On July 10th there will be a rare opportunity to share your concern about the development in the Line Creek Forest! The Park Hill School District is hosting a ONE-TIME-ONLY public feedback meeting where you can have an OPEN DIALOGUE with the school board, administrators, architects, and landscape designers to express your concern about the District construction of the LEAD Innovation Studio and a proposed 3rd high school, both of which will cause massive deforestation in the Line Creek Forest. You'll also be able to see Park Hill's building design plans. If you are in the Kansas City area, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to attend AND bring a friend! Park Hill will likely evaluate the level of community concern based on the attendance at this meeting. EVENT DETAILS: LEAD Innovation Studio Public Input Meeting Tuesday, July 10 5-6:30 PM Plaza Middle School 6501 NW 72nd Street Kansas City, MO We are opposed to the proposed location of Park Hill’s LEAD Innovation Studio because it will be MUCH larger and MORE devastating to the Line Creek Forest than the Hopewell Elementary site at 68th & Waukomis (see photo). The LEAD Innovation Studio will: • Require the deforestation and clearing of approximately 101 acres in the Line Creek Forest. • Bring visual, light, noise, traffic, and odor pollution to the forest. • Invade the serenity and view shed of the Line Creek Forest and the Line Creek Trail because the buildings would be visible from the Line Creek Trail. o Unless the District commits to conserving the tree line that exists between the proposed facility and the Line Creek Trail – but the current School Board has already said that it doesn’t want to “tie the hands” of future Boards with conservation easements; • The LEAD Studio requires an expensive road be plowed through the Line Creek Forest to serve the LEAD studio; and • If the bond measure were not approved for the 3rd proposed high school, only the LEAD studio would be the served by the road. • Park Hill’s road would lay the groundwork for the Line Creek Parkway, a 4-lane boulevard with 200’ wide right of ways that would cut through the heart of the Line Creek Forest, paralleling and even crossing the Line Creek Trail. • Become “gateway” development for a proposed but unfunded 3rd high school that is planned to have baseball, football and soccer fields, a gym, performing arts building, and lots and lots of parking. To date, Park Hill has never prepared a Conservation Plan for its 272-acres or any of its facilities. It also has not made any commitment to replanting of the trees it has bulldozed and burned or planting of native species in its landscape plans. Park Hill green-washes its development by claiming it is using U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED v4 Building Standards. However, LEED v4 only applies to buildings and it is not a substitute for ENVISION or other similar standards that focus on the Environment and Sustainability. Park Hill School District has repeatedly rebuffed our Petition and your signatures or comments as having no validity, saying, “that 10,000 (really 11,478) people didn't really count, not knowing where they are from or (if they’re) in (the School) District.” You matter, We matter and our Petition matters! Again, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to attend the LEAD public meeting AND bring a friend. Let’s show Park Hill that the community is concerned with the District’s deforestation of the Line Creek Forest. If you can’t make it, please consider sending a letter or e-mail on July 10th by going to https://www.lastkcforest.com/contact-the-park-hill-school-board. Thanks! And together, we persist! P.S. Keep up to date on current developments by liking our Save the Last KC Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lastKCforest/