Sorry for the much delayed update but here we go...

CALLS TO ACTION - TIME TO INVITE FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THE 7/14 FINAL VOTE MEETING (don’t wait until the day of), PREPARE SPEECHES AND/OR SEND EMAILS!

This is the night we’ve been waiting (and working) months for!  For those that are opposed to "The Fairgrounds" aka Thoroughbred Horse racing track on the landfill, especially those that haven't made it to a meeting yet, we need you at City Hall, Monday, 7/14! The people supporting this have had 2 different unions come out on separate nights. If they got them all there the same night it would be about 125+ people.  We need to do better.  We need the City Council to see and hear from ALL those opposed.

Also, it would be great for the City Council to hear from folks who haven’t spoken yet.  As they will be voting on 41-25 (adding additional language that clearly states Horse and Dog racing is prohibited in Leominster to the ordinances) and 47-25 (creating the Fairgrounds overlay zone) it is ok to address both when you speak.  We are looking for a yes vote on 41-25 and a no vote on 47-25.  Please keep speeches to 2 mins, have specific points and be respectful.  

I’m sure there will be plenty of folks getting up and spouting lots of nonsense based on the Whitney Companies bogus marketing fluff.  DO NOT LET IT GET TO YOU.  It actually works to our benefit when the majority of folks speaking out in favor are from out of town, and even if from in town, are speaking up because of a construction job that might provide them 6 months of employment. Even if the project takes 1.5-2 years, it’s very unlikely that any given union worker will be onsite for that whole length of time.  They’re just parroting Whitney’s marketing BS fluff.  Same when the likes of Jen Flanagan Long, a paid consultant, gets up there trying to act like she has nothing but pure intentions.  The factual information and data the abutters and other Leominster residents speak to clearly supports that the potential risks far outweigh the benefits, so please, if you haven’t, or have only done so once, please speak up Monday. If anyone needs help preparing something please DM me.

That being said, the City Council has also heard from many of us quite a bit, so to save some time, for those that have already spoken at multiple meetings, I encourage you to write an email reiterating all of your concerns and send it to the city council with them all in copy.  Please state that out of respect for their time that night, you are writing to them.  They will greatly appreciate that.

Hopefully we will have an ocean of red and no horse racing shirts there Monday night!!!