PUT THE INCLINE ON A RESERVATION SYSTEM

Here is the text of an email I sent to elected officials, the Forest Service, and the media today: Hello, In May of 2016 I was sending emails to the media and elected officials about the problems with the land swap and the Manitou Incline. Councilman Strand forwarded one of my emails to Bill Beagle of the Incline friends Group. In the reply I received from Mr. Beagle he says: There is much going on behind the scenes. For example there is an Incline Management Committee that meets on a regular basis to discuss many of these issues. What? I have a Google news alert set up, any time the words Manitou Incline appear in an article on the internet I get an email. Who are the members of this secret Committee? Are the meetings of this Committee not announced publicly? Does the public not have a opportunity to attend and contribute? Are the minutes of these meetings not made available to the public? What kind of decisions does this Committee make? Does this violate Open Government laws? Please tell me what the Manitou Incline Task Force was told about the long term stability of the Incline. Specifically about issues with ties coming loose. The answer I got from Parks and Recreation a while back is inaccurate. I am certain that the Manitou Incline Task Force did explore the long term stability of the Incline. Does the City have a legal right to refuse to answer this question? I don't want to file a CORA request on this matter, I want my elected officials to be honest with me. If a mistake was made we have to deal with it. Please answer this question honestly. I only withdrew my opposition to the legal opening of the Incline because we were promised an alternate route down. Even if the City came forward with a proposed route today, a minimum two year long NEPA process must be carried out before construction of such a trail can begin. Had the Manitou Incline Task Force told the public that 300,000 or more people would be coming down the Barr Trail each year the public would not have approved the legal opening of the Incline. I demand that the Incline be closed or be put on a reservation system immediately to limit the numbers of people overwhelming the Barr Trail. This needs to be done no later then May 1st to prevent another summer deluge. We gain nothing by allowing such large numbers of people to hike the Incline. Thank you, Carl Strow