Special Meeting full of FrOGs

Oct 14, 2011 by

Congratulations on a spectacular organizing effort that culminated in FrOG’s powerful showing at Media Borough’s Special Hearing on the Third Street Bridge and Dam Project last night.

An estimated 100 citizens packed Council Chambers and sent a clear message to our elected officials that there is solid popular support for FrOG’s positions on the Third Street Project.  It began with Stephanie delivering a positive vision of FrOG’s holistic commitment to improving Glen Providence park, gathered energy with Holly’s dramatic delivery of 836 petition signatures to the Council (526 from Media Borough and 310 from surrounding communities), went deep with Shannon’s presentation on the the need to examine alternatives to the current dam design, sparkled green with Robin’s eloquent explanation of and vision for a pedestrian/bicycle greenway, and changed the political paradigm when approximately two dozen residents came up to microphone and spoke in favor of FrOG’s principles and positions.  Only a handful of citizens spoke in favor of the option for a two-lane automobile road.

A packed house at the Third Street Special Meeting.

On a practical level, we should be encouraged that Borough Council members 

  1. expressed unanimous support for our request to establish a Citizen Advisory Committee on the Third Street Project – with representation from FrOG;  
  2. agreed to research and consider conducting an independent, professional peer review of the current engineering design; and
  3. agreed to consider the option of creating a pedestrian/bicycle greenway on the Third Street Bridge, in consultation with their legal counsel (naturally).

Of course, we understand that we’re still in the first inning of a nine inning game. FrOG’s Third Street Committee will be following up on all of these matters – and others – over the coming months.  Shannon Davidson and Terry Rumsey are Co-Chairing FrOG’s Third Street Committe, with Robin Lasersohn participating as a key strategist, and we invite all of you to participate in this advocacy committee.

The next meeting of FrOG’s Third Street Committee will be held on Monday, November 7, 2011 at the Media Fellowship House @ 7:00 pm.  SAVE THE DATE AND TIME!

Enjoy this coming fall weekend, you all deserve it!

One great way to have fun and frolic with FrOGs is to participate in our second clean-up tomorrow (Saturday, 10-15-11) We will meet at the entrance at 3rd & West Streets at 9:00 AM and play until 11:00 AM. Help us clean up trails, work on two projects, and learn a little about the park’s history and nature!

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2 Comments

  1. Patricia Mellen

    Looking over your website, I am so impressed by what you are doing. I grew up in Media, and I’m happy to see you are working so hard to preserve Glen Providence Park. My childhood memories include Easter egg hunts, fireworks, sledding, ice skating and hiking in Glen Providence Park. My niece, Julie, now lives in our old house in Media and hikes in Glen Providence Park often. You have a fantastic website, great Facebook page, and impressive organization! Keep it going. You are an inspiration. I live in Downingtown now, where the borough is trying to sell a public park to developers. Friends of Kardon Park sued and won. The borough appealed and the appeal was heard in Philadelphia on Feb. 15th “en Banc,” meaning all 7 of the judges on the bench heard this case. It’s that important to the future of all parks in Pennsylvania, just as the Erie Golf and Burlholme Park cases were before it. Fingers crossed that the court rules in favor parks once again, sending a message and setting a precendent that protects other parks in Pennsylvania from being damaged, leased or sold to developers.

    In 1916, Theodore Roosevelt said: “Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying that ‘the game belongs to the people.’ So it does; and not merely to the people now alive, but to the unborn people. The ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ applies to the number within the womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method.”

    Thank you Friends of Glen Providence Park for all your work preserving Media’s lovely park, and inspiring admirers here in Downingtown. I support you!

    • shannon

      Patricia, thank you for the kind words, coming especially from someone who grew up in Media. It’s likewise inspiring to hear what the Friends of Kardon Park are doing; and of course the indomitable Theodore Roosevelt’s wise words will keep us and others strong as we try to preserve and enhance our natural resources.

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