City Park Friends And Neighbors (CPFAN.org) weighs in on CHIVE FEST

This letter was sent to Mayor Michael Hancock today to protest large events in City Park, in particular the upcoming Chive Fest. Dear Mayor Hancock, Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read my letter.  I am a VOTER and  the President of City Park Friends And Neighbors (CPFAN.org) a relatively new Recognized Neighborhood Organization (RNO) that was born out of the successful StopCityLoop (StopCityLoop.org) effort, by hundreds of neighborhood VOTERS.  CPFAN's Mission Statement is:  “Actively Protect the Classical Pastoral Character of City Park." We would like to convey to you, as VOTERS, our opposition to large, festivals  being held in City Park, in general, and theChivefest.com in particular. The for profit Chivefest promoters (NOT VOTERS) expect to sell 7500 tickets to the event ranging in price from $70 - $285 and young revelers will be able to buy and guzzle beer, wine and hard liquor during the entire event that is scheduled to run from Noon - 10PM on August 16, 2014.  The promised entertainment  includes two band stands performing at all times with eight different bands ( definitely NOT family fare)  with "sonic sound" blasting neighborhood VOTERS and Zoo Animals. The out of town promoters ( NOT VOTERS) have  also  promised fireworks, blimps and Chive Girls. Take a look at the Chivefest video and you can see a Chive Girl "strutting her stuff" for the camera. Doesn't this smack of offensive sexism and exploitation of women even if they are donating a tiny part of their profits to charity? Hasn't the city of Denver moved beyond this kind of cheap commercial exploitation?   Of course, the promoters will by hawking their "souvenirs" and they promise to light up the night sky with enough little  "green lights" that the event will be visible from "outer space."  I'm sure many of those little green lights will end up in the neighborhood VOTERS front yards and as litter in the park. The damage to the park sod from setting up a big event like this is devastating to see for those of us who love our historic, Olmsted Park. To any reasonable, adult VOTER, this does not sound like the kind of event that would be welcomed into a neighborhood park that caters to families and is already host to two major regional attractions. You might think of City Park as a Regional Park we think of it as our Neighborhood Park. How are parents who VOTE, and who  bring their children to the park supposed to explain the lewd dress, language and behavior of Chive entertainers and revelers  when their "music" is blasting all over the Park and surrounding neighborhoods? We do NOT want to become another lower downtown when the "bars let out." That brings me to another point: the lack of parking. No additional off site parking or transportation arrangements have been made for this event. Your  administration has demonstrated a callous disregard for the thousands of VOTERS who live in the neighborhoods around City Park. Even your plans for City Loop included NO additional parking arrangements, even though it was touted  as a new regional attraction that would draw thousands of new visitors to City Park each week. Have you noticed the signs in front of the Zoo lately, "Parking Lots Full, Try City Park." Your too small Zoo has outgrown it's home and it's parking lots, as has the Museum, and they suggest that people encroach on our , the VOTER'S neighborhood park, as "parking overflow." Lacking any creative solutions I am sure those two institutions will soon be back at Laurie Dannemillers desk requesting new bequeaths of City Park land for a parking structure. CPFAN and VOTERS will resist those attempts. Loud noise that will cause untold amounts of unhealthy stress for all VOTERS who live within a mile of the Chivefest (and the unfortunate Zoo Animals)  dirt, trash, drunken, peeing , puking revelers, no parking, all point to UNHAPPY VOTERS for the upcoming election. I don't know if you have noticed but you have offended and angered thousands of VOTERS at the precinct level all over Denver. We aren't going to be in Denver for just one event. We live and work here. WE VOTE and we will remember Chivefest and any other inappropriate "festivals" that are visited on our beloved, historic, City Park, come election time. We suggest that you take pity on the neighbors who VOTE and the 3900+ Captive Zoo Animals who can not escape  the mayhem that will be created in City Park with  Chivefest, and any other large events, and move them out and far away from our overworked, overused City Park, to an appropriate Festival venue . You must take into account the hundreds of scientific studies that document the ill effects of loud, man made noise and vibrations on captive zoo animals, and their legal rights. It's inhumane to subject innocent, wild animals to the kind of noise and vibration that will emanate from Chivefest , including the "animals" who live and work in Denver and who VOTE. We hope that the Zoo administration has the political will to speak up on behalf of its charges. What happened to the SEAP process? We are acutely interested in having a say in event planning BEFORE permits are issued by DPR. We VOTE and we will remember. We need a Mayor who cares about the VOTERS. Thank you for your consideration. Warmest regards, Louis Plachowski President, CPFAN 720.432.8099 Lplachowski@gmail.com CPFAN.org