Update from Friends of the Little Miami State Park

We have exciting news and a unique opportunity. With your help, we can pave 11 of the 15 trail bridges in the Little Miami State Park, redeck the remaining 4 bridges, and smooth out the 20 "patches" south of Morrow!

Since its founding less than 6 months ago on November 16, 2008, FLMSP has been unwavering in its commitment to improving trail safety. While, as an organization, we're moving on several fronts (e.g. Adopt-a-Trail, Trail Sentinel program, pipe-safes, etc.), trail safety has always been our number one priority. That's the reason we purchased 32 new oak boards to replace the rotten boards on several bridges.

Having replaced many boards, we all know that the ultimate solution is to pave over all of the wooden bridges. Paving eliminates uneven and rotten boards together with the associated slime mould. In fact, we've priced ChipSealing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipseal) for three "rivet-head" bridges just south of Xenia and were quoted $21K. For an organization with $3,600 in the bank, this was clearly out of our reach.

But our advocacy for the trail and our persistence has paid dividends. At our 3rd Public Meeting on April 26, five representatives from Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Ohio State Parks were in attendance:

* John Hunter, ODNR Division of Parks & Recreation, Assistant Chief
* Tim Carr, Ohio State Parks, Regional Manager Cowan Lake Region
* Jim Henehan, Ohio State Parks, Manager Community Partnerships Program
* Gus Smithhisler, ODNR, Division of Engineering
* Alan Ferguson, Ohio State Parks, Park Manager for Little Miami State Park

At the Public Meeting, FLMSP president Simeon Copple was very clear about both our accomplishments and our goals. On Monday May 4 we had a follow-up meeting with representatives from Ohio State Parks and on Thursday May 21 we were informed that:

* Ohio State Parks has secured a contractor to pave 11 of the 15 bridges for $22,150.
* ODNR and Ohio State Parks have committed $18,160 in funding for this project --- if FLMSP provides the remaining $3,990. With only $3,600 in the bank, this means that FLMSP has an immediate need to raise $390.

However, the FLMSP Board is of the opinion that we should set our fundraising target at $7,000 for the reasons below:

* Remediate (i.e. smooth out) the 20 "patches" south of Morrow by using infrared technology to reheat the "patches" and then rework/reroll them --- $3,423.
* Replace rotten boards on the Lake Remington (mile marker 46.0), Bear Run at Foster (mile marker 38.0), and Spring Valley (mile marker 6.0) bridges --- $1,427.
* Anticipate future expenses for trail signage, pipe-safe locks, Adopt-a-Trail equipment and hand tools, etc. --- $2,150.

As an organization, we've come very far in a short period of time and we have before us a very real opportunity to make a significant contribution to the safety of the Little Miami State Park. No one wants to hear of anyone else air-lifted from the trail or taken away in an ambulance.

Therefore, our objective is to raise $7,000 in the next 30 days. How can you help?

* Become a member, e.g. individual, family, association, or corporation.
* Make an outright gift in cash, check, or credit card.
* Make a pledge of "x" dollars for "y" period of time, e.g. $100 a month for 3 months, $100 a quarter for four quarters.
* Introduce FLMSP to any decision makers within any benevolent organizations, foundations, clubs, etc.
* Publicize our appeal to all media outlets that you know of.
* Express your thanks directly to Alan Ferguson, Manager Little Miami State Park Alan.Ferguson@dnr.state.oh.us.

If you want to introduce any new people to our organization, please forward this e-mail to them and direct them to our web site www.FLMSP.org --- which will be THE place to get updated information as this project progresses. As for making a donation, simply go to www.FLMSP.org and make an online Mastercard or Visa donation.

We believe the cause is right. We've worked hard to make sure the price is right. And there's power in numbers --- if each of the 282 people on our email list gave just $25, we'd raise $7,050. We hope you agree and can find a way to help.

If our fundraising efforts are successful, we've been assured the work will be completed by the July 4th weekend.

Sincerely,

Steve Murphy
Vice President
Friends of the Little Miami State Park
vicepresident@flmsp.org