20 MAR 2004: Bill to help Kansas river trails needs YOUR help

[ADVOCACY ALERT UPDATE, 25 MARCH 2004: The Steineger Amendment, discussed in the Advocacy Alert below, was brought to a vote before the Kansas Senate but failed to achieve a majority. At this time, please do not write your Senators asking them to support this amendment--it is now too late for that. But it certainly would be appropriate to write, express your disappointment that the amendment did not pass, and ask the Senator to support levee trails and river access in general.]

Below is information needed to take action on the problems that have been blocking river/levee trails on the Kansas side of the Kansas City area. Please take a few moments to call/email THIS WEEK (March 21st-26th, 2004).

JCBC URGENT ADVOCACY ALERT: KCK LEVEE TRAILS

I have provided all I know about this fast rising issue for your use. I have
provided contact information and what to say or email to make it as easy as
possible for you to take action on your behalf. But I cannot be a citizen for
you. YOU have to do that for yourself. So, PLEASE take action as a bicyclist
and as citizen to help make all Kansas City a better place to live.

ISSUE: Kansas City, KS, State Senator Chris Steineger has introduced an
amendment to HB 2793, which would allow the Unified Government of Wyandotte County
& Kansas City, KS, to obtain an easement to construction and maintain public
recreational trails within the levee systems in Wyandotte County. Sounds
simple enough since levee districts across the region (i.e., Lawrence, Manhattan,
Salina, Wichita, Riverside and Kansas City, MO) and across the country (i.e.,
St. Louis, Omaha, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, New Orleans, the list goes on
and on) have been allowing and building recreation trails on levees for years.
However, the Kansas City, KS, levee district has rejected any and all efforts
to cooperate and has refused all requests from Mayor Marinovich, the Unified
Government, the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) and Heritage Riverfront
Trail advocates.

BACKGROUND: Why are levee trails important to the future of Kansas City
Metro? They are a vital component of MARC's MetroGreen system. Levee trails are
proposed along the Kansas River to connect Bonner Springs with Kansas City,
MO, and all points in between. Levee trails are proposed on both sides of the
river and will cross the river in several locations. Levee trails will bring
people to the rivers. Kansas City metro is a "river city, yet hardly any of
our rivers are accessible. Levee trails are successfully built in unison with
industrial uses throughout the country through good design and thoughtful
consideration of all property owners concerns. Levee trails are something
virtually every major city has figured out how to do. But in KCK, the levee district
stands in the way of such progress and opportunity.

STATUS: Thus, after all other efforts to negotiate levee trail access in
good faith have failed, Senator Steineger had no recourse but to legislate
access. However, the KCK Levee district has fought the amendment through
exaggerations and fear tactics. They are using the old argument trails will bring
crime, which has been proven wrong on virtually ever trail in the country. As
trail users we have been accused of being everything from criminals to terrorists
as the levee district plays on the fear of today's global climate. The
hearing for the Steineger amendment to HB 2793 was held on Thursday, March 18, in
Topeka. Because of the fear tactics the levee district has employed, the
amendment to allow levee trails in KCK has stalled in senate subcommittee. All
bills must be passed out of the Senate by March 27, 2004, NEXT SATURDAY!!

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: We need YOU to do at least one and preferable FOUR
THINGS IMMEDIATELY to get the amendment moving and levee trails built

1.) Call Senator Barbara Allen (Overland Park) this weekend or early in the
week and explain your position (See Contact Info and Talking Points below).
Sen. Allen is the Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Local Governments and
Elections and critical to the process. Follow your call with an email. There is
no time for snail mail.
2.) Similarly, call the three other local committee member senators and then
email the other committee members. If you call them follow up with an email
to them (See Contact Info below).
3.) Call your senator, if he or she is not on the subcommittee and follow up
with an email. (See link below to State Senators to find your senator's
contact information. All Kansas City area KS senators are listed below.)
4.) Let me know whom you were able to contact. If you call the senators, a
simple email or phone message would be fine. If you email, just add me to your
CC list. This helps us in documenting the support for levee trails when it
is debated on the floor.

In all emails, reference the "Steineger amendment to HB 2793" in the subject
line.

