of those who are pursuing Garfield Park as the only potential location for a new community center. Instead of a gift to the community that rightfully owns the park, residents are being asked to exchange the parkland they and their grandchildren own for a private community center. This isn't a gift; it's a real estate transaction.

Garfield Park was a gift to the people of Grand Rapids. The City of Grand Rapids accepted that gift with the restriction that the parkland be forever maintained by the City of Grand Rapids as a park. While the generosity of Mrs. Kroc should be responded to with gratitude and respect, shouldn't the generosity of Garfield be accorded equal respect by honoring the conditions of his gift? The attempts to undo the restrictions of Mr. Garfield won't make future donors comfortable with giving anything to the City of Grand Rapids.

What is particularly dangerous about moving forward to dismantle parts of the park to make way for the community center is that it sets the precedent for other parts of Garfield Park, or any other parkland in Grand Rapids, to be dismantled piece by piece. If every proposal to carve of a small corner of New York's Central Park were approved, the park would have been built over seventeen times by now. Setting this bad precedent doesn’t only threaten Grand Rapids' existing parks, but its future ones as well. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund that provides funding for park acquisitions considers selling off parkland an indication of poor stewardship and is reluctant to give funding to cities that have a record of past park sales.

Further, Garfield Park is protected in perpetuity under federal law because Grand Rapids received money from the Land Water Conservation Fund to make improvements within the park. It is completely unreasonable to require Grand Rapids officials to break the law in order for the community to receive a new center. It is now time for the Army to pull back its troops in retreat over the battle for Garfield Park. Given the fact that the laws and restrictions preventing the transfer Garfield Park to the Salvation army are only now coming to light, it is only fair that the Salvation Army give Grand Rapids time to investigate other viable alternative locations.

For the rest of the Country, the Salvation Army should take note of the lesson it is learning in Grand Rapids: parks are precious public resources even when they suffer from chronic under-funding and occasional neglect. Future community center proposals should be reviewed only if they avoid public parklands. The legacy of Mrs. Kroc and the reputation of the Salvation Army deserve more than forcing officials to decide between keeping a park or receiving a new community center.

Jason Kibbey is the Director of Defense of Place . Defense of Place works to assure that parks, open space, and wildlife refuges stay protected in perpetuity. For more information about Defense of Place, please visit http://defenseofplace.org

Posted by dop_editor at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)




	« December 2005 \| Main \| March 2006 » February 11, 2006 Bush Admin Proposes Large Public Land Sell-Off In a blatant attempt to privatize the nations' commons, the Bush Administration has proposed selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of National Forest land in the United States. California is hit the hardest. This sale is ostensibly to help balance the budget. Remeber, this isn't an isolated incident. This is part of a mentality that wants to make sure every single public good in this country is shifted into private hands solely for the sake of making a profit. Only the future owners of these lands that are sold will actually get to enjoy them. And it is unlikely that the developers or resource exploiters that would be interested in buying will do so. The wildlife that now depends on them and the people who recreate them will be shut out. Our public lands are what make each of us in this country actually rich. Everyone is an owner. Not when the trend of privatization continues. Read more about it in the San Francisco Chronicle. Posted by dop_editor at 10:07 PM \| Comments (1) February 07, 2006 Garfield Park Saved in Grand Rapids After insisting that a community center can only be built in a City Park, Salvation Army officials retreated and said that they are no longer considering plans to build a new community center in Garfield Park. Why was Salvation Army forcing citizens to decide between a public park and a private community center. Below is the Opinion Piece I wrote about the situation, that was never published. (The Salvation Army pulled the site the day the newspaper received the piece.) For more information about the situation, please check out our friends at Save Garfield Park Garfield Park Ultimatum is Unreasonable By Jason Kibbey Salvation Army officials delivered a strange ultimatum to Grand Rapids officials: if you don't give us part of Garfield Park we won't give you a community center. The Salvation Army is recognized around the world for its good works helping people in need and working to improve communities—so why is it insisting that only publicly owned parkland be used for a new community center? When Joan Kroc earmarked more than a billion dollars to create new Salvation Army community centers around the country would she have wanted to see precious public parkland lost in order to make way for her well-intentioned centers? The good spirit of Mrs. Kroc's gift is being threatened by the quid pro quo mentality of those who are pursuing Garfield Park as the only potential location for a new community center. Instead of a gift to the community that rightfully owns the park, residents are being asked to exchange the parkland they and their grandchildren own for a private community center. This isn't a gift; it's a real estate transaction. Garfield Park was a gift to the people of Grand Rapids. The City of Grand Rapids accepted that gift with the restriction that the parkland be forever maintained by the City of Grand Rapids as a park. While the generosity of Mrs. Kroc should be responded to with gratitude and respect, shouldn't the generosity of Garfield be accorded equal respect by honoring the conditions of his gift? The attempts to undo the restrictions of Mr. Garfield won't make future donors comfortable with giving anything to the City of Grand Rapids. What is particularly dangerous about moving forward to dismantle parts of the park to make way for the community center is that it sets the precedent for other parts of Garfield Park, or any other parkland in Grand Rapids, to be dismantled piece by piece. If every proposal to carve of a small corner of New York's Central Park were approved, the park would have been built over seventeen times by now. Setting this bad precedent doesn’t only threaten Grand Rapids' existing parks, but its future ones as well. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund that provides funding for park acquisitions considers selling off parkland an indication of poor stewardship and is reluctant to give funding to cities that have a record of past park sales. Further, Garfield Park is protected in perpetuity under federal law because Grand Rapids received money from the Land Water Conservation Fund to make improvements within the park. It is completely unreasonable to require Grand Rapids officials to break the law in order for the community to receive a new center. It is now time for the Army to pull back its troops in retreat over the battle for Garfield Park. Given the fact that the laws and restrictions preventing the transfer Garfield Park to the Salvation army are only now coming to light, it is only fair that the Salvation Army give Grand Rapids time to investigate other viable alternative locations. For the rest of the Country, the Salvation Army should take note of the lesson it is learning in Grand Rapids: parks are precious public resources even when they suffer from chronic under-funding and occasional neglect. Future community center proposals should be reviewed only if they avoid public parklands. The legacy of Mrs. Kroc and the reputation of the Salvation Army deserve more than forcing officials to decide between keeping a park or receiving a new community center. Jason Kibbey is the Director of Defense of Place . Defense of Place works to assure that parks, open space, and wildlife refuges stay protected in perpetuity. For more information about Defense of Place, please visit http://defenseofplace.org Posted by dop_editor at 06:55 PM \| Comments (0)

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