Dear Ms. Mayor

So I thought I would write a letter to the mayor and the council members.

Here is the letter I sent:

Good Morning,
I want to first thank you for your service and commitment to the town
of Annandale. I know you put in many long hours for little monetary
reciprocation, and don't always get thanked or appreciated. I
appreciate you.

Annandale is an amazing town that I am so fiercely proud of. Many of
my college friends who are living out of state or closer to the Twin
Cities cannot believe what a paradise we have here, the diversity of
the lakes and countryside, a charming historic downtown, the
familiarity we all have we each other as community members, the fact
that I don't always lock my front door even when I'm not at home, and
the proximity of much larger communities. We are truly unique and I
have committed myself to raising my family here, coming back to my
own family roots, because of these wonderfully unique Annandale
qualities. When people ask me what my favorite Holiday is I can
easily and quickly answer them-4th of July in Annandale. There is
not a day that exemplifies more the strength of community and pride
over our downtown and lakes.

Consequently, I am urging you and the council members to oppose the
proposed ALCO retail development. I truly believe that stamping the
approval would be short sighted and extremely detrimental to all of
Annandale's current business and would eventually, leave you with
more empty retail spaces in Annandale. Perhaps, even the ALCO
building would over time and when the extended lease ran out be an
empty shell-there aren't any historical ties to Annandale from ALCO
so why would they be committed to staying in this community if it
wasn't profitable? An ALCO closed last year in tOhio while two
Duckwalls stores where closed, they filed for Bankruptcy in 1989 and
closed 52 stores, and most recently on April 27th the CEO resigned
from his position. All new businesses take a risk, but is this a
risk the city of Annandale wants to wager all of their family
businesses and taxes on?

So you say Annandale is changing and it will bring in something the
Annadale consumers wantm including jobs. I agree Annandale needs to
keep up with its citizens as the city grows and changes. This area
needs new jobs with decent wages, not a lateral movement of the
workforce from current retailers to ALCO. This area needs local
dollars to stay in the local economy instead of sending them down a
pipeline to Abilene, Kansas. Economic development must be something
carefully planned with broad input from multiple sources, rather than
the brainchild of an impulsive few.

I know in my heart that you want what's best for Annandale and that
is why I again urge to say no to this project.

I am organizing some community members who feel the same way I do
this Sunday, 7 p.m., at the coffeehouse. I invite you come and have
a positive dialogue with the community members you represent.

My warmest regards,

Amy Sparks