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toolmantwo

toolmantwo

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Feb 24, 2004
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Anyone here that could help me to edit a document? I want to write a petition to stop a gravel mine from being built near a wetland and the wetland feeds a very clean recreational lake. I have most of it in place, but English and grammar is not my strong subject. (English is my fist language) I need to get this edited and I would also like to make a very short condensed version that can be quickly read.
Thanks
 
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Given the nature of your target, I would see if you cannot enlist the help of some of the big-time environmental groups. Not only will they help you in how to say what you think you need to say, but they will also help in what you need to say. Not only that, they probably would just love to bring other resources at their disposal to the party.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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Aternatively, post the text here and everyone can have a go! Sorry - just thinking that I leave in 1½ hours (UK time), so you might well get more help from colleagues around the globe whilst I'm off-line. Cheers.
 
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What part of the country, (Or world) are you located. We might also help you track down some help locally around you.

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago
Johnson Computers
 
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I am in Minnesota

This is what I have now. I also want to have a short version so a person could skim it fast and then sign if they are fine with what has been presented.

Page 1

This land could have 100 other uses besides a gravel pit.

Any of those uses would have less danger of environmental damage to the wells, runoff to the lake, streams, and wildlife.

The positives of those uses are:
1. It can serve the needs of the current and future residents of the Annandale, South Haven and Wright County immediately and in the future.
2. This can make the area more attractive rather than degrading.
3. The tax base would increase rather than decrease.
4. This would lure in more potential industry to the area.

This area is 8 miles from a ski hill, within 4 miles of 3 golf courses, 5 miles to Schools, and fine restaurants. The land is less than one mile from the public access to Lake John. Does this seem like a good place for a gravel pit, and to leave as a barren eyesore? It certainly is not compatible with the existing residential use.

I just purchased my home near this proposed gravel pit last June.
The attached is from the uniform residential appraisal report of my home dated June 10, 2003 under the segment of “Factors that affect the marketability of the properties in the neighborhood (proximity to employment and amenities, employment stability, appeal to market, ect.):
The market appears very stable in the area at the present time. There are many lakes and recreational parks in the area. The subject is served by the Annandale school system, which is generally considered one of the best in the area. The employment comes from Annandale, South haven, Cokato, Dassel, Buffalo, Howard Lake, Waverly, St Cloud and Minneapolis.

This is directly from the Wright County Government web site.

The mission of Wright County is: To preserve and enhance the quality of life of its citizens by providing quality service, through a participatory process, that holds the welfare of its citizens and their environment as its primary objective.


Page 2

ANNANDALE ROCK PRODUCTS has applied for the conditional use permit to mine gravel in this nearby area just a few yards away from the public access of lake John

LOCATION: S1/2 of NW ¼, except the W ½ of SW ¼ of NW ¼; and NE1/4 of SW ¼, Section 35, Township 121, Range 28, Wright County, MN (Lake John-Southside Twp.) Owner: Vertical Venture, Inc

We have very strong objections to this proposal. We feel it is very dangerous to mine for gravel this close to the lakes and streams of the local lakes, namely Lake John, East Lake Sylvia, and West Lake Sylvia

The disruption of the landscape and possible permanent damage to the water table is too important to take this risk. What would prevent the runoff water from entering the lowland and stream flowing from Goose Lake to Lake John? The buffer layer of soil including the gravel would be removed and lead to a higher chance of pollution entering the runoff, or the water table to pollute the nearby wells.

We hold Lake John as one cherished resource. Lake John has this stream and only this stream as the inlet. The lake has known springs near the northwest shoreline. The mining could change the land surface pressure, and the change to the pressure could stop the flow of the springs. This damage to the lake is irreversible and could cause severe damage to the property owner’s that share the shoreline and those in the area who also enjoy the use of the lake. East Lake Sylvia and west lake Sylvia would be subject to the same hazard of low level water and pollution because water flows from Lake John to those lakes.

The city of Annandale is know as the Heart of the Lakes, we do not want to it change to become the known as the former heart of the lakes, now known as the eyesore of Minnesota, filled with polluted water and barren open pit mines at every corner. We feel our county planning and zoning board has already taken too many unnecessary risks with our surrounding land and lakes and this is where we dawn the line.

