Posted by Rich/Mohican Press on August 18, 2000 at 11:53:41:
Dear Friend,
This week has been a busy and successful week for Friends of the Falls.
On Monday, our Steering Group laid plans for an expanded media campaign to occur in late August and early September. We understand that the Governor will be out of town for another week, and believe it likely that a final decision will be deferred again, possibly until early September. For the next week, Friends of the Falls will be concentrating on fundraising to pay for the media campaign. We expect to call for another round of calls, letters, and emails to Raleigh in late August.
Friends of the Falls won a major political victory this week when the Raleigh News & Observer strongly endorsed the acquisition of the entire 2200 acre tract, if necessary, through use of eminent domain. See full text at http://www.dupontforest.com.
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"The best solution is for the state and the developer to negotiate a reasonable purchase price that is fair to both sides. This is the public's money and state officials have a duty to spent it thriftily. But if it comes down to condemning the property or losing it to development, then the state should be ready to go to court, with fair compensation in hand."
**Raleigh News & Observer Editorial, Monday August 14, 2000
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An anonymous donor has made a $10,000 matching challenge grant to Friends of the Falls to help pay for the expanded media campaign. Contributions to FOF will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000.
The Environmental & Conservation Organization, a Hendersonville based non-profit, has agreed to accept contributions from Friends of the Falls supporters, and reimburse qualifying, non-political expenses. This means that most taxpayers can contribute tax-deductible money to Friends of the Falls. (see below for how to contribute)
Appeal for Contributions
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Until now, Friends of the Falls has not needed to directly appeal for contributions. Supporters have dropped enough cash in buckets and mailed in enough checks to mount a successful regional media campaign. However, we now believe that best way to ensure the success of our campaign is to expand our message to other parts of the State. Why? Because some in Raleigh fear that the cost of the property acquisition could go as high as $21 million. So state-wide support is critical for justifying that amount of money.
There are now two major incentives for you to support Friends of the Falls now: The matching challenge grant, and the new tax-deductible status for your contributions. Our Steering Group has committed many hundreds of hours and several thousand dollars of our own money. We know that we have many passionate supporters out there. Now we need you to help us meet our $10,000 challenge goal. Thanks again for your support.
Checks should be made to "ECO", with "FOF" in the memorandum. Mail checks to Friends of the Falls, P. O. Box 272, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718.
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Our website is updated frequently with news and links: http://www.dupontforest.com
To get your name on our email list, send a blank email to the following address: Friends_of_the_Falls-subscribe@egroups.com