Humanists Up Ante for Star Hill Site
April 22, 2008
For Immediate Release - Contact Fred Edwords at (202) 238-9088 fedwords@americanhumanist.org - www.americanhumanist.org
(Washington, D.C., April 22, 2008) The American Humanist Association has informed the Holmen, Wisconsin, Village Board that it will pay ten times the appraised value of the Star Hill site that displays a cross and a star on public land. The local Lions Club has offered the $100 appraised value and the American Humanist Association has offered $1,000. Both the Lions Club and the Association made their intentions known yesterday, April 21. Holmen officials will have received the Association's offer in writing today. The text of that letter appears below.
Holmen officials agreed to sell the Star Hill site to avoid church-state litigation over religious symbols on public land. The Village Board will take up the matter again at its forthcoming May meeting.
"We anticipate that the Holmen Village Board will make the decision that is in the best fiscal interests of the village," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association and author of the organization's letter. "If there is no religious bias influencing the decision on who the site is sold to, and for how much, we will look forward to taking ownership soon."
4/21/2008
Office Clerk
Village of Holmen
PO Box 158
Holmen, Wisconsin 54636Dear Holmen Village Official,
On behalf of my organization, the American Humanist Association (AHA), I am submitting a formal request to purchase the property known as "Star Hill." I contact you as directed by the Holmen Clerks and Treasurer Office. The AHA offers a $1,000 bid for this property.
This sum, as I understand, is ten times the amount offered today by the Holmen Lions Club, which put in a bid for the property for $100 today with the Holmen Village Board.
Please let us know as soon as possible what our next step should be, and who else, if anyone, we should contact. You can reach me at 202-238-9088 and by e-mail at rspeckhardt@americanhumanist.org.
Sincerely,
Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director
The American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across America.
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.
