Thursday, August 3, 2006

Dear Corkscrew Neighbors,

Many of you are aware of growing pressure from mining companies and others to industrialize and accelerate growth in the Corkscrew Community. Many are concerned about the changes our community is facing, or will face in the near future. These changes threaten many of the desirable qualities of the Corkscrew Community, including the rural character that so many of us value. In the past, we've successfully fought back against threats on an as-needed basis. But this has been expensive, and is bound to be repeated over and over again. Fortunately, there are other approaches to the problem.

One way that rural communities like ours can make a difference in how growth occurs is by developing a Community Plan. A Community Plan assists the county in making sound decisions about growth and development, and provides residents the means to steer growth in ways that protect their community's character and their vision for the future. We've arranged a meeting for Corkscrew neighbors to discuss the idea of community planning, and carefully explore our options. Please mark your calendar and make plans to attend.

Neal Noethlich, Chairman of the Estero Community Planning Panel (ECPP) will attend and provide guidance as we discuss our overall situation and explore options. We also hope to have representatives from the Lee County Department of Community Development, and other groups and organizations in attendance.

While mining is certainly an issue that will be discussed in the broad sense, this meeting is not specifically about the three applications for new mines on Corkscrew Road. It's important for us to realize that community plans built entirely upon opposition to any single land use (like mining) is likely to fail in the long term. We will have other meetings in the near future that will address those specific mine applications.

We need you to bring a few important things to the meeting. We need you to bring an open mind, a willingness to share your ideas with your neighbors, a willingness to listen to their ideas even if you disagree, and a willingness to commit some of your time and effort to helping your community. We want to gather your thoughts and ideas about what specific issues a community plan might address. So between now and then, please think about some of the things that make Corkscrew attractive to you as a resident. Also consider negative issues that the community faces now, or is likely to face in the future. Consider amenities or services that we don’t have but might benefit from if they existed. Sit down with your children and ask them these same questions. Think about other rural areas in SW Florida and elsewhere that have experienced rapid growth in recent years. What mistakes do you think they made? How might they have been avoided by advanced planning?

Corkscrew is going to grow and change in the near future – and it’s not just about mining. We might “steer" the change, but there’s no stopping it. We might preserve Corkscrew’s rural character if we work at it. If we do nothing, it may change in ways that we don’t like. Please share this invitation with your neighbors and ask them to come. We need strong participation from the community. 

Thank you, and I hope to see you on the 15th.

Kevin Hill
www.corkscrewroad.com