On June 6, 2003, Black Rock City LLC filed a lawsuit against the Washoe County Board of Commissioners and Washoe County, seeking to avoid penalties related to the four special use permits we were denied for the staging area on our property at Black Rock Station. We are of the opinion that the appeal to our permits is based on conjecture and misinformation. Frankly, we’re confused as to exactly why we are being denied our right to use our property in this manner.
Read the press release from Burning Man on this issue by downloading the PDF here (52k).
View a PDF version of the full appeal here (9.9mb). For more information, check out the story in the Reno Gazette-Journal’s June 9 edition.
Meanwhile, here’s how you can help:
— Come Join Us Tuesday, June 10, in Reno, NV at the Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting — We’re planning a show of strength at the next Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting, being held June 10 in Reno at 2:00 PM. Each meeting starts with an opportunity for public comment; each speaker gets three minutes to share with the Commissioners their opinions on any topic that is NOT on that night’s agenda. You don’t need to be from Washoe County or even Nevada to speak – our goal is to get as many Burners as possible there to show the Commissioners the importance of Burning Man to the financial and cultural sustainability of the area. So, grab your friends from your theme camp and carpool out to Reno. It will be a blast! If you’re planning to attend, email rae (at) burningman (dot) com so we can have an idea of the expected turnout and send out updates if we have them.
Meeting Details:
Tuesday, June 10
2:00 PM
Washoe County Commissioners Chambers
1001 E. 9th Street
Reno, NV
Map: http://makeashorterlink.com/?E2C625B74
Exit off of 80 in Reno at Wells (Exit #14) and head North. Make a right on 9th and a left into the Washoe County offices’ parking lot.
What to say at the meeting:
We want the Commissioners to reconsider their decision. The outcome we desire at Tuesday’s meeting is twofold:
— The Board should suspend their normal rules and reconsider the decision to uphold the appeal
— The reconsideration should be placed on the regular agenda for the
next meeting
Come prepared to let the board know that public opinion on this issue strongly supports rejecting the appeal. If you write a letter to the editor of the Reno Gazette Journal (see below), you might want to simply read your letter outlining your points. The board needs to be reminded of the financial and cultural impact of Burning Man. We don’t want to leave Washoe County, but there are other counties who have expressed interest in welcoming Burning Man instead. This would be a major economic loss to Washoe County, and the Board should be reminded of this fact. [para_end]
