December 14, 2005
Dear Sugarloaf Citizens Association Member:
As 2005 comes to a close and you are considering year end tax deductible contributions I wanted to take this chance to thank you for your past support for our efforts to protect the Agriculture Reserve and request you consider a year end contribution to our organization.
It has been a successful year but a challenging one financially. We have had a major impact on several efforts to assure the preservation of the basic principals that established the Ag Reserve. Specifically:
- We were successful in stopping an effort to establish overnight lodging and construction of institutional type facilities for camps in the Ag Reserve. A new effort was launched in an attempt to pass a separate Zoning Text Amendment allowing overnight lodging and camps and we are waging that fight now at the County Council although the County Planning Board has just recommended that the proposed ZTA not be approved.
- We joined several other pro Reserve groups in lobbying the County Council to
prohibit the construction of Mega Churches requiring water and sewer extension
into the Reserve.
-. We weighed in aggressively with the Council of Governments to be sure
VA DOT was not allowed to spend funds listed in their 5 year plan to re-open
the possibility of a Bridge and Techway routed through the Ag Reserve.
- We submitted all the necessary legal documents to the IRS to establish the
environmental education foundation that came out of the settlement with
Mirant(Pepco) and deposited Mirant's first contribution. We had hoped to
advertise for proposals from school teachers this winter and make our first grants
for the fall '06 school year but are still awaiting our final IRS approval.
I'm out of space to detail further efforts we have undertaken to but I hope you will agree that we have been very active to preserve the rural legacy of the Ag Reserve and hope you will help us continue this important fight.
Sincerely,
Jim Brown - President