[Vision2020] Foot In Mouth Disease

[Ben Twigg]

Mr. Reynolds, 

A number of points in response: 

1. Most importantly, I believe your message generally misrepresents the
interests of local youth sports programs. I can say with a certain degree of
authority, experience, and confidence that the vast majority of us who are
actively involved with youth sports in Moscow simply want/need additional
fields for current and future participants in youth sports programs. 

2. You wrote: "There is a big difference between the swimming pool and a PA
system with over-excited announcers and a crowd of 300 cheering or booing."
As various representatives of youth sports programs, including me, have
indicated, we are very willing to compromise on various aspects of the
playfields project, including the sound system and number of seats for fans.
Personally, I have no problem with eliminating the sound system and keeping
the number of seats to a minimum. From my perspective, the ultimate goal is,
purely and simply, to meet the needs of the players. 

3. You also wrote: "Organized sports tournaments are not at all like a
swimming pool." I don't necessarily disagree here. I believe the City's
economic impact estimate drastically overestimates the number of tournaments
that would actually be hosted at the playfields. Again, this is an area
where many of us who are involved with youth sports have expressed
willingness to compromise. Personally, I would support limiting the number
of tournaments to a number far below the City's estimate. 

4. I don’t really understand your Kevin Costner analogy. I would be happy to
respond to it, if you explain it further. Frankly, however, it doesn't
strike me that these comments represent an attempt to engage in constructive
dialogue. 

5. Regarding the cost of the project, I confess to being somewhat "out of
the loop," but I will say that I certainly support minimizing the cost of a
facility that meets the needs of our kids. 

6. You also wrote: "...you just want to pick my pocket and ruin my
neighborhood so you can sit on that cooler and remember when you were so
good." I can only laugh at this statement, as it could not be further from
the truth. If you only knew of the professional and financial sacrifices I
have made to work with and for kids in Moscow. Shame on you, Mr. Reynolds,
for suggesting that these are my/our intentions for supporting this project.


7. If you are the Jim Reynolds who co-wrote the letter to the editor that
appeared in the Daily News a couple weeks ago (that letter appears below), I
believe your remarks here are incompatible with the themes of compromise,
respect, and collaboration that your letter endorses. If not, I apologize
for mistaking your identity. 

Mr. Reynolds, you have cited the sound system, seating, tournaments, and
cost as reasons you oppose this project. May I presume that you will support
this project if concessions are made in these areas?

Ben Twigg

>>>

Kudos to the Calverts, the associated committee and architect/landscape
designer Brenda Rowen, for proposing a new design plan as a viable
alternative for the Palouse River Drive ballpark (Daily News, Nov. 4).

This move toward compromising with our community to provide a more family
friendly environment, demonstrates what can be accomplished when town
members come together to respectfully resolve their collective issues.

The revised plan is one in which there will be: less financial impact;
reduced need for electricity; less required maintenance; less impact from
sound and lighting to the arboretum and surrounding neighborhoods; and a
greater emphasis on water conservation.

The addition of an open field with more greenery makes this community
recreation area appealing to everyone. Congratulations also to Nancy Chaney
and the new council members.

We are very excited about the potential for increased collaboration between
our newly elected officials and the citizens of Moscow. The collaborative
process is crucial to ensuring that our community remains just that: our
community. It is our hope that Moscow’s new government continues to solicit
timely input from residents and that the democratic process guides your
decision making toward the best interests of the entire town. Best wishes
for the future.

Beth & Jim Reynolds, Moscow

>>>

Mr. Reynolds originally wrote: 

I can understand that the Mayor might get tired of hearing the same thing
from so many different voices but I cannot understand his dismissing it out
of hand. The reason he has heard it so much is that it is a great concern to
many community members. There is no comparison in Moscow to what is being
proposed. There is a big difference between the swimming pool and a PA
system with over-excited announcers and a crowd of 300 cheering or booing.
Visit the Kibbie dome during a basketball game then you will see what we
neighborhood folks are worried about. Organized sports tournaments are not
at all like a swimming pool.

This whole project has the looks of a Kevin Kostner (sp) movie. We shell out
2.9 million dollars for a playfield and hope they will come. Where are they
playing now that they are going to be so willing to come here to play
baseball? We could contract out leveling, putting in an irrigation system,
and seeding the fields a whole lot cheaper than that and such created fields
would serve the children just as well. Where is this huge sum of money that
is leaving our pockets going? It seems to me that it may be going to sooth
the disappointment a few over-the-hill ball players had of loosing their bid
for the big leagues. The kids will actually get more out of and enjoy more a
pick-up game with friends than having to undergo the brutal expectations of
vicariously living parents.

You don't get my vote for this ill-thought plan of yours. It doesn't seem as
if you are looking for votes though, you just want to pick my pocket and
ruin my neighborhood so you can sit on that cooler and remember when you
were so good. Darn right I am touchy about this!

-- 
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