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The cons of a lease is there is no reinvesting of the money received for the sale of the park and the City still owns land outside of the city limits. The City has tried to examine what the best path forward would be. The City suggests the best path forward would be a lease of the land after hearing from the public. In response to some suggestions by the public that the process has been condensed, Mr. Zeeb went through the process since its beginning in May of 2015. Mr. Zeeb apologized for the delay at the beginning of the meeting and for the technical issues, he would have liked to have a little more time to get into some more of the specifics of the sale and lease options. He stated the City wants to hear from the public, which is why the Council scheduled this meeting. Committee and Council members decided to wait on their questions to allow the public the first opportunity to speak and ask questions. Those wishing to speak in support of the bill: Kevin Patterson, 1720 Belmont Ave, stated he has been a taxpayer for thirty five (35) years and a golfer since 1980. He stated he doesn't want to see Elbel sold but he certainly doesn't want to see it turned into something other than a golf course. He read the thirty five (35) page presentation by the group in opposition to the sale and thinks they have a lot of good points. He stated that since Elbel is so close to breaking even, with a little work on the City's part Elbel could make money again. The only problem is it has not been budgeted properly or managed properly. He stated there has not been a lot of clarity on how expense and other money is allocated during the capital investments portion. He stated we have a good amount of nature preserves already and that Elbel run properly could be very well- attended and make money. He stated the past management of Elbel had people turned away from the course and it would be a sad day to see it as a nature preserve. He stated if the city can't maintain it sell it as a golf course but he thinks they could make the course profitable. Those wishing to speak in opposition to the bill: Kristi Haas, 3808 Clidesdale Dr. Apt. 3b South Bend, wanted to thank Mr. Zeeb for his desire to hear from the public. To follow up on Mr. Patterson's comment, it does seem a fee change could help this matter which is what the Park Board did approve last year. She stated no argument has been made that the sale of this park does not solve any budget issues. She introduced Elbel for Everyone who have come in large numbers who are insisting on a public and transparent process that draws on multiple fields of expertise and accounts for the varied public interests on what to do with Elbel Park. She stated she looks forward to hearing from everyone else today who are here for Elbel. She stated that Elbel for Everyone's ecological preservation helps the entire community and not just a small subset. She stated the public sees different kinds of value in Elbel that is not just monetary including ecological benefits, education, and the well documented mental and physical benefits green space provides to residents. 3