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COUNCIL EXHIBIT B Melanie Curtis Public Comments / Information #9 From: Amy Beth Butler[amybethbutler@yaho .com] Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:04 AM To: Melanie Curtis Subject: letter to the editor of Lakeshore Week! News-just in case it doesn't get in the paper I live in the Hill School neighborhood. This is a fact that I'm ecoming increasingly ashamed to admit. I frequently walk my dog around the streets of this neighborho d. Lately, I've been forced to brave the treacherous unmaintained Dakota Rail Regional Trail to avoi the (unavoidable) conversations regarding The Emily Program. When I have those conversations, I must poi t out that I'm actually in support of the Emily Program moving into our neighborhood. Let the shock and c efully planned talking points ensue... When I received my notice that the Hill School was turning i l o a residental facility I was more surprised and saddened that Hill School had closed,than upset by the thoug t of the new tenants. I would guess that the City of Orono originally felt the same and couldn't have possibly i agined the public outcry that would result. Why would they? Isn't it only girls with eating disorders, looking f r help? Who wants to be the one to stop them from getting the help they need to survive?Unfortunately, my suddenly growing list of"neighbors" do. Much is being made of safety concerns surrounding the permit required by the Emily Program. Politically correct people like to state that they "aren't opposed to the Emily Program, per se" but have devised all sorts of other things to "worry" about. It's a residential neighborhood, what about the traffic? What will these girls do? Isn't an eating disorder a(gasp!)mental illness? Surely, everyone with a mental illness is to be feared,right? And,then finally, what if they leave? Funny, you didn't want em there in the first place! These "concerns" are nothing more than excuses for the truth. The truth is, you simply don't want it in your back yard. Fess up. The correct ending for the sentence that begins ith "I don't have a problem with the Emily Program" or "I have a lot of respect for the Emily Program", i this: BUT I don't care enough about anyone who might be helped by the facility to let it into my neighborhood. Has anyone looked around the neighborhood lately? There is a post office in the middle of your "strictly residential" neighborhood. There is a park for complete strangers to enjoy. Once the weather is warmer,there will be cars lining Brown Road, a full parking lot next to the post office and an overflow of people utilizing the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. Why, right next to the Hill School is a rather large parking lot and the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, not a residential home. My point is, the people in opposition to the Emily Program, if they enjoy any of the above mentioned neigborhood activities, are extremely hypocritical. You are fine with all of the dangers that surround the trail because you use the trail for your own enjoyment. Minnetonka Center for the Arts sounds impressive to your friends and you can see, with your own eyes,the value such cl sses have. And,the list goes on. I've heard people express their desire for the Hill School to become a dif erent (but even more populated) school, an annex to the Center for the Arts or a library, but admit it- you'd prefe a Starbucks or book store,too. Wait a minute, what about the traffic concerns? There were many people opposed to the trail prior to the finis ed product. Afterall, this trail literally does go right through people's back yards! I think most would now ad it that the trail, even with the added traffic and congestion, adds value to our community. The trail is much li e the Emily Program in that both increase the overall health of our fellow human beings. People are seriousl afraid of this? To save you time and hassle and get the Emily Program off thO hook, I will let you in on the secret to what you 1