Dear Friends of Markham Hill,

In just 4.5 days we now have 1063 signatures! This is great! Keep spreading the word! 

I described our petition and its number of signatures to the Fayetteville City Planning Commission last night. Unfortunately, they still decided to send the developer's request for rezoning and PZD changes to the City Council with a recommendation to approve it.

But the battle is not over. It is the City Council who decides. I don't yet know the date they meet, but I will let you know.

If you belong to an organization, ask if they would send a formal email letter of support in saving Markham Hill from development and making it a nature and wildlife preserve. And ask them to explain why they are in favor of this petition. They can send their letter to the Fayetteville City Clerk ssmith@fayetteville-ar.gov and ask her to forward it to the City Council. Or you may want to do the same as an individual.

We need:

(1) More signatures and letters supporting our petition.

(2) A conservation group willing to buy the 144 acres of Markham Hill from the current owners, RMD Properties (hopefully they will conclude from our petition that they should sell), in order to put all the acreage in a conservation easement which will set the stage for formalizing it as a nature and wildlife preserve. News articles say that RMD Properties bought the property for $3.2 million. Belonging to this property are several acres at the top of Markham Hill containing a luxury B&B called Pratt Inn with seven rooms (which could be converted into leased art studios on the second and third floor and an art exhibition hall for local and regional art shows on the first floor - just an idea from me), an Event Barn for wedding receptions and such, a house in the National Register of Historic Places built by Evangeline Archer, and a house built by Evangeline's son Julian Archer. This property was in their Pratt family line for over 100 years. If you know a conservation or nature organization who would like to buy the property and preserve it, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Lisa Orton, lisa_m_orton@yahoo.com