Save Bethel Park
There are plans being developed to lease Bethel Park to the YMCA. If this happens, the 23,000+ annual visitors will no longer have this park to enjoy. The park and boat access will be closed and will no longer be open to the public.
Friends of Bethel Park is working to save Bethel Park for continued public use but we need your help.
If you want to save Bethel Park from being leased out and taken away from the public please sign this petition to voice your opposition (read details below) and contact your local representatives and tell them NO to closing Bethel Park.
(Friends of Bethel Park will not share any information for any purpose other then to organize and voice our support for saving Bethel Park)
Friends of Bethel Park is working to save Bethel Park for continued public use but we need your help.
If you want to save Bethel Park from being leased out and taken away from the public please sign this petition to voice your opposition (read details below) and contact your local representatives and tell them NO to closing Bethel Park.
(Friends of Bethel Park will not share any information for any purpose other then to organize and voice our support for saving Bethel Park)
Bethel Park is a 70 acre wooded day use park owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the shores of Lake Sydney Lanier. Located in Forsyth County, Bethel Park is a popular destination of visitors from both inside and outside of Forsyth County. Bethel Park’s amenities include a three lane boat ramp, a boat dock, restroom facilities, hiking trails and picnic areas. The park is a tranquil, wooded haven that attracts over 21,528 visitors every year. Among other uses, the most popular include boating, fishing, jogging, hiking, picnicking, biking and swimming. Bethel Park’s current residents include whitetail deer, Canadian geese, blue Herons, loons and numerous other species of wildlife.
Approximately one year ago, the YMCA of Greater Atlanta approached the Corps of Engineers seeking to lease Bethel Park for a period of 25-50 years. Approximately six months ago, the YMCA retained Altamira Design and Common Sense, Inc. to design a master plan for relocating the YMCA’s Camp High Harbor, currently located in Alabama, to Bethel Park. The official announcement of the YMCA’s intention to lease Bethel Park will be made in early April 2006.
While the YMCA has yet to release its plans, conversations with both the YMCA and the Corps of Engineers have revealed that Bethel Park will cease to exist as a public park. According to the YMCA, the YMCA intends to create a summer camp at Bethel Park. According to the master plan prepared for the YMCA, the facility will “provide overnight and day-use facilities for campers including, cabins, dining hall, active recreation areas, multi-purpose courts, outdoor amphitheaters and classrooms, hiking trials, archery range, and water sports for water skiing, sailing, canoe, kayak, and a beach area.” This camp will accommodate approximately 200-250 overnight campers during the summertime. The campers will arrive every Sunday, departing the following Saturday.
Current Users of Bethel Park will be excluded. The boat ramp will be closed and removed. All remaining facilities and hiking trails will essentially become the private property of the YMCA.
Everyone. Bethel Park was built with your tax dollars. We believe that everyone should be able to continue to enjoy Bethel Park as it has been for the past 40 years. Only the YMCA seeks to limit who can use Bethel Park.
Yes, Bethel Park can be saved. Forsyth County can lease Bethel Park and operate it as a county park open to all users.
As stated above, Bethel Park was created with your tax dollars. While, the Corps of Engineers admits that Bethel Park is used by 21,528 visitors who visit Bethel Park annually by automobile. This does not include the thousands more who visit Bethel Park on foot, bicycle and boat. Due to funding problems, the Corps of Engineers has already been forced to closed numerous facilities on Lake Sydney Lanier. In light of these closing, Bethel Park remains one of the few fee free public parks on Lake Sydney Lanier. Additionally, unanswered questions concerning sanitation, public safety, traffic and noise remain a concern to the community.
BY SIGNING THIS PETITION YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:
- YOU WANT TO KEEP BETHEL PARK PUBLIC.
- YOU DO NOT WANT THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO LEASE THE PARK TO THE YMCA OR ANY OTHER PRIVATE ENTITY.
- YOU WANT FORSYTH COUNTY AND/OR THE STATE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF PARK AND KEEP IT PUBLIC SO EVERYONE CAN USE AND ENJOY IT.
Voir plus de pétitions:
Vous avez désactivé JavaScript sur votre navigateur. Sans JavaScript, il se peut que notre site Internet ne fonctionne pas correctement.
En signant, vous acceptez les conditions de service de Care2
Vous pouvez gérer vos abonnements à tout moment.
Vous ne parvenez pas à signer cette pétition ?? Faites-le nous savoir.