GUIDELINES FOR LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

ARPOA Community Preservation Campaign (last update 11/28/04)

 IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED: 

1. Residents are strongly encouraged to let St. Mary’s and the Archdiocese of Baltimore know of your opposition to the proposed plans, and to urge St. Mary’s and the Archdiocese to end their involvement with the developers and the plan to build ball fields on the golf course.
2. Communicate your position and your concerns to the County and City leadership.  Let them know that the safety of Annapolis Roads residents will be severely compromised, current emergency response times are already strained, and the additional traffic will have negative effects on safety and the environment.

 POSITIONING:  The position of the residents of Annapolis Roads is that the partnership between St. Mary’s and the developer is beneficial to the developers first and foremost, as their goal will be city annexation, which would allow them to circumvent county laws and create high density housing on the 33 acres of Ogleton Woods.  St. Mary’s is being used by the developers to secure this annexation while portraying the developer as a benevolent entity. The threat of annexation begins with the golf course land being earmarked for the St. Mary’s ball fields, putting St. Mary’s in the position of having to at least tacitly agree to annexation, in order to get their much-needed playing fields.

In addition, neither St. Mary’s nor the developers sought opinion or consensus from Annapolis Roads leadership or residents prior to announcing their intent in the press.  In fact, St. Mary’s was asked directly about the deal just prior to the press release and denied any such deal was in progress.  Recent articles expressing “shock” at our reaction and calling for Annapolis Roads to be “reasonable” should elicit a response of outrage from all residents of the Annapolis Neck.

Choose a few of the following points to focus your communication.  Write from the heart, and your message will be clearly heard. 

1)      Resident status. The letter-writer is a resident, and part of a community that is galvanized to fight this damaging and disruptive proposed plan by the Ribera/Stamato Development Company & St. Mary’s partnership.

2)      Traffic dangers and speeding. Their plan is dangerous to our community. It will add thousands of cars per week on our small roads, which will endanger our children, as well as adults who walk and bike on the roads. There is no road infrastructure to support this kind of traffic, nor should there be this level of traffic in our small community. Increased traffic will cause backups similar to that experienced by Hillsmere residents when Key School’s school day or athletic events begin and end.

Speeding on the roads is already a persistent problem. Numerous complaints are already on record with the county. This problem will only increase as the number of drivers from outside our community speed through. 

3)      Environmental issues. Ogleton Woods and the Green Willow Woods are environmentally sensitive woods and wetlands. They are the last large undeveloped tracts on the Annapolis Neck and are home to ospreys, herons, owls, fox and many other species.

The environmental degradation will be traumatic. Automobile exhaust, noise pollution, light pollution from ball field lights, runoff into the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ogleton, will all be measurable effects. 

4)      Emergency services infrastructure is inadequate.  Lack of emergency services to support development or heavy recreational use by children – our emergency response times are already strained, and could be dangerous to both residents and children.

5)      “Good neighbor” guidelines ignored by St. Mary’s and developers.  We are appalled that a civic minded organization like St. Mary’s would propose such a dangerous, disruptive and destabilizing plan for a tranquil neighborhood like Annapolis Roads, and would pursue it without having had any open dialog with the community leaders first. 

6)      Annexation to support greed.  The developers have made it clear that they intend to request annexation, which will open the door for them to build high density housing so that they can maximize their profits, more than mitigating any financial loss realized from the St. Mary’s ball field proposal.  Annapolis Roads residents will strongly oppose annexation, which would open the door for high density housing, traffic, crime, and a highly detrimental impact on the environment.  This request for annexation has gotten the attention of all of the other community associations on the Annapolis Neck. We will be instrumental in organizing them to oppose this move as well.

7)      Issue a “call to action.”  Tell St. Mary’s you want them to back out of this deal.  Communicate to Janet Owens that you’re counting on her and her team to enforce the laws and codes that govern development in the highly sensitive Annapolis Neck, and that you want the county’s support in opposing annexation.  Tell Ellen Moyer that the developers have made clear their plans to request annexation, and that you and your neighbors want the City Council to reject any such request as it is bad for the environment, great for the pockets of the developers and their associates and supporters, and is clearly a strain on the city’s infrastructure.

Things to avoid:

1.      Avoid personal attacks on any individual involved in the land deal. Be respectful but firm in your tone.

2.      Avoid antagonistic stance against St. Mary’s or the developers.  Keep your personal bias out, as it will reduce the credibility of your communication. 

3.      Stick to the facts—do not comment on rumors.

4.      If you’re unsure, and would like a second opinion, please ask a neighbor or forward your letter to the Communications Committee Chairs—Dave Buemi and Amy Steindler at buemibeachhouse@verizon.net or call them at (410) 280-1540.  If you’d like your letter published on the website, please send it along as well, and we’ll publish a representative selection.

 Thanks!  Your letter writing IS ALREADY making a difference!  Please encourage all of your neighbors to write letters as well!  WE CAN WIN THIS!  But we’ve got to work together and continue to persevere!

 Send Your Letters to:

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY EXECUTIVE 

Janet S. Owens County Executive Anne Arundel County

44 Calvert Street, Annapolis, Md. 21401   countyexecutiveowens@aacounty.org

CITY OF ANNAPOLIS 

Ellen O. Moyer  Mayor, City of Annapolis

City Hall, Room 105    160 Duke of Gloucester Street   Annapolis, Maryland 21401

mayor@annapolis.gov

 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Capital  

PO Box 911 Annapolis, MD 21404  capletts@capitalgazette.com

You also may fax letters to The Capital at 410-268-4643.

The Baltimore Sun

Letters to the Editor, The Sun, P.O. Box 1377, Baltimore 21278-0001
letters@baltsun.com (be sure to include contact information, including your full name and both day and evening phone numbers) 

Thanks!  Your letter writing WILL make a difference!  Please encourage all of your neighbors to write letters as well!  WE CAN WIN THIS!  But we’ve got to work together and continue to persevere!