Here is an email I received from the Hanover City Administrator today in response to one I sent last week about the Veteran's Grove proposal.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mike, As promised before, I am 100% willing to bring your proposal forward to the respective board when the time is right. Whether this month's Park Board meeting is the right fit for that, I cannot answer this yet. As you will see when I post the agenda on the website Friday, I am placing another decision item on the agenda related to the field. I view this discuss[ion] necessary largely because of the emotions that came at the last meeting. Unfortunately we were unable to process what happened, and further more process what it means to the project as a whole. Depending on next Tuesday's discussion, I will have a better understanding then. Thank you. Brian Hagen City Administrator City of Hanover brianh@ci.hanover.mn.us (763)497-3777 ext. 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm not sure what to make of this and I'm uncertain of what's left to discuss. Brian wouldn't provide any details on this "decision item" that will be placed on the agenda related to the field when I called him today. So, let's recap... 2016 Park Board survey results where over 70% of the respondents indicated the current ball fields at Settler's Park met the needs of the community......................................................................................................CHECK Change.org petition with 565 supporters....................................CHECK Proposal by the Athletic Association to the MN Gambling Control Board which recommended denial of 44% of the $50,000 funding request for adult activities.....................................................................CHECK Termination of a historic 50 year lease agreement between the City and the Athletic Association after only 1 month.......................CHECK Resolution to accept the $50,000 direct donation from the Athletic Association failing to garner the necessary votes for approval due to concerns about the overall costs and potential cost overruns, destruction of the bur oak grove, assumption of all liability issues by the city and the safety of children in the playground................CHECK I'm not sure how hard it is to process that so many people want absolutely nothing to do with this ball field in Settler's Park. Were emotions running high during the discussion for the resolution? You better believe it! The City Council and meeting attendees that were proponents for this project were fully prepared for an outcome. I'm pretty sure the 2 Wright County Deputy Sheriffs assigned to attend the meeting were there for our benefit! What they weren't prepared for was the resultant outcome of the vote. When it was announced that the resolution failed to pass, the proponents in attendance were the ones that were asked to leave due to their disruptive behavior. The mayor specifically called us out stating how this was a "great" idea and that it was ruined by individuals using social media irresponsibly. We didn't fall for that baiting because we didn't want to be asked to leave too. I firmly believe our social media posts were 100% "Alternative Fact Free." I sincerely hope they're going to discuss a compromise that doesn't result in the destruction of the historic bur oak grove in Settler's Park rather than develop a a strategy for a "do over." Stay tuned! We'll all know more on Friday....