We already have four open gravel pits within 2 miles of this proposed area. There are also pits that have been either poorly reclaimed to the point of embarrassment or just left unclaimed within the same 2 miles. They have either no berms or trees to screen the pit, or just token trees planted, with many of them dead or dying. Annandale rock products are some of the same people who have carved this area of Southside Township into the current eyesore and left the ground exposed to wind erosion degrading the once pristine landscape. Annandale rock products have many pits with this same unclaimed or poorly reclaimed condition in the same township within walking distance of this proposed mine. They have made their own reputation in this township and county over the years by this callus systematic action that leaves the big ugly mess in their path.

Any stone turned in this area could be the first step to the destruction of our lakes and lead to pollution of our private wells. Why should we keep taking the high risk? If this area is mined, it is lost forever.

We the undersigned declare that mining this property for gravel is unacceptable. We call upon the Wright Country planning and zoning to deny the request to mine for gravel in the described area.

 
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If you go here:
you can find petition writing guides/resources as well as place your petition online.

[blue]"Well, once again my friend, we find that science is a two headed beast. One head is nice, it gives us aspirin and other modern conveniences,...but the other head of science is BAD! Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur; it bites!!" - The Tick[/blue]
 
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GelenJohnson
Well I have not contacted them myself but others have, and we were told that if the area is less than 40 acres it does not require the environmental impact statement. This party owns 120 acres, but only applied to mine 38.5 acres as a ploy to stay under the 40 acres. I can check with them and see if any other angles are open. Thanks but I still need to get the petition moving to meet the deadline.
 
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This sounds like you need publicity. I'm sure you've gone with letters to the editors, but you might want to send articles to places like 60 minutes and see if they want to get involved. Maybe 20/20. This company needs to be publicly embaresed. If the company has 120 acres, and is purposely keeping the site 1.5 acres short for legalities. Keep pushing the petition, as that would be good ammo for someone like 60 Minutes. How big is the company itself?
[soapbox]

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago
Johnson Computers
 
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GlenJohnson

The Company is very large and has contacts that are deep. I was hoping to get publicty from the larger ciites newspaper and the TV soon. I think as for the county planning and zoning and to review the proposal each request is alone and "Virgin" in their eyes. theu have been directed to view this request in the same way (Virgin). Example if the Company even violated some laws or rules in the past or are still in violation it is not admissable to this request. I guess it is a case by case evaluation and history is a non-factor. They must site a valid reason to deny the request or it must be granted.
 
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You might also want to consider enlisting the aid of an English professor at your local university, especially one who is sympathetic to your cause.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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Have you thought about building a Blog to reach a wider audience? If you have freinds or relatives in other parts of the country or world who would join in, it might give you more members. (I would use CajunCenturion's suggestion first.)

How to build a Blog

Glen A. Johnson
If you're from Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin feel free to join the Tek-Tips in Chicago, Illinois Forum.

TTinChicago
Johnson Computers
 
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toolmantwo - How are things going?

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
 
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Here's what I would do:

Page 1

ANNANDALE ROCK PRODUCTS has applied for the conditional use permit to mine gravel in a nearby area just a few yards away from the public access of Lake John

LOCATION: S1/2 of NW ¼, except the W ½ of SW ¼ of NW ¼; and NE1/4 of SW ¼, Section 35, Township 121, Range 28, Wright County, MN (Lake John-Southside Twp.) Owner: Vertical Venture, Inc

We feel that this venture will have grave negative environmental impact on nearby wells, wildlife, lakes, and streams. Please read the following and join us in this petition to block the proposal.

The current proposal would have the follwoing negative effects:
1. Property values would decrease for residents in of Annandale, South Haven and Wright County immediately and in the future.
2. The proposal would make the immediate area much less visually attractive.
3. The tax base would decrease.
4. Favorable industry would be much less likely to settle in the area.
5. Public records indicate that Annandale Rock has been previously involved in other such projects with disastrous results. (Please see the details of these projects on P2.)
6. It is in direct contract to the Mission Statement of Wright County as detailed on P 2 and on the Wright County Web Site.
7. Such a mining project could seriously disrupt the landscape and change to the land surface pressure, allowing possible runoff pollutants to enter are water ways.

This area is 8 miles from a ski hill, within 4 miles of 3 golf courses, 5 miles from several area schools, and fine restaurants. The land is less than one mile from the public access to Lake John. Does this seem like a good place for a gravel pit, and to leave as a barren eyesore? It certainly is not compatible with the existing residential use.

