Hello Fans of Palomar Mountain State Park!
Rick Barclay here, chairman of the Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park Committee. You may remember receiving an email from me a couple of weeks ago telling you about our First Year Pledge Drive to SAVE PALOMAR.
I want to share some exciting news with you. But first, let me recap where we stand.
In December, we submitted a proposal to the Department of State Parks in Sacramento with a pretty straightforward deal: If they’ll keep Palomar open, we’ll cover the deficit — or “the gap” — between revenue and operating costs to keep Palomar open. After much analysis, to do this prudently will require us to raise $60,000 per year from people like you. This target could change depending on the deal that we eventually work out with Sacramento.
Therefore — even though we’re still waiting to hear back from the Department of State Parks to see if we even have a deal — we kicked off a pledge drive to see how much financial support the park could get. If and when we do hammer out a deal with the Department of State Parks, we will want to hit the ground running.
I’m pleased to report that so far we’ve received $16,625 in pledges and donations, meaning that within a couple of weeks we’ve already reached 27.7% of our goal of $60,000 to keep Palomar open for another year. And by open I mean open year-round for day use… plus re-opening the campgrounds… plus money to fix some of the problems (deferred maintenance) that the park has had to let slide due to budget cutbacks over the past few years. To those of you who have pledged or donated, I say THANK YOU!
Now for the exciting news. We’ve received a generous matching pledge challenge from Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Wilson of Rancho Santa Fe: If we can raise $30,000 in pledges and donations, they’ll match that amount.
If successfully met, this challenge will catapult us to our First Year Goal of $60,000! In other words, if we raise just another $13,375 more in pledges or donations, we’ll meet our goal of $60,000!
Think about it: we have an opportunity to turn $13,375 into $60,000. I defy anyone to show me a better deal. Don’t let this opportunity slip through our fingers!
So, if you haven’t pledged, please do so on-line by visiting http://www.savepalomar.org. And remember, no amount is too small — “Little drops make a mighty river.”
If you have pledged already, please consider making an additional pledge at http://www.savepalomar.org.
As usual, you won’t be asked to make good on your pledge unless and until we reach an agreement with State Parks. And I’m encouraged by the fact that they are seriously considering our proposal and have asked questions without saying “no”.
Let’s not miss this fantastic opportunity offered by the Wilsons’ generous challenge. If you’ve been clamoring for a way to keep Palomar open, you should be clamoring to pledge. Time is running short, and this solution is our last remaining hope to SAVE PALOMAR.
PLEDGE NOW. And when you’re done, TELL OTHERS!
Do it NOW.
Thank you,
Rick Barclay
Chairman – Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park Committee, CRSPIA
