HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/23/2025 Item Public Comment, Isaacs
Tate Isaacs <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public Comment for 01/23/2025
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Public comment for the joint meeting of the City Council and REOC on 01/23/2025
Dear San Luis Obispo City Council and REOC,
I attended my first city council meeting while I was still in high school advocating for the
city to include a bike park in their parks and recreation planning. Amazing progress has
been made. As of writing this I can ride a beginner jump line, a pump track and mountain
bike skills area all at Laguna Lake Park. Our local interscholastic mountain bike team has
over 50 student-athletes and counting. I have attended trail work days where I get to build
huge slopestyle jumps and watch as adults and kids alike enjoy the hard work of volunteer
trail builders and ranger maintenance staff. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to
the city council, to Neils Grether and to everyone who works for the city of San Luis
Obispo that helped make this a reality. I can only speak for myself but to think that the city
council, which deals with pressing issues of homelessness, climate change, infrastructure,
public safety and so much more, took the time to listen to a teenager talk about his
dreams of having a bike park in SLO, blows me away. My experiences have had a truly
lasting impact on my perception of the city of San Luis Obispo and the importance of
public participation in local government. Throughout the entire process I felt respected and
that my ideas were heard. Though not perfect I hold the City of San Luis Obispo in very
high regard because of my experiences. To me this is why a bike park is so much more
than a place to ride bikes. It is a way in which the city can validate the feelings and
aspirations of our communities' youngest generations. It's a way for the city to say we see
you, we hear you and we value your ideas and opinions and recognize your ability to
meaningfully contribute and add value to our community. A bike park is a way for
community members to contribute to a legacy of enjoyment, fun and community created
by these amazing recreational areas. As a member of our community, I also care greatly
about other important and challenging issues such as our unhoused communities, climate
change and economic vitality. I recognize that these are ongoing, often very complex
issues that will require considerable dedication and effort to solve. I feel the source of this
dedication will stem from the care and consideration we have for the members of the
community around us, and I feel a key way to cultivate this care and strengthen the bonds
of our community is through diverse recreational areas where we have time to connect
over the outdoor activities we love. With this in mind, I would like to express my gratitude
for all the work the city of SLO has done to create and maintain recreational areas within
SLO and my continued support to expand the outdoor recreational opportunities we have
to offer for our community. To be slightly more specific I would like to underscore the
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importance of a diversity of trail types. Increasing the number as well as the diversity of
trails and recreational opportunities will allow the city to support a larger more diverse
group of trail users, which will foster a healthy outdoor recreation ecosystem. I have
always felt my greatest moments of joy and community while in our city’s open space and
I want to support in any way I can the city’s efforts to continue providing these
opportunities to our community. Thank you so much for your time! I know this was a long
one :)
Best regards,
Tate Isaacs
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