McHenry County Blog

A copy of the following email, sent to Crystal Lake Park District and city officials, plus the Village of Lakewood and the park police, was sent to McHenry County Blog:

Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 10:22 PM
Subject: Crystal Lake has everything to lose!

TO: Kirk Reimer, Director of Parks and Recreation
Crystal Lake Park District Board of Commissioners, c/o Dave Phelps, Treasurer
cc: Crystal Lake City Council and Mayor
cc: Village of Lakewood
cc: Park Police

SUBJECT: Gay Games proposed 1,000 Meter Rowing Event

Crystal Lake has everything to lose!

These are the facts: “Vancouver lost $84,000 in 1990, New York lost $700,000 in 1994, Amsterdam lost $1.8 million in 1998, and Sydney lost $1.1 million in 2002…"

According to the Gay Games web site 8,000 Participants are now committed to attend the 2006 Gay Games, but they expect upwards of 12,000 people from all over the world to participate. Just imagine the turmoil if even half of the expected 12,000 screaming, rowdy and party-spirited non-residents show up at Crystal Lake Park. Crystal Lake Park and lake area would be inundated with screaming, rowdy and party-spirited people, 99% of whom have no connection to our local community.

If Gay Games Ambassador, Sir Elton John, (global superstar who supports the quadrennial sport and cultural event) makes an appearance at the proposed Crystal Lake event, even more hundreds of people from all over Northern Illinois will also show up at our relative small park area at Crystal Lake. A disruptive crowd of this nature would create havoc in our park, in our streets, all around our city and throughout surrounding communities.

The clean-up costs and extra police patrols would be astronomical. Who is going to pay for all this? Crystal Lake and Lakewood taxpayers will have to foot the bills! How will the immediate and long-term fall-out affect our local patrons, our children, our elderly and our local society in general?

No past events with such massive influx of non-residents give us a measure for probable costs. We have to ask ourselves how this event would help or hurt our community. We must weigh the economic gains our merchants achieve against the cost of services to be borne by taxpayers. Is it really worth the economic risk?

One thing is certain – this event would plow new ground. City and Park leadership must not become enamored by dubious celebrity that raises expectations and elates egos of the Crystal Lake Rowing Club membership, which, after all, only represents a minute number of park users.

Stop! Think! Acceptance of the proposed event by the Park District Board of Commissioners would leave our residents to deal with the adversity and negative fall-out. Just imagine all the loud, boisterous and disruptive behavior of large, hard-to-control crowds.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allowing this event to take place will set an historical precedent that will have continuous negative affect on the future of the Crystal Lake community. I urge you not to be persuaded by a vocal minority who seek infamy for our community by allowing our local recreational facilities to be corrupted with promises of economic gain and notoriety.

Please reject this overture by the Chicago mayor to seduce local tax-payer dollars to feather the nest of the big city!

Contrary to the usual admonition, I think ‘We have everything to lose’,

/s/ Mel Ingram
547 Primrose Lane
Crystal Lake, IL 60014