Call or email me if you have any questions and to follow up with your
contact:

Dale Crawford, JCBC Advocacy Chair Home - (913) 829-6588
advocacy@jcbikeclub.org Work - (913) 971-6659
Cell - (913) 207-3545

CONTACT INFO:

Kansas Senate Subcommittee on Local Governments and Elections:

Senator Dist. Home Phone Topeka Phone Email Address
City
Barbara Allen* 8 (913)648-2704 (785)296-7353 allen@senate.state.ks.us
Overland Park
Mark Gilstrap* 5 (913)334-1247 (785)296-7357
gilstrap@senate.state.ks.us Kansas City
Kay O'Connor* 9 (913)764-7935 (785)296-7382
oconnor@senate.state.ks.us Olathe
Mark Buhler 2 (785)841-0481 (785)296-7364 gilstrap@senate.state.ks.us
Lawrence
David Jackson 18 (785)357-6538 (785)296-7365
jackson@senate.state.ks.us Topeka
Donald Beets 29 (316)685-6673 (785)296-3787 beets@senate.state.ks.us
Wichita
Stan Clark 40 (785)672-4280 (785)296-7399 clark@senate.state.ks.us
Oakley
Tim Huelskamp 38 (620)646-5413 (785)296-7359
huelskamp@senate.state.ks.us Fowler
Derek Schmidt 15 (620)331-3728 (785)296-7398
schmidt@senate.state.ks.us Independence

* - Local phone call from Kansas City metro area.

You can find who your state senator is at this link:
http://www.ku.edu/pri/ksdata/vote/
Simply fill in the address as directed and click "Get Info"

SAMPLE EMAIL OR TALKING POINTS:

The following can be used for talking points or email when contacting the
subcommittee senators. I have listed the contact information for the committee.
I urge you to take the few minutes and make the phone call, if at all
possible. Senators are deluged with email. A personal contact is much more
effective. And yes they take calls at home. If you email, it's critical you add your
name, address and phone number to the email. Otherwise, it's disregarded.

Dear Senator;

I respectfully ask your support for Senator Chris Steineger's (Kansas City)
amendment to HB 2793 to allow easements for public trails within the levee
districts in the City of Kansas City and Wyandotte County. This section of trail
is a critical component in the Greater Kansas City area MetroGreen trail system
and a section of the developing Heritage Riverfront Trail linking Kansas
City, KS to Kansas City, MO. As a bicyclists and trail user, I ask for your help
in assisting Sen. Steineger's efforts to provide a quality trail system for his
district's residents by supporting his amendment to HB 2793 for the following
reasons:

1.) Kansas Citians have little to no access to the rivers their city was
founded on and that are woven into our history. Levee trails will bring people
back to this resource so they may rediscover their history, admire their beauty
and develop an appreciation for the role, both economically and
environmentally, the rivers will continue to play in Kansas City's future.
2.) Levee trails have been successful in many other cities in Kansas, in the
Midwest and across the country. They can be successful here if the levee
district would just cooperate. Just some of those cities are: Lawrence,
Manhattan, Salina and Wichita, KS, Omaha, NE, St. Louis, MO, Minneapolis MN, Denver,
CO, and New Orleans, LA. Most of these trails compatibly share levees with
industrial uses of all kinds. If they can do it, why can't we? One answer. The
KCK levee district.
3.) Trail users are law-abiding citizens that take pride in their trails and
are vigilant in their safe and lawful use. Because of the presence by these
law-abiding citizens, criminals or others of their kind avoid trails.
Additional, because no vehicles are allowed on levee trails, except for authorized
vehicles, there is not "quick escape" for criminals or others of their kind.
4.) The KCK and Wyandotte County levees are integral components of
MetroGreen, a metropolitan-wide system of interconnected trails for bicyclists and
pedestrians. The levees offer unique opportunities to bring communities together;
connecting people to places and jobs while providing opportunities for
expanded tourism and businesses.

Please do not let the future of levee trails in Kansas City be held hostage
to fear tactics, stubborn attitudes and antiquated philosophies proven wrong
many times across the Kansas and the US. Its time for the KCK levee district to
realize it's the 21st Century. American's way of life is changing and so
must they. I respectfully ask your support of Senator Chris Steineger's
amendment to HB 2793 allowing easements for public recreation trails in Kansas City
and Wyandotte County.