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Councilmember Broden explained that tonight's meeting is the commission's opportunity to get <br />baseline facts out to the public. Councilmember Broden outlined the evening's agenda, and <br />announced that there would be 25 minutes for public comment at the end of the meeting. <br />Councilmember White recognized Council President Tim Scott, Councilmember Regina <br />Williams Preston, and Council Member John Voorde who were in attendance. <br />Councilmember White discussed the duties and responsibilities of the commission as stated in <br />Resolution # 1608 which is on file in the Office of the City Clerk. <br />Councilmember White introduced Mayor Peter Buttigieg. <br />Mayor Buttigieg stated that his address and the administration as a whole is focused on our <br />fundamental mission, which is to deliver services to empower everyone to thrive, and the <br />services offered by way of Parks and Recreation are there for that reason. A great Parks and <br />Recreation system empowers the residents of this community to thrive. Parks are important <br />because they are the entity that families of every economic background in the community can <br />enjoy. When we think about parks overall, we think about the number of resources and benefit <br />they provide for the community. <br />The administration is determined that we will leave the Parks and Recreation assets of this <br />community better than we found it. When it comes to Elbel, while no decision has been made, <br />and clearly much will depend on the findings and recommendations of this body, there are some <br />guideposts that I want to lay down. <br />Whatever we do needs to balance the following four goals: <br />The first is to maintain golf at Elbel at least in the short to medium term. It is a terrific facility <br />and it means a lot to the golf community here. It is certainly clear that this is an asset and <br />resource that we as a community would like to see continue to be used for that purpose. <br />The ecological distinctiveness of the assets and the lands that are adjacent to it, while not all of <br />them are encompassed by the city property of Elbel, they are all important to the community and <br />to the ecology. <br />Third is public access. There is an enthusiastic constituency for Elbel because people have taken <br />advantage of this given its unique ability to provide access to enjoy and make use of those <br />ecological riches that are adjacent to it, particularly in Mud Lake. <br />Fourth is to reduce the strain on city funds. I do not expect this asset or other Parks and <br />Recreation assets to be profitable. That's not what they're there for. Although it is true in many <br />cases that through partnerships or changes in structure, we've been able to take property that has <br />been in that subsidy and receiver of funds and make it net neutral. But we must find something <br />that balances all four interests. <br />14 <br />