TLP needs us!

Hi, wonderful WMAS people!

I found out something interesting when I went to the
grand opening of The Living Planet. For those of you who are unaware,
TLP is an attempt by Brent Anderson and others to get a large
public aquarium in Utah. It's master plan is very impressive, with a
gazillon gallons of display tanks filled with salt and fresh water life
forms! Sharks and trout and crawlycreepy thing and gorgeous angels
and butterflies and stingrays and octopi and seahorses!!! The TLP staff
have been doing fund raisers and bugging rich guys and getting the
word out to the public that this is something that we could have,
here in Utah!

I think, with our young population, this would be awesome! When
my kids were small, I think it would have been cool to expose them
to this sort of educational-but-cool experience. The whole city could
be exposed to a reef ecosystem, maybe taking away the idea of ocean
conservative.

Anyway, fund raising has raised a lot of moola! But, the cost of a
bazillon gallon public aquarium is beyond that. So, we are going to
have a bond election.....

   Thats what I thought!

Turns out, it isn't even on the ballot! We aren't deciding if
we want to pay $7 a year per family for something super
cool, the city council is!

So, I met Mr Anderson at the grand opening and learned
this interesting fact....

Heres our email:


From: "Brent Andersen" <[email protected]>
Date: Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:47:29 PM US/Mountain
To: "Robert Applegarth" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Hi, Mr A!

Hi Suzy...sorry about the delay getting back to you. I am
hardly in my office anymore! That would be Great!!!
Randy does need to hear from his constituents, as does
Jim Bradley, although I think they are favorable to our
efforts. Mike Jensen and Marv Hendrickson are the others
who really need to hear from the people as well. They are
fair and open-minded and just need your feedback (and
as many people as you can recruit to call them too).
Anyway, I have the info for the County Council members.
IF we can get as many people as possible to let the
council members know that you, as a voter, want the
chance to vote on the aquarium and want the members to
place
us on this November's ballot. Pass this along to as many
people as you can.
Thank you!!! Call me soon about the seahorses.
Brent
320-9957

Salt Lake County Council/Mayor: 801-468-2500
David Wilde [email protected]
Jim Bradley [email protected]
Joe Hatch [email protected]
Russell Skousen [email protected]
Marv Hendrickson [email protected]
Michael Jensen [email protected]
Randy Horiuchi [email protected]
Steve Harmsen [email protected]
Nancy Workman [email protected]
Cortland Ashton [email protected]



The Living Planet Aquarium has asked the County Council
members to include us on this November's ballot to
request voter support in building the 90,000 sq. ft. Living
Planet Aquarium just down the
street from our Preview Exhibit, at 400 South & 500 West.
Voters would be asked if they are willing to raise their
property tax about
$7 per year to fund $30 million of the $42 million
remaining to build the Aquarium. The Aquarium will
match it with $12 million. Then, we could begin building
our much bigger home (NINE times as big as the
Aquarium Experience Preview Exhibit) and include even
more exhibits and animals.
Please call your County Council Members and tell them
you want the Aquarium on the November ballot so you
can have a chance to vote!
Brent Andersen
President and Founder



-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Applegarth [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2004 10:10 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Hi, Mr A!

It was so nice to meet you at your new aquarium! I'm not
sure if you
remember me, but I am the crazy blonde seahorse lady
you met from the WMAS.
If you could return this to me with the names and contact
info for the city council member you want pestered, I can
be the head cheerleader of the Randy Horiuchi needs-to-
be-pestered club!

   Suzy Applegarth
WMAS Historian
AKA Crazy Seahorse Lady

David Wilde

Jim Bradley

Joe Hatch

Russell Skousen

Marv Hendrickson

Michael Jensen

Randy Horiuchi

Steve Harmsen

Nancy Workman

Cortland Ashton

Ok, there it is! Just some cutting and pasting and the whole bunch
o' people-who-get-to-decide-what-we-get-to-vote-on will know
what we want to vote on! Can you take a second to let 'em know
how you feel? (Unless, you don't want a public aquarium. Then, feel
free to ignore me....)

I find it difficult to vote for any tax increase as it's usually next to impossible to ever lower it again, however there are obviously things worth paying for.  Though this is a tough one, I definitely think it should at least go to the ballet for the people who actually pay the taxes to decide.

