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Paul Blaschko, 322 E. Colfax Ave Apt. 209, stated he was disappointed in the administration's presentation today. He stated he has a lot of hope for the City of South Bend and the Mayor's administration is one of the reasons he and his wife decided to live in South Bend, and he expected more at this meeting. He noted that Elbel Park is a park that happens to have a golf course on that property. Elbel is very important to this community and that needs to be respected by the City. He stated if there is a financial case for the city to no longer support a golf course at Elbel, there are many other options that the city could look into and they have not been presented or adequately researched by the city. He stated Elbel being outside of the city limits is an asset, not a drawback of the park. He stated fifty -six (56) of the one - hundred (100) biggest cities in the U.S. have parks outside of their city limits. He stated people want to live in cities that invest in park properties and get outside of the city and make their children good stewards of our natural resources. He stated it is ridiculous to state Elbel has been losing money as a golf course and all that money has gone into golf operations, he stated there was no clarity in the numbers provided today and they are unclear. He stated there is no information to make a well thought out decision and that he is disappointed in the administration and that the administration is not taking the lead and that they are not being consistent with their own vision. Chairperson Randy Kelly wanted to make it known to the Council members not on the PARC Committee that the bill as written is for the sale of Elbel even though the administration did bring up the lease idea. Laura Fuderer, 18485 Garwood Court South Bend, is the conservation chair of the Audubon Society of South Bend and Elkhart. Their chapter has a membership of seven - hundred to eight - hundred people, and their board of directors has opposed this sale. They support the park staying as is but would prefer it being transferred into a nature preserve. They believe the sale should be delayed to explore better alternatives. She gave examples of multiple unique species of marsh birds, such as the Sora, Moorhen and Sand Hill Cranes among many others that have been found at Elbel. She provided multiple pictures of the birds who are found at Elbel. She stated Elbel is home to an endangered species the Blandings Turtle and a professional botanist found three endangered plants. Since no official environmental study has ever been done at Elbel she highly urges those matters are examined before any sale moves forward. She asked for the sake of future generations and the sake of precious wildlife please delay this sale and explore other options. S. J. Szabo, Offices on Mishawaka Ave, stated Elbel is much more than a golf course. The property is an ecological asset, it is the responsibility and duty to future generations to preserve this land. He stated the sale of the park would deprive future generations of an invaluable regional asset. There are no terms of sale that can or will protect the park for the benefit of the public. He stated if the community would lose control there is nothing the public can do to protect the lands regardless of anything the administration says. He stated you cannot have a housing development next to a conservation area, it will not work. He asked the Council to stop this sale immediately so that the PARC Committee can consider and deliberate the best course in the future for Elbel and the best interest of the public. He stated this Council needs to use their wisdom to slow down the administration and not heed to their artificial deadlines. 4