Sadly this fight is far from being over... and we're at a point where it's time for all hands on deck! The Freeholders are not budging on their position so today we want to first share with you where we stand, and give you a brief rundown of what we learned at the March 26th meeting. The sad and ugly truth... They don’t care about what we think… all 2,700 of us. Our points of view were brushed off and disrespected with complacent remarks like, “…honestly, there is always a sector of the community that’s against any kind of growth or change” - Angel Estrada. Give the doggy a bone... They dangled compromise in our faces as if reducing the seating to “a very simple 1200 seat place…” would shut us up. Of course not addressing the real issues such as the regulation size footprint, the fenced in perimeter, the amenities to be built, etc... structures that will maintain this as a ‘state of the art’ multi sport construction. Fudged Facts... Everyone will have access “regardless of their place of origin” or “their economical standing in the community” cited Estrada, referencing the historic Olmstead ideology to drive this point home. Yet a fenced in, locked facility in the middle of our park that requires permission to enter, plays no part in an ideology that promotes ‘public recreation’. This stadium will knock out at least one baseball field (possibly three!) and actually REDUCE our recreational open spaces for the public. Flat out Lies... We have lost count how many times we've been told the stadium is just a simple upgrade on an existing footprint. We did the research and worked out the math, and we call their bluff… all told, we will lose about 5 acres of parkland. See for yourself here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.890289617701163.1073741836.868587519871373&type=3 Nothing adds up... Building a ‘state of the art’ stadium just because Rahway High School needs somewhere to play their 5-7 home football games a year is an obvious red flag. The Freeholders openly admit shared access to the stadium for all Union County municipalities. So we have to ask, is the City of Rahway just another victim like us? See for yourself... Feel free to make your own informed decisions by watching the entire meeting in this series of videos provided by The County Watchers: http://www.countywatchers.com/?p=13076 Seeing firsthand the Freeholder’s disregard for the citizens who put them in their comfy swivel chairs was a tough watch. It was like all of our statements were being siphoned off into an old shoe box labeled “ignore”. This stadium or ‘place’ or ‘situation’ as they like to tap dance with terminology will not, and never will be, good for our park. Since the Freeholders are clearly out of control we need to switch up our tactics and focus on building an impenetrable case. In the next day or so please keep an eye out for an update about joining our team in which we will list all areas we need help with. As stated at the beginning of this update, it's time for all hands on deck! Thanks again for your wonderful support, and we look forward to working more closely with you all from this point forward! Sincerely, The Team... at 'The Coalition for the Historic Rahway River Park'