[SJAAboard] Draft letter to the pols

[Rob Hawley]

Dear xxx						6/24/08

I am writing to introduce you to the San Jose Astronomical Association.  We are
one of the users of Houge Park which has been designated a reuse site by the
April council vote. We notified PRN that we intend to respond to their RFP.

SJAA is a 501(c)(3) that offers Telescope Viewing (aka "Star Parties"),
Beginner's Classes, and lectures from leading experts in astronomy to the
general public for Free.  Our organization has been around for 54 years. We have
been based at Houge Park since 1992.  

Houge is a unique and difficult to replace site.  Since looking at the sky is
our primary activity our events occur after dark (9:30 PM to midnight this time
of year).  Houge is located far from light sources such as shopping malls.  The
park lights allow us to darken the area we use, but keep lighting in the rest of
the park.  This allows us to show the public a remarkable number of astronomical
objects even though we are located in the city limits. Many people from the
local community are able to walk to our events.

During our Telescope Viewing volunteers bring their scopes and allow the public
to look through them.  Public attendance at sessions varies, but is typically
around 50 non-members on a clear summer night.  It has approached 200 whenever a
comet, Mars, or other event is in the news! Many organized groups such as cub
scouts and community groups are frequent visitors.  One of the local colleges
sends their students to us as a lab exercise to support their class work.

SJAA is entirely autonomous.  We conduct all of our events without city
personnel.  We carry our own liability insurance and indemnify the city. All we
need from the city is continued access to Houge Building 1.

We hope the city will design the Reuse process so that we can continue to serve
the public without interruption.  

Thank you for your time and you are always welcome to come to Houge. We will be
happy to show you the sky.  We publish our schedule on our website listed above.
Do note we are subject to weather cancellations if the sky is not clear.




Rob Hawley
President, SJAA

Rob Hawley