Maryann, I wanted to take a moment and thank you for being a voice of reason during the meeting last night. Your request to draw the community together was both heartfelt and sincere. I really wish Ken had been there last night so you wouldn’t have had to bear the full brunt of explaining your vote during the last City Council meeting alone. I hope you have the opportunity to review the information I handed you toward the end of the meeting. It provides a perspective of the Historical Society, some background information from the Minnesota Gambling Control Board, and the Facility Grant Program from the Hennepin Youth Sports Program. Most of this information I’ve provided to City Council prior to your arrival. It has been largely ignored because the powers-that-be made it clear back in March 2016 they had absolutely no interest in any other outcome than building an adult sized field in Settler’s Park. Destroying at least 5 historic oak trees wasn’t a good enough reason to change their minds. Like you, I’ve spent a significant amount of free time doing research on this issue on behalf of the Historical Society, but in my case, it’s been in an attempt to come up with anything that might save the trees. I have sought meetings with both Hanover Youth Ball and the Athletic Association in an attempt to seek a compromise. All of my requests were ignored because neither organization had a need to sit down with me. They thought they already had the results they wanted. A key individual that could have provided further insight, Stan Kolasa, President of the HAA and Chairman of the Planning Commission, was notably absent from the meeting. I do not deny the Athletic Association’s past good deeds, but I find it disconcerting that a non-profit organization that wields the kind of influence that the Hanover Athletic Association does in the city, adamantly refuses requests by non-members to attend their closed meetings. Additionally, they have refused to allow the city's own Park Board liaison to attend their meetings. The Historical Society would welcome a park board liaison and value an open line of communication. We’ll be discussing this at our monthly meeting next week. So that leads me to the question the mayor asked me last night, “Why did I feel like this project was a ruse?” My quick answer is that I have found both HYB and HAA have been less than truthful and forthcoming about this project. I have tried to remain focused on saving the trees rather than on baseball and softball because I knew it would be a losing proposition, but unfortunately I’ve been drawn into that conversation because of inaccurate statements and “alternative facts” that have been perpetrated over the last year. 2 items specifically come to mind: First, HYB reported out that the grant from the Twins would be rescinded if the money wasn’t spent in 2016. You can verify this information in the Park Board meeting minutes from 2016. This statement initiated a sense of urgency and time pressure to complete the project expeditiously. There was never any public statement of obtaining an extension for the grant until last night. The second item involves the HAA’s intent for the ball field which ultimately resulted in them withdrawing their funding request from the gambling control board and subsequently asking for relief for early termination of the lease agreement. Mayor Kauffman and the proponents of the project questioned, and then expressed disbelief, in the numbers Bill Rosso provided involving field usage. I can virtually guarantee those numbers were not only accurate but they were thoroughly vetted by the Athletic Association for the simple reason that the gambling manager for the Athletic Association wouldn’t want to hauled before the Gambling Control Board for falsification of paperwork which could ultimately result in the HAA losing their charitable gambling license! After the vote on the resolution to accept the HAA donation failed to pass, our desperation suddenly became the project proponents desperation. Now that the shoe is suddenly on the other foot, Mayor Kauffman accuses us of obstructionism. Last night the proponents for this project demanded that City Council take action because of the time, energy and effort they’ve put into it. We have invested the same time, energy and effort and yet we make no such demand! I was most encouraged by former Mayor Waters report of opening a dialog to collaborate with the Three Rivers Parks district, yet Mayor Kauffman’s less than enthusiastic response was reflective of the resistance we’ve encountered in an attempt to seek a compromise solution. I sincerely hope that both HAA and HYB will support this. The $50,000 plus the Twins grant would provide the seed money to possibly obtain $300,000 from the Hennepin Youth Sports program, the only caveat (and I’ve researched it) is that it has to be built on the Hennepin County side of Hanover. My fear however, is that they’ll reject the entire idea because building a 3rd full sized baseball/softball field in Settler’s Park would not only increase their tournament revenue by 1/3, but it will increase their concession revenue by the same amount. Another statement made last night was how this field would be good for businesses in Hanover but realistically, I asked myself, who would bring their families to any of the local establishments when there are beer, brats and burgers right there at the concession stand? This may actually hurt the local “watering holes” in the long run because any significant profits from the field would go directly back to the Athletic Association. I would hate for that unique area of Settler’s Park to be decimated by a ball field that serves as either the primary or secondary function of enhancing the financial well-being of a select special interest organization. As the President of the Historical Society and a non-citizen of Hanover, it really doesn’t matter to me if they build a ball field, band shell or bordello in the park as long as it doesn’t involve cutting down those trees. I would be derelict in my duties as president if I didn’t exhaust every possible resource to save the trees. My attempts to have the Veteran’s Grove proposal placed on the agenda continue to be denied. As a veteran, I would be honored to collaborate with the Park Board on this project. I hope you stick to your initial convictions. Both you and Ken displayed an incredible amount of courage by voting to not accept the donation. Reintroducing the resolution as Mayor Kauffman suggested would be a civic injustice to those of us who have worked so hard to seek a compromise. It remains our contention that those trees are irreplaceable and removing them puts the rest of the oak grove at risk. Search your heart and ask yourself the following, “Who in their right mind removes perfectly healthy, historic oak trees in their own park to renovate 2 ball fields that are utilized by children and replaces them with a larger field for adults?” The 2 smaller ball fields are the true enhancements to the park and they have been since 2008. They were well planned and clearly built for the younger ball players of Hanover Youth Ball, by Hanover Youth Ball parents, with the foresight of leaving the oak grove intact, That project clearly exemplified a well balanced, collaborative community project as opposed to the project currently being proposed. Faithfully submitted, Michael J. Kehn President Hanover Historical Society