The new date for the City Council meeting is April 18, 2016 at 7p. It is imperative that everyone attend this meeting. At this meeting, the City Council will vote on whether to change the recreational zoning requirement and allow SPI to demolish the rink. We will update you on meeting logistics as this date approaches. This is the third time that the City has rescheduled the meeting. We are increasingly frustrated that SPI appears to be controlling the timing of the meeting for its benefit. Usually, the City Council evaluates projects in the month following the Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission met on December 8, voting 5-0 against SPI's proposal and scolding SPI for closing the rink without City approval on next steps. Here is what you can do today to help . . . . . . SPI is ramping up its high priced propoganda machine in anticipation of the meeting. Many of you have probably seen their advertising in Facebook or local newspapers. These ads insult the intelligence of San Mateo voters and the City Council, obscuring the truth so that SPI can profit at the expense of the community. Here are some falsehoods from the : - The online video claims that the rink is vacant because the previous operator "struggled financially for a decade." The truth - Three years ago, SPI Holdings refused to renew the existing lease, locking the doors on the rink's operator. SPI doubled down on this claim in front of the Planning Commission even though the San Mateo County Times called out this falsehood in a May 2015 article: http://bayareane.ws/1TDBWyZ - SPI claims that it needs even more retail to remain competitive in a challenging retail environment. The truth - Bridgepointe has the highest occupancy rate of any retail power center in the Bay Area: http://bit.ly/1oEML8k - SPI claims that their paltry $3M offer is a "donation" to the City government. Usually, when people make a donation they do not expect to make millions of profits in the process. Perhaps there is a better word to describe a wealthy corporation offering a City government a small amount of money so that they can make even more money in the long run (starts with a "B")??? - SPI claims that if the City Council does not accept their "donation", they will simply build a martial arts or yoga studio in its place, in addition to the highly profitable new chain store. The truth - the Bridgepointe Master Plan is very clear that SPI must have an ice rink or similar recreational facility. This facility must be approved by the Planning Commission, which has already voted unanimously against SPI twice, emphasizing that the ice rink is unique and cannot be replaced. PLEASE write a short (<200 words) letter to the editor to the following papers, telling SPI that you are not stupid and neither is the City Council. Their deceptions are not appreciated. The City Council should not accept $3 million in exchange for a $25 million ice rink. Here is a list of email addresses for local papers. San Mateo residents, make sure to mention your city: letters@smdailyjournal.com letters@mercurynews.comletters@mercurynews.com - (attn: San Mateo County Times) http://www.sfgate.com/submissions/#letters news@padailypost.com (attn: letters) Thanks again for your support and see you at the April meeting! The Committee to Save the San Mateo Ice Rink