Frequently Asked Questions about

Frequently Asked Questions about the West 11th Street Park and the Fundraising Drive
By Lorraine Cherry, PhD, President, Friends of the West 11th Street Park
Every day, more people are coming forward who want to help save the park. Everyone’s help is welcome and needed, but we will be more effective if we all have up-to-date information about where we are and where we are going. We are hearing the same questions over and over, and thought it would be useful to answer them all in one place. Click on the questions below for an answer . *I thought the park sale was a done deal. What is the real situation?* *What is going on now?* *Why do we need the contingency plan? I hate the thought of losing 5 acres.* *Who is the Houston Parks Board?* *Who are the Friends of W. 11^th St. Park and what have they been doing?* *Why is it important to save the park?* *Will my donation be tax deductible?* *What happens to my donation if the park is not bought?* *I thought the park sale was a done deal. What is the real situation?* A year ago, HISD agreed to sell the park to the City of Houston for a very fair price of $9 million, and a purchase option was signed which expires at the end of this year. Mayor Bill White offered $4 million in matching funds, and asked the Houston Parks Board to raise the rest from private donations. A year is a very short period of time in which to raise so much money, and major donors able to give $1 million or more were needed in order to meet the goal. The Parks Board was able to raise an additional $1.5 million, but competing demands on private sector money (the downtown park, natural catastrophes like Katrina and the tsunami) made fundraising for a neighborhood park a very difficult sell last year. As of late August, we were still $3.5 million short of our goal. *What is going on now?* The final phase of fundraising is in full swing, consisting of three arms: Major donors: The Houston Parks Board continues intensive efforts to find a major donor, has many new solicitations active, and is also revisiting potential donors who have already been approached. Other alternatives for donations: A grass roots fundraising effort is underway to solicit money from local residents and businesses as well as from the corporate sector. The safety net: The Houston Parks Board has put together a contingency plan to provide a safety net for the park in the event that we can’t raise all of the money in time. This plan involves securing a bridge loan to complete the sales price and close the sale with HISD at the end of the year. The loan will use a small piece of the park as collateral, no more than 5 acres. *Why do we need the contingency plan? I hate the thought of losing 5 acres.* Raising $3.5 million in 3 months is extremely challenging, to say the least. Without the contingency plan, if we don’t have all the money, we lose all of the park. With the contingency plan, we are assured of saving at least 15 acres. When we can raise the rest of the money, we save those last 5 acres. It is a no-risk proposition. *Who is the Houston Parks Board?* The Houston Parks Board is a non-profit organization committed to creating, improving and protecting parkland in Houston. The Houston Parks Board of Directors consists of 20 mayor-appointed, City Council-approved citizens, supported by an executive staff of four persons. The Board acts on behalf of the private sector to improve and expand parks for all Houstonians. They are not to be confused with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, which is a part of the City of Houston. *Who are the Friends of W. 11^th St. Park and what have they been doing?* We are a group of local residents that has been working to preserve the park for 8 years. Formerly known as Friends of the Inner City Forest, we have established excellent relationships with people in the city government, HISD, and the Houston Parks Board and have the support of all these groups. A little over a year ago, we incorporated into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in order to more effectively support our vision statement: “This land shall be preserved forever as a natural habitat. Future amenities and improvements will be designed to promote conservation and the appreciation and enjoyment of nature.” Our organization functions in the same way that Friends of Hermann Park or the Memorial Park Conservancy functions to protect their respective parks. Our activities over the years have been reported at the Timbergrove Manor Civic Club general meetings and board meetings, as well as printed in the Timbergram, Houston Chronicle, Houston Press, Leader, Heights Tribune, White Oak Bayou Association Newsletter, and our own quarterly electronic newsletter. *Why is it important to save the park?* This is the largest inner-loop green space that is not already protected as a park. They just aren’t making any more like it! Whether you like nature, enjoy walking your dog, or are concerned about flooding, saving the park should be a priority for you. *Will my donation be tax deductible?* Yes, and you will get a receipt from the Houston Parks Board. *What happens to my donation if the park is not bought?* All the donations go to the Houston Parks Board and they will return all the money if no park land is purchased *Are there any bad guys here? Who is to blame?