With that said, I don't live in Salt Lake county, so I think everyone should vote for it so I can dive down and enjoy all your hard work.

I fully agree with you Suzy, If I lived in Salt Lake county I'd be emailing and calling the council to put it on the ballet.  I would gladdy pay $7 a year for a nice aquarium, but I love fish.  I'm sure there are some people who don't like fish and would rather have their $7.  That's why the best thing to do is get it on the ballet and let the people decide.

As a Utah Countyite I have supported this cause through the purchase of a memebership and an e-mail to the city counsel person's above.  Their knowledge of outside support will be recognized.  Especially from individuals willing to support this venture through volunteerism and membership.

Jody Oliverson

Thanks, Jon!

Little side note tidbit about our city council:

    Robs brother is on the city council, recently elected so we got a
line on inside info!

Our city council decided to build this really cool road in the middle
of town. The idea was, if we have this cool road, big time tax base
groups would move in and pay us lots of moola. So, the council
decided, that it would be in the best interest of our community to
build this road. It cost $4 million. We didn't get to vote. They
decided this. I think one of the dudes on the council was involved in
the winning contract. Anyway, it turns out Riverton doesn't have a
stash of moola laying around, so they got a bond, thinking it would
be a good invest because Walmart or Home Depot could live happily
here. And, Walmart and Home Depot are coming out by us! Down
the street from the $4 million dollar road!! They wanted to be closer
to Bangerter Highway ( a state road, btw). And, no restaurant wants
to move in because our city council members don't drink, and they
think no one else should either, and all the larger restaurant chains
serve margaritas.....So, this very pricey road has sat empty for quite
a while now.

But, it is a cool road. It's got a turn about at the end so we can feel
European! I went on this road once, just to try it out. It kinda goes
no where, though except into the hood. If the construction bites, it's
a short cut home. When 126th is done, this road will be totally
empty....

You'd think for $4 million dollars, we'd have gotten sidewalks!!

Anyway, point is: A group of people will decide this and many other
issues. We have a chance to express our opinions if it is on the
ballot. If you are for or against spending our property taxes for this,
it won't matter if you don't get to vote! They will decide how to
spend your money, anyway.

And, I'm not sure if that is a good thing......Maybe I'll drive down
our $4 million dollar road....Then, it only cost $2 million for each
trip I made on it!!

Right on! Thanks, Jared!!

I've heard back from the office of the Mayor!! Here's a cut n paste
version of what she said!! :


Dear Suzy-

I was pleased to receive your recent email and to hear of your
interest in the Living Planet Aquarium. I share your enthusiasm for
the aquarium and wanted to let you know that we are working very
hard to make the aquarium a success. The Salt Lake County Council
is currently reviewing the feasibility of including a bond initiative for
the Living Planet Aquarium in the November general election. I
would advise you to express your support for the aquarium to the
County Council as well to the members of your community. We can
all work together to bring about change for the best. Thank you
again for your thoughtful comments-

Regards-

Mayor Nancy Workman



Pretty Cool, huh?

HEY!! I can have thoughts just a good as the next blonde!!!!

I'm all for TLP.  As far as I'm concerened it would be a much better place to spend time and money that some of those artsy-fartsy things around the valley that our tax money pays for.

However, more than anything I'm for the voters deciding on the issue.  I think the votors should decide on many more issues since those we elect seem to do such a crappy job of it sometimes.  The media made a big deal out of the several hundred dollars paid to several government officials as reimbursement for travel, but what I want to know is why should the voters pay for them all to have new SUV's every year.  They should drive the kind of cars we drive, like Chevy Cavaliers or something.

Anyway, that rant had little to do with the subject matter at hand... If the voters vote "NO" I can live with that, but if the voters aren't given the chance to vote something went wrong.

Summertop, I agree, not every issue should be decided by the people.  We'd never get anywhere that way.  Things take long enough with the system we have.

Someone should also bring up the fact that our vote for President doesn't even count.  So, who votes for the people who vote for us?  I don't remember ever voting for them either.

Well, hopefully we'll get to vote on TLP anyway.