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Melanie Curtis From: Lindsay Brown [lindsay@emilyprogram.com] Sent: Friday, March 19, 2010 11:59 AM To: Jim White; Cynthia Bremer; Lili McMillan; Jim Murphy(jmurphy@goldengate.net); Doug Franchot Cc: 'Dirk Miller'; Melanie Curtis Subject: The Emily Program's CUP Application Dear Mayor White and members of the Orono City Council: The Emily Program is formally withdrawing its application for a Conditional Use Permit for the Hill School property in Orono.We have stopped efforts to purchase the site. From the start, our vision was not only to create a haven where people could heal from the devastating effects of eating disorders, but to be a good neighbor in your community, i.e., preserving and enhancing a historic property, putting it back on the tax rolls, creating jobs, etc. Based on the lack of support for our CUP application,we must conclude that we either failed to communicate our vision, or you, as city leaders, believe this vision to be incompatible with your community values. These past weeks of delays and uncertainty, coupled with a climati of fear and misinformation, have convinced us that, despite Orono's unique beauty, it is not a place where we would be comfortable bringing our staff and clients. That said,we walk away from this experience with gratitude and lessons learned. We continue to receive an outpouring of messages of support (and now,apologies)from many Orono residents.These positive messages far outweigh the dialogue from those who opposed our efforts.This is what we will remember from our interactions with the citizens of your area. We also will remember the hard work and dedication of Planning and Zoning Coordinator Melanie Curtis, and others at the city office,who were kind, courteous and unfailingly helpful th oughout the past few months.We recognize our CUP application was a new experience for many involved.All of us wer learning along the way. i Perhaps the biggest lesson for The Emily Program is that there is much education and advocacy yet to be done to quiet the culture of fear and misinformation that still surrounds eating disorders and other behavioral health issues. Our commitment to speak up is stronger than ever. Regards, Lindsay M. Brown Director of Business Development The Emily Program 2265 Como Avenue St. Paul, MN 55108 Direct: (651) 379.6130 Mobile: (612) 802.0837 Fax: (651) 379.5276 1