* It is always human nature to want to blame someone when things don’t work out as we had hoped, but there really and truly are no bad guys here. The drive to preserve the park has had amazing support and cooperation from everyone involved. The last two mayors, Bill White and Lee Brown, and the last two District A council members, Toni Lawrence and Bruce Tatro all promoted our efforts. HISD Superintendent Abe Saavedra, former HISD Trustee Jeff Shadwick, and current HISD Trustee Harvin Moore have worked within their organization to put the deal together. Roksan Okan-Vick of the Houston Parks Board has managed an exhaustive fund raising effort that has raised over $5.5M and she is working on the rest. This entire effort has been an amazing example of cooperation between various groups to achieve the goal. If you are looking for something to blame, blame Katrina, blame the Indonesian tsunami, blame any of the unexpected events that occurred within this one year that siphoned money away from saving a small park in order to save lives. As the bumper sticker says, Stuff Happens.		*Are there any bad guys here? Who is to blame?* *Why can’t HISD just give us the park?* *I’ve heard rumors that HISD has already sold the property to developers. Is this true?* *Why won’t the city just pay for the park?* *How long would we have to pay off a bridge loan and what are the options at the end?* *If we get the bridge loan and are unable to finally raise all of the money, who would decide who the property is sold to and what type of development would go on the 5 acres?* *Which five acres will be the collateral for the loan?* *Who will own the park after the sale is finalized?* *When the park is saved, who will manage it? How will it change?* *What can I do to help?* *Why can’t HISD just give us the park?* The park is an asset that they bought with tax dollars. They can’t just give it away. They have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers to sell it at a fair price. If they did not work out the deal to sell it to the City, they would have been legally bound to auction it off to the highest bidder. *I’ve heard rumors that HISD has already sold the property to developers. Is this true?* No. HISD has signed a purchase option to sell the property to the City of Houston. This is a legal contract, and there is no reason whatsoever to think that they will not honor this agreement. They have been an excellent and cooperative participant in the entire process. *Why won’t the city just pay for the park?* The City normally relies on the Houston Parks Department to acquire new park land, using money from private donors. It was an extraordinary show of support from the Mayor to offer to match $4 million for the purchase of the park. When you consider how under-staffed the police department is, we should be extremely thankful that the City was able to make such a large contribution. *How long would we have to pay off a bridge loan and what are the options at the end?* Since the loan has not yet been negotiated, we do not know what the final terms will be. The Houston Parks Board will be responsible for paying back the loan, and their objective is to pay off the loan as quickly as possible. If sufficient money has not been raised to repay the loan at the time that the loan comes due, then the Parks Board will sell some acres to repay the loan and cover the costs of financing. No more than 5 acres can or will be sold. *If we get the bridge loan and are unable to finally raise all of the money, who would decide who the property is sold to and what type of development would go on the 5 acres?* The Houston Parks Board would solicit proposals and they would make the final decision on any development plan. The Parks Board is committed to finding a developer who respects the park space and will design a green friendly project. *Which five acres will be the collateral for the loan?* Since the loan has not yet been made, this is not known. *Who will own the park after the sale is finalized?* Ownership of all 20 acres will transfer from HISD to the City. If the contingency plan is used, there will be a mortgage on no more than 5 acres. *When* the park is saved, who will manage it? How will it change? The park will be officially managed by the City of Houston Parks & Recreation Department. Because of budget restrictions, however, the Parks Department typically only supplies routine maintenance, such as mowing and trash removal, and looks to neighborhood volunteer organizations to carry out other projects using private sector funding. The Friends of West 11^th St. Park has been officially recognized by the Parks Department for our outstanding service to the community in maintaining the park. We have accrued legitimacy and a large amount of good will with local government agencies over the last 8 years, in addition to which we already have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. This will allow us to hit the ground running as soon as the park sale is complete. We have done some preliminary work on a master plan to preserve the property as a natural habitat. As soon as the park purchase is really a “done deal,” we will be inviting the community to come together to help us flesh out this master plan and to join us in pursuing some exciting new projects that have been on hold until the property is secured. The City and the Houston Parks Board agree with us that the property will be treated as a nature preserve; it will not be developed with tennis courts, swing sets, and swimming pools. *What can I do to help?* If you or someone you know wants to donate money or help with the fundraising effort, go to www.savethispark.org or www.houstonparksboard.org for more information on what you can do. For more information about the park, go to www.west11thstreetpark.org. This important information was provided by Friends of the West 11^th Street Park, a group of volunteers that has worked for 8 years to preserve and maintain the park. Our corporate vision statement is: “This land shall be preserved forever as a natural habitat. Future amenities and improvements will be designed to promote conservation and the appreciation and enjoyment of nature.” You may contact us at: west11thstpark@earthlink.net. our official information source.

Date of last edit: 25 Oct 2006

Created by: V.H. Hitchings