Page 2:

As homeowners in the area, we have a vested interest in the area. The following passage is taken from the uniform residential appraisal report of one such home dated June 10, 2003 under the segment of “Factors that affect the marketability of the properties in the neighborhood (proximity to employment and amenities, employment stability, appeal to market, ect.):
The market appears very stable in the area at the present time. There are many lakes and recreational parks in the area. The subject is served by the Annandale school system, which is generally considered one of the best in the area. The employment comes from Annandale, South haven, Cokato, Dassel, Buffalo, Howard Lake, Waverly, St Cloud and Minneapolis.

This is directly from the Wright County Government web site.

The mission of Wright County is: To preserve and enhance the quality of life of its citizens by providing quality service, through a participatory process, that holds the welfare of its citizens and their environment as its primary objective.

We have very strong objections to this proposal. We feel it is very dangerous to mine for gravel this close to the lakes and streams of the local lakes, namely Lake John, East Lake Sylvia, and West Lake Sylvia

The disruption of the landscape and possible permanent damage to the water table are too important to take this risk. What would prevent the runoff water from entering the lowland and stream flowing from Goose Lake to Lake John? The buffer layer of soil including the gravel would be removed and lead to a higher chance of pollution entering the runoff, or the water table to pollute the nearby wells.

We hold Lake John as one cherished resource. The only inlet to Lake John is this stream. The lake also has springs near the northwest shoreline. The mining could change the land surface pressure, and the change to the pressure could stop the flow of the springs. This damage is irreversible. East Lake Sylvia and West Lake Sylvia would be subject to the same hazard of low level water and pollution since water flows from Lake John to those lakes.

The city of Annandale is know as the Heart of the Lakes. We do not want to be known as the eyesore of Minnesota, filled with polluted water and barren open pit mines at every corner. We feel our county planning and zoning board has already taken too many unnecessary risks with our surrounding land and lakes and this is where we dawn the line.

We already have four open gravel pits within 2 miles of this proposed area. There are also pits that have been either poorly reclaimed to the point of embarrassment or just left unclaimed within the same 2 miles. They have either no berms or trees to screen the pit, or just token trees planted, with many of them dead or dying. Annandale Rock Products is responsible for many of these same gravel pits. They have made their own reputation in this township and county over the years by the callus systematic action that leaves a big, ugly mess in their path.
The area of Southside Township is now mostly an current eyesore and the ground has been exposed to wind erosion degrading the once pristine landscape.

Allowing this proposal to go forward could be the first step to the destruction of our lakes and lead to pollution of our private wells. Why should we keep taking the high risk? If this area is mined, it is lost forever.

We the undersigned declare that mining this property for gravel is unacceptable. We call upon the Wright Country planning and zoning to deny the request to mine for gravel in the described area.


Then, I would include the page for people to sign. This makes the first page more concise and gives enough information for people. Then if they want to read details, they could read P.2 Maybe even consider making the signature page the second page and the details the third page.

Good Luck on your pursuit - I hope you can get this proposal stopped. It is a worthy cause. Keep up the good work.
 
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kmcginn Thanks for the input I gave you a star. I have some more things to try; yet we are doing some good now with a delay and the board is now requiring the environmental impact statement. This EIS could stop the pit.

For CajunCenturion
As above we might have an end to the pit. We are still looking for more awareness from the public. I heard a rumor that the party might withdraw the request. I worry that they will re-apply again later after the people either forget or become less upset over time. I hope to work more with this and the area so we can plan and take action faster and be more convincing. For now it looks like we will have more time to fight the proposal. This could help us to raise more money to fight the proposal both with petitions and with public opinion.
Please make any suggestions you feel could help.
Thanks, John
 
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Has anybody ever had any success with a petition? I do not think anybody thakes these things seriously...share your success stories.
 
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cogdev check petitions on line. One I know of was about Major league baseball using an orange LOGO on all the white bases as a commercial for a fast food place. During the petition time while many people were signing the petition the sponcer did not go ahead with the deal. I think the Yankees told them they would only do this for 1 game and then dropped the whole deal before it became in effect.

I do not know the impact of the petition alone. Other pressures on baseball may have been in effect. I could dig into this deeper.

Later, John
 
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You could try EarthJustice, they may be able to help too. As this is just the sort of thing they work on. I have sent many emails, that they write and we sign online.
Just a little thought as it would certainly get you a wide audience.
If you want signatures when it is ready I can certainly sign, although I live in UK I have Family in US, mainly Atlanta, Tenessee and Wisconsin.
GOOD LUCK
Shirleyowl [flowerface]


PC 2.3Mhz 80 gb HDD 512 RAM :

iMac OSX 10.2.8 17 Flat panel 80gb,800mhz,256 Ram, Superdrive.
 
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