Thank you for your continued support of the San Mateo Ice Rink! First, the good news - today the San Mateo Daily Journal recommended that the City of San Mateo deny SPI's request to change the zoning at Bridgepointe and remove the current ice rink designation . $3 million is not enough when a new rink would cost $20 million or so. Please leave a comment in the attached article, thanking the paper and recommending that the City deny SPI's proposal. Second, more good news. We just hit 5,000 online signatures!!!! Every signature is precious. Signatures are automatically forwarded to the City Council. In addition, we increase the base of supporters who turn out for Council meetings, write Letters to the Editor, and contribute to our Legal Defense Fund. Please take a second to ask your friends and family to also sign the petition. You can forward along this link: http://chn.ge/1SjkwIL. Now for the bad news. Belmont Iceland, the next closest rink to Bridgepointe, just announced that it will close at the end of April. This will leave only one operating ice rink in San Mateo County. This is a tragedy given the population of 750,000 and the enormous wealth of the area. This will mean that even fewer children will be able to try ice hockey or figure skating. Like Bridgepointe, Belmont Iceland was profitable. Unfortunately, given soaring home prices on the Peninsula, it is more profitable for land owners to sell to condo developers than it is to operate an ice rink. This highlights the need for local governments to stand by existing recreational zoning in the face of unbridled economic darwinism. Without zoning protections, it is unlikely that we will see ice rinks (or other private recreational facilities) continue to thrive on the Peninsula. Thus, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure that the City of San Mateo denies SPI's request to change the recreational zoning at Bridgepointe. Thanks again for your support and stay tuned for more info about the March City Council meeting. Sincerely, The Committee to Save the San Mateo Ice Rink