Residents are concerned about how this happened without any of us (residents) knowing about it until it was a done deal. Since when is GoApe "saving" Greensfelder Park? And where will the money go? To Greensfelder Park? No. It will go into the general county park fund most likely and not directly to Greensfelder. The residents of the area will be greatly impacted by traffic, noise and other unforeseen issues. It sounds to me that GoApe will be the biggest beneficiary. They come in using the existing park facilities (parking, the Learning Center) that handle current usage by park enthusiasts well. How will they be affected by GoApe taking over the facilities they once enjoyed? I feel those of us who use Greensfelder Park regularly for equestrian use, cycling, hiking, etc. feel a little hoodwinked on this one.

Mary is exactly right!!! I would like to see Greensfelder stay natural, thrill seekers can go to Six Flags or any other number of zip lines near by! Our natural parks are dwindling! I vote NO on Goape,,, oh that's right, we weren't allowed to vote:(

55.00 Who has that kind of money these day. 6 Flags is in bankrupcy and fixing to close,, because no one can afford to go there anymore. who is going to pay that kinda money to swing from trees? I`d rather pay a 5.00 usage fee directly to the park I`m using.

St. Louis County Parks tried to push this through (and are still trying to do that) without getting public opinion. Only when I called Tom Ott, supervisor to Anne Klein, to complain about the first meeting and how it was not promoted did he agree to a second meeting to hear the public's voices. I vote no on this course. There are other ways to generate revenue. I feel a day or annual pass for all users of the park is the way to go. Many parks across our nation use this system. Rather than destroy our limited green space, charge to use our green space so we can improve it. It's also of concern that we allow a commercial company to come into our parks to generate revenue for them with some revenue going to the County. Okay, what if next year the County writes into their Business Plan a water park for Greensfelder. We've then set the precedent to allow any commercial business to come into our public green spaces all in the name of the Almighty Dollar. It would also help if the County collect revenue for camping spaces and shelter use within the park. They are not monitoring that use presently. Why? Lack of management, I'd say.

Renie is correct, in that there were no other meetings scheduled other than the secret meeting that was held last month. They said in that meeting there was nothing else scheduled.

One of the other REAL issues that needs to be addressed was the fact that they say that the St. Louis County Parks will receive no more money from general revenue sharing. I just received my most recent real estate tax bill for St. Louis County, and I have a separate line that clearly says that I am paying my portion to "STL County Park" . ???

Everyone is on target with their comments. And to weigh in with one more item, if the County would collect the usage fees that they should be collecting for the pavilions and other facilities across the park system this could be unnecessary.

After talking to many residents today about this issue I want to be certain we are targeting the right problem relative to this proposal. From everything I can tell, Tom Ott and his team are trying to make the best of a bad budget situation so they can keep the parks open. The real issue is poor fiscal management on the part of our elected county leadership. So the question I really want to know is where is Greg Quinn our St. Louis County Councilman on this issue, and how is he helping to achieve better fiscal management for the county so this does not happen again. And what's his position on this type of use of the park?

nice work.

A cable ride adventure could be inspiring steps reconnecting with mother earth. The adventure is an opportunity for people to appreciate earth .. adventure. However, what steps are taken to enrich any adventure tourism experience?
Perhaps boards or the insight of guides .. knowledge of fauna, local animals, trees you ride on (*trees in Thailand are holy, we took every measure to limit impact and they continue to grow and prosper) .. how can you enrich client's overall experience?
With small steps who knows the butterfly effect .. blossom into something more. Create enlightened people who subconsciously begin to lead sustainable life minimizing wastage, perhaps becoming stewards of the environment.
Further, what steps are taken to minimize impacts? Water stations .. waterless urinals .. no to plastic?
Currently in Thailand the owner of a local cable ride, fellow expat from Chesapeake Bay, shares the need to create enriching environment for clients .. better than just another roller coaster. He also uses some company revenues toward philanthropy; educational scholarships, community sport events, renovated local school, and reforestation, two occasions local youths, students, civil workers, businesses .. politicians came together helped plant 5,000 trees.
Reforestation Kao Yai Da (no subtitles, soon on youtube.com/flyingpeoplethailand)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG1_7rmd1j0&feature=plcp
Cable Ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kc0qz6rEDo&feature=plcp