By BILL BRUNS and LAURA WITSENHAUSEN The Park Advisory Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday evening, June 22, to hear a proposal by the Chamber of Commerce to screen free Saturday night movies this summer on the grass ballfields at the Palisades Recreation Center. The public meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Rec Center, 851 Alma Real. The Movies Under the Stars series, which the Chamber hopes to debut July 17, will feature family-friendly films rated G to PG-13 and selected by a committee chaired by Chamber President David Williams. ‘We want to offer old-fashioned family fun to local residents,’ he said. ‘It’s a novelty to be outside watching a film,’ added committee member John Wirth. Another member, Bill Branch of the American Legion, who recalls watching movies that were screened on the side of the jail in his hometown of Bedford, Kentucky, said: ‘It’s fellowship and something unique.’ However, a Recreation Center neighbor who opposes the event (based on based on fears of Saturday night noise and crowds) brought her objections to the Community Council meeting last Thursday. After a discussion, the Council voted to send a letter to the Chamber, the Park Advisory Board and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski’s office requesting that the movie committee first brief the Council prior to any final decision about the film series. Meanwhile, Kevin Regan, area superintendent of Recreation and Parks, informed Council Chairman George Wolfberg that he has asked the new park director, David Gadelha, ‘to conduct a complete community process prior to granting approval of this event,’ and he has requested that ‘a special meeting of the Park Advisory Board be held to gain community input and formulate a final recommendation to Department staff regarding ‘Movies in the Park.” If the film series is approved, residents will be invited to bring blankets and picnics. Food and drinks will be available from 6-9 p.m., with the movie beginning at dusk. The organizers are in the process of aligning themselves with a film distribution company and hope to show films like ‘The Princess Bride,’ ‘E.T.,’ and ‘Shrek’ as well as some black-and-white classics. They also would like to run old newsreels and cartoons before the night’s feature. ‘We want to foster a feeling of community,’ said Wirth, a TV writer/producer. ‘It’s an activity families can do together with their neighbors outside during the summer.’ On May 21, the Chamber sent out a letter to 70 park neighbors in the Huntington Palisades to inform them of the movie series and their plans for a test run that neighbors were welcome to attend. At this June 3 ‘test run,’ Friends of Film’s Bob Sharka and Andy Frew projected a portion of ‘Toy Story’ for half an hour, for neighbors to attend or to listen from home. Ultimately, four residents complained about the noise and four were positive. The organizers have proposed having more speakers to spread the sound around the audience and keep the volume down. Palisades Patrol has been hired to provide security and Chrysalis’ StreetWorks will clean up afterwards.
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