to everyone in the gorge

Guest · Mon Jun 06, 05 11:31 pm

hey mike,

decent points----but easily disputed

1. there was no fee at the event site until after the improvements were done, e.g. grass, a flushable toilet, running water, paved parking lot(instead of the sharp gravel you guys put down, that i see people hobbling on everyday) not to mention trees(you cut the only two that we had)

2. there are at least 6 schools that use the spit. you said one school asked for the upgrade. did you even bother to ask the other 5 what they thought. NO!!! as a matter of fact, the one school that liked the upgrade, isn't even at the spit. his operation is from the marina, so what does he care!! and you say that there are no organizations that you can discuss things with. what about those 5 other schools. what about holding a meeting with the kiters in the community to ask what we think could be done.

3. the land that the port donated to the city---- the port is going to take it back if the city doesn't raise a certain amount of money for the park by a certain date.( i believe 7 yrs)

4. the only improvements that were made that are worth a damn to any kiter is the path way down to the spit. me and a couple of friends could have shoveled all that sand in a couple of days.
the road is an improvement but the parking situation is absurd.
the port sees the road getting torn up and wonders how that happens??---!!!!there must be a lot of people using it!!!we better get something out of this!!! let's go bull doze the place, throw down some gravel , and charge a fee!!!!!

5. we pay the same amount a year (50$) as the people using the event site!!!!!!!!!!

6. we(the kiters) are lucky if the port a pot gets emptied before it is literaly to the rim. (i've had to hover to put the peanut toppings on that chocolate ice cream cone more than once)

7. in the HR news, doke said something to the effect that they were doing improvements to help curb the anything goes, wild west attitude at the spit.
the port is the one with the attitude,
the city has told them that they can not charge a fee, yet the port still is down there charging.

8. what about the fact that the HR bridge(which the port owns a nd operates, was supposed to be free after it was payed off, yet the port plans to raise the toll to $1, even though they currently take in approx. $2,000,000 a year in bridge tolls.

9. you are isolating kiteboarders,
how many people do you think stop in hood river while drivig down I-84 just because they see all these colorful kites floating thru the sky.
i'll bet it is more than you think
not to mention if they head down to the spit to check it out, only to find that they have to pay a fee just to park and look,
thes people are also potential customers for the kite schools,
next they find out they can watch for free at the marina, where a certain kite school that was in favor of the spit improvements, and the fee; has their shop set up. i can sure see why he is in favor, since he nor his students have to pay.

why should we have to pay for one of the most under developed sites on the property? because there are a lot of us, and our numbers are rapidly increasing, the port sees that they need to capitilize on this.
no one pays to use the beach at the marina
no one pays to use the property at the hook

doke said " if he were a kiteboarder, blah blah blah"
guess what!!! he isn't, that is why he doesn't understand the frusration.

all him and the port see are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$( he's a marketing guy, would you expect any thing different)

i gotta go
the more i think about it the more pissed off i am

Guest · Tue Jun 07, 05 1:16 am

Sorry Mike, Im callin bs on that one buddy Laughing

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