When the City Council takes up Horseshoe Farm Park on Tuesday, it will (hopefully) be the beginning of the end of this extremely divisive debate.

The debate's polarizing impact can be seen by walking a few steps in the shoes of Jan Kirschbaum and Jamie Ramsey.

Kirschbaum got appointed to the city's Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board 5 1/2 years ago by advocating for greenways. She is now chairwoman of that board.

Kirschbaum, 51, is a Sierra Club member and avid recycler -- she's got three of the green bins. She resents being portrayed as someone more concerned with recreational facilities than preserving nature.

And as a retired psychiatrist, she doesn't like being accused of refusing to listen to the opinions residents have voiced.

Kirschbaum feels she's fighting for recreational facilities sorely needed in a fast-growing area.

"You can make it a special place for more people and you can allow people who don't have the privilege of living in beautiful houses near the river to come in and be part of that," she said.

Ramsey, a 47-year-old stay-at-home mom, formed a group called People for Parks in the late 90s to foster appreciation for parks. She took an active role in persuading voters to support bonds for recreation a few years ago.

But, in this debate, Ramsey is a leader of the forces arguing that Horseshoe Farm Park is too environmentally fragile for intense uses that would attract large crowds.

She says Kirschbaum is ignoring the will of the people. Support for a nature park is coming from well beyond the immediate neighborhood, Ramsey said. In fact, she lives near Wade Avenue.

"It's a regionally significant park," she said.

Ramsey and Kirschbaum do agree on one thing -- that they were friendlier with each other when they both served on the parks board.