[Elfsea] New Park - needed or not

[Paul or Galen]

On Wednesday, November 14, 2001, at 09:52 AM, Marsh, Vicki wrote:

> Xene here:
>
> Okay, I haven't waded into this properly, but since Eleanor seems to be
> jumping up and down, shouting about it (in an e-mail sort of way),
> I will do so now.
>
> First of all,  calm down.  We do not need for this to disrupt the
> Barony or
> harm friendships - thank you, Earl Drake for pointing this out, even
> as I
> was writing this letter.

I don't think there's any danger of disrupting the barony; everyone
seems to have shown appropriate courtesy -- and passion, this is an
important topic -- and I haven't noticed anyone saying they'd refuse to
attend practice at any given location.

> Secondly, we need to determine if we really have sufficient reason to
> move
> fighter practice.  I still haven't seen that proven.

I believe the barony was satisfied as to that at October Moot.  I
announced on-line that we'd be discussing the possibility of moving
fighter practice at that meeting.  Earl Drake presented a list of
reasons to leave Randol Mill, and also reasons to seek a better place.
He listed those again in a recent post.  The overwhelming consensus was
to find a new place.  The decision of just where to move to was
postponed to November Moot, which (unless I'm mistaken) will be November
26th, the Monday following Thanksgiving, and not this next Monday, as
someone previously mentioned.

> Thirdly, if we really do need to move fighter practice, the best way
> would
> be to have try-out practices at the different parks - one park a month
> for
> the top three or four picks.

I disagree, because I think that would simply be too confusing.  Part of
our goal is to increase attendance at practice, and I fear we'd be
spread across three or four parks by April if we tried to switch monthly.

> Now, that won't let us know what kind of people will be there all
> during the
> year, or what the traffic will be like around Trinity Park during the
> major
> festivals, but it will give everyone a chance to decide for themselves.

Well, the opportunity to decide for ourselves is the purpose of this
thread.  We're asking people to take a little side trip in the coming
week and a half and see what they do or don't like about the sites under
discussion.

> And lastly, if we do choose to move to another park on the basis of
> wanting
> archery, then I want to have the permission to commit archery in a
> public
> park IN WRITING from the proper government official - and it needs to be
> kept in the Seneschal's and Marshallate files.  Hearing it from another
> SCA'er is just wishful thinking.

This seems like a very good idea, but archery alone won't decide this
question.

> My personal opinions, for whatever they are worth, are that if we don't
> prove the need to move, then we shouldn't.  Why fix what isn't broken?

I believe the need has been proved to the satisfaction of the barony.

> In
> over 20 years of working in the SCA, most of the people who join and
> *stay*
> are invited in by friends and co-workers.  Period.  I've been the
> hospitaller and officer and I *know* what I am saying.  Demos at large
> target events also bring in people - like the Irish festival and Texas
> Renaissance Fair.  Fighter practices don't usually bring them in.

In Austin, when fighter practice was at Waterloo Park in the city
center, we recruited people, as I recall.  It was when practice was
moved to more out-of-the-way venues that no one joined Bryn Gwlad having
discovered it at fighter practice.

> If there really is a need to move the fighter practice, then I would
> want to
> see each of the parks with a large practice there and evaluate the
> conditions present *at the time of the practice*.

I don't believe it's practical to move practice for only a month.  I
think too many people would only get the word by the time we move on to
the next candidate park.  I feel we need, as a barony, to make a good
decision, and stick with it for a good length of time.

> I am in agreement with Arabella, in that I don't like the idea of
> Trinity
> Park, because of our trip to the Zoo last year.  I did not feel safe
> there.
> Even with big sticks, I don't think it's a safe place for our
> children.  I
> am concerned over parking and traffic problems in the park, especially
> when
> there are large events that *will* be happening on Sundays.  I also
> used to
> work next door to Trinity Park with Azalais, and watched the Park daily
> from
> my office windows.  During the week, it got *real* wierd there.
> Perhaps we
> should also check with the Police Departments (I'm sure we have someone
> with
> friends on the different forces) and discuss the crime rate and problems
> with each park.  During the summer, the humidity and mosquitoes are
> pretty
> tough next to the River.

Some of these concerns are the same reasons we're leaving Randol Mill.
Can any of Trinity Park's advocates answer these?

> His Excellency, Don Llywelyn, has told me that he likes Bedford Boys
> Ranch,
> but I keep asking him to tell you that himself.  No matter which one is
> chosen, we will have to drive about an hour each way due to our choice
> of
> homes.

It seems that the leading candidates are Trinity Park, off I-30 and
University in Fort Worth, and Bedford Boys Ranch, just north of 183 in
Bedford.  Any others that people really like?

- Galen

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
       - C.S. Lewis
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