Friends; In the waning hours of 2017, as we return relatives to the airport and gifts to stores, we pause to reflect on the past, and consider the principles important to shape our resolutions for 365 tomorrows. Many Nashvillians will make good on a resolution for health in the first morning of the New Year with an early morning hike at Radnor Lake. With each fog-white breath, let us be reminded how this fight to save Ft. Negley Park is generational. It is, in so many ways, like the fight to save Radnor Lake. In 1915 my great-grandfather, who then lived on Villa Place (the same street I live on today) helped found the Tennessee Ornithological Society – the state’s oldest conservation group. He worked for the railroad and petitioned railroad executives to have the then-industrial land surrounding Radnor Lake Yards declared a Wildlife Sanctuary. For 50 years Radnor Lake was enjoyed by families and neighbors, but was virtually unnoticed by the greater Nashville community. Until the owner (the legal, private owner) decided to develop part of what is today Radnor Lake State Park. And it was then, that threat of imminent development (to be clear, this was entirely legal development of private land owned by private landowners) that over the next two years a generational effort was made to preserve the land slated for 300 homes to be made the precious park we value today. According to the park's website: “Private citizens, scientists from local colleges and universities, state government officials, local land owners, and environmental groups such as The Nature Conservancy worked to raise funds to purchase the land. They organized a benefit folk concert held at Vanderbilt University, a rock concert sponsored by WKDA, cake sales, house to house canvassing and made personal contributions. Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops organized fundraising events. Children sold lemonade and donated the proceeds to Radnor Lake.” Yes, this was “forgotten” land – nestled in a growing corner of Nashville – that could have well become an additional 300 houses. The plans were made, the map is above. The city councilman, Rod Williams, supported the developer. But then a kaleidoscope of forces gathered and recognized that another 300 houses would be less valuable to the FUTURE city of Nashville than would be this precious place - this parkland - a place to pause, to walk, to reflect, to wonder. And so Councilman Williams listened to his constituents and to his conscience – and with that changed his position to support the growing swell of support for making Radnor Lake Yards a public parkland. Together he and the citizens of Nashville raised the $3.4 million purchase price asked from the owners. And lest we label all developers “bad” – they are not. The largest single private contribution came from one of the owners - Stirton Oman – who kicked off the campaign with a $100,000 donation. The rest was made up of state, federal, and private donations; every dollar made a difference, even the pennies collected from school children. In today’s dollars the funds raised equal close to $20million. And as I read and reflect on this past year, I see that the tract of public parkland at Ft. Negley Park that is being sold in a "99-year lease" was valued at $30 million. So many arguments are the same between Ft. Negley Park and Radnor Lake – the land, they say isn’t well utilized or well known to the general public, they say it is important to build housing for a rapidly-growing city, they say it is an “industrial” area – and so how can that be a park? Walk with me at Radnor Lake State Park on New Year’s Day – and breathe, and reflect, and realize – the arguments of 1971 and 2017 are the same. Let us turn the corner on short-sightedness in this New Year. Let us, together, reclaim the principle of parkland. Without principles, what is our government? What is our community? What are we? As we reclaim this principle let's ask what this means for our actions in the New Year. Does it mean that we, the citizens of Nashville, need to – like Radnor Lake – join forces to raise the $30 million to buy our own public parkland back to protect it from the Mayor's desire to award it to private developers? Or do we simply need to pay these developers the $1million that they say they will pay we, the citizens of Nashville, over 10 years for our public parkland? Or might we, simply, ask the trio of developers who mistakenly believe this land is theirs, and who mistakenly believe putting 296 apartments (only 80 are “affordable” – don’t be fooled) in the midst of an urban park is a “big favor” to our city. Perhaps we might inspire them to listen (really listen) and to do what the actual (legal) owners of Radnor Lake did – and put up the first $100,000 (or in today’s dollars - $568K) to save this land! If an “underutilized” corner of a protected historic city parkland can be given away behind closed doors, what happens when the next MLS or Amazon wants to bid on land for our city for the next "big" project? Do we give away Centennial Park? Warner Parks? Shelby Bottoms? Before the Civil War, Ft. Negley (St. Cloud Hill) was Nashville’s first public park. Radnor Lake State Natural Area was established in 1973 as Tennessee’s first official State Natural Area. First they came for Ft. Negley Park, and I didn’t speak up. Then they came for Dragon Park, and I didn’t speak up. Then they came for Shelby Bottoms, and I didn’t speak up. Then they came for Beaman Park, and I didn’t speak up. Then they came for Sevier Park, and I didn’t speak up. And then they came for Warner Parks – but then, there were no parks groups left to stand along side me. Commit to the principle of parkland. Share this with every person you know who hikes, bikes, rides or cares about being outdoors in a Nashville public park space. Every person with a “support parks” license tag – especially the ones working for our mayor. All of them, every one, need to hear from you and be asked to sign on. Resolve to stand together: for the principle of public parkland. Sincerely, Alice Ganier Rolli District 17 Resident