Happy St. Patrick's Day!  With a little luck o' the Irish, and a lot of support from all of you, we were able to reach a milestone of 1,000 signatures today!  I can't thank you enough for all you've done to support this campaign!  

I just wrote to our "Decision Makers" to let them know the campaign is active, we've reached the 1,000 signature milestone, and to ask them to write and support a bill that will stop the sale and development of our parklands and return ownership to the public trust.  I'll paste the email below and also the addresses of the recipients in case you want to follow up with them directly.  Thanks so much, we're on our way!

Dear Decision Makers,

As you may know, there is an active campaign hosted by change.org to save Fort DuPont State Park in Delaware City and you have been identified as the decision makers who can enact the change.  The petition is asking you to, 

Immediately stop the sale and development of Fort DuPont State Park and enact legislation to return ownership of the parkland to the public trust.

 As of 5:00 P.M. today, we reached a milestone of 1,000 signatures.  That's an average of about 100 signatures per day BEFORE this story is published in the media.  Expect that number to grow. 

Fort DuPont is one of only 17 state parks in Delaware.  Delawareans were never notified that this parkland had been given to the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation, nor that the FDRPC planned to split it up and sell it at a profit for development.  Without notification, it goes without saying that Delawareans also did not consent to forfeit their parklands. Furthermore, in early Delaware City community sessions held to solicit feedback about the reimagining of the Fort DuPont complex, residents were assured that NO STATE PARKLAND WOULD BE DEVELOPED.  Yet a deal has been made with Blue Water Development Corp to sell 135 acres of the park to build a private RV Resort; 18 acres of federally protected park property is in negotiations to be developed into a massive "Marina Village" consisting of a 120 slip marina, 5-story hotel, bars, restaurants, retail shops, and condos; and another parcel has been sold or is in the process of being sold to a local landscaping company.  We ask that you halt these sales immediately.  

I urge you to review the petition for additional information, such as the language contained in the original HB310 that intended to protect, preserve, and enhance the state park.  That language was removed when the bill was completely rewritten just one month before it was signed by Governor Markell. 

Representative Longhurst and Senator Poore, you sponsored HB310, so I guess the resolution to this matter begins with you but requires the assistance and support of all Decision Makers.  What will it take for you to write and support a bill to mend this injustice?  

Please advise.

Sent to:  
john.carney@delaware.gov, tom.carper@delaware.gov, chris.coons@delaware.gov, lisa.blunt-rochester@delaware.gov, nicole.poore@delaware.gov, valerie.longhurst@delaware.gov,  shawn.garvin@state.de.us, bshort@e-dca.org, pjohnson@ci.delaware-city.de.us, dbaylor@ci.delaware-city.de.us (emails for Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt-Rochester came back as undeliverable, cannot locate a valid address for them).