[RBS] Summary of Last week's Forum on RBS Development Plans

[Catriel Lev]

Summary of Last week's Forum on RBS Development Plans, prepared by Tova Sirkis (sirkistova at gmail.com):


Please take a few minutes to read this report of last week's very successful public forum regarding the development plans for RBS, which will have a major impact on our entire city demographically and environmentally, and note especially the final paragraph about how you can help! 
 

RBS Development Plans
Summary of Residents Forum, June 30, 2009:
 

For many years, numerous residents and environmental activists have been educating the public about the precious ecological and archeological treasures on the hills south of Beit Shemesh, known alternatively as Beit Natif, Givaot Beit Shemesh and Ramat Beit Shemesh (RBS) gimmel. Thousands of local residents and visitors have toured this unique landscape by jeep, bike, or foot during family outings or organized events.
 

The Israel National Parks Authority has spent many years working out a plan that would preserve a contiguous bloc of this open landscape as a National Park, Gan Leumi Givaot Beit Shemesh. 
 

The prospects of establishing a Gan Leumi are dimming with the increasing pressure to build, quickly, on large parts of this open landscape. Now is the time to make the Gan Leumi a reality!
 

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On June 30, 2009, the Coalition for Quality of Life in Beit Shemesh organized a Public Forum at Matnas Meyerhof on the proposed plans for RBS development. Over 100 residents, City Council members and journalists attended this meeting to hear how the current plans for developing RBS will affect the city and how the alternative plans to designate a National Park in the area will enhance the City's future and reputation.
 

The meeting, which was MC'd by David Guedalia, included several short presentations. Renee Halpert, representative of Shemesh Yehuda, the regional environmental forum, set the stage by speaking briefly about the growing gap between Beit Shemesh and other cities and regions in the country (i.e., public services, environmental action, economy and sustainable development).
 

Then, a detailed history of the plans to develop Ramat Beit Shemesh "gimmel" (and later daled and hey) and the current maps were presented thoroughly by Zvi Wolicki,  a former member of the City Council. The plans, first  approved over 10 years ago, were discussed in depth with maps.


Menachem Fried, from the Israel National Parks Authority, presented the detailed plans for the Gan Leumi. During his presentation he described some of the findings of the environmental and archeological surveys which demand that this area be well preserved. He stressed that small open spaces dispersed between developed areas cannot be maintained and cared for the same way as a contiguous bloc of land which would be the National Park. 
 

Once building of housing begins, unless there is a coherent and sustainable plan, the natural landscape, open spaces and archeological treasures will be irrevocably lost. To create the National Park, a change has to be made to the Taba. 
 

At the end of the meeting, four City Council members signed a petition to change the Taba of the area for use as a Gan Leumi before any other construction begins.
 

The meeting was covered by several local papers (Keren Or, Shopping M'komi, Tmura) and Arutz 7.
 

Thank you to the following people who took care of programming, logistics, refreshments, equipment and publicity: Debbie Buckman, Devorah Klein, Tova Sirkis, Eve Finklestein, Ephrayim Naiman, Zvi Wolicki, David Guedalia, Brenda Ganot, Renee Halpert, Shlomo Shizgal and numerous other individuals across the city. Thanks also to the Matnas and to its av bayit, Gavriel, who was a big help setting up the chairs and air conditioning.  
 

To help the Gan Leumi become a reality:

1. Join the Yahoo group set up for this purpose by sending a blank email (no subject, no body) to: change_rbs_plans-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
For more information about this Email List Group: Shlomo Shizgal: 991-0782; Email: penultimatejoker at gmail.com


2. Send letters demanding a change to the current plans to the Minister of Housing Ariel Attias and Minister of the Environment Gilad Erdan. Suggested text for such letters will be posted to the Yahoo group.


3. Contact City Council members and express your concern over the current development plans and urge them to support the establishment of the National Park according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority plans.


Thanks!
 

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