Shug:
In working with county or state government, refuse to take "no" for an answer. What they want is for you to go away and not bother them. If you take "no", well - that's the end of the trail. If you out-persist them, they'll have to do something just to make you go away. Just keep after them until you get what you want. Just remember: if you really want a flying field, someone is going to have to do some serious work. It means rolling up your sleeves and hanging in there until you get what you want. Go for it!!!
By the way, what's your "wedge"? What are doing with young kids, or old people, or whoever? What is your public-service program? Obviously, you'll need a flying field to be successful with your program. Right? With a "wedge" you are not advocating for yourself, you're advocating for the kids/old people/whoever. Now you can ask "Why won't you support the kids/old people/whoever?" Seriously, too many people make this hobby something limited to self-amusement. You are probably aware of the flyers that only show up at the contests but never judge or help out. It's the frustration of many club officers. They do all the work, others get the enjoyment. We need to be service-oriented.
If we don't do a service activity, we need to find one. Otherwise, why should the city/county/state provide a limited resource (parkland) to us? How can we be an asset to the city/county/state?
Scott