We are writing because of the overstated comments in regards to the proposal for the Redmond Bike Park.

This 2.51-acre site has an area approximately 0.7 acres on the west edge that has been used by cyclists since 1990. According to the proposed 2.51-acre project by the Redmond Parks and Recreation Department, the affected area would be 0.7 acres. This is not six times larger, as stated in the letter to the editor in last week’s Redmond Reporter.

Another incorrect statement said that the city would remove “hundreds of trees,” yet according to the project plans, more than 80 percent of the site’s significant trees will be retained. The entire project has been designed in keeping with the landscape and concern for the Redmond community and the neighborhood of Education Hill.

As a neighborhood family that has been involved with this project since the beginning, we applaud the Redmond Parks and Recreation department for listening to all sides.

In the initial stages of this project in 2009, the city took the time to listen to families and kids of all ages in order to give users stewardship of this site, so that it would continue to serve the Education Hill neighborhood that generated the demand for this use.

The hearing examiner, after a through public hearing process, determined in favor of the park and we would encourage those interested to read the hearing examiner’s findings.

We are in favor of supporting the city’s overall plan for “a parks system that provides a variety of active and passive recreational opportunities”. On May 8, the City Council will address this issue, please show your support for the bike park by attending this meeting.

Jerry Smith, Kim Cashon-Smith, Redmond