I agree with Butch's recommendations. Great job guys!
Chip
-----Original Message----- From: "Derek Springston" dspringston@gmail.com Sent 10/12/2012 10:00:59 AM To: "Emily Vasile" emilyvasile@gmail.com Cc: "Bike Board - Morgantown" bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] Sustainable Communities grant email/attachment review and approval...
Emily, I share your concern about email getting buried on a late Friday afternoon, but Frank recommended (and I agree) that we give the BB at least one day to preview what we're sending out, so I'd like to give everyone else a chance to chime in through the end of the day today. Sorry this took me a day longer to get out than I'd planned.
Let's just send it out at the end of the day, hope folks reply to it by Wednesday, the 17th, and if not you can follow-up. Thanks for offering to do that. It will be a big help!
Big thanks to you and Butch for drafting most of the text. I wanted to include all of the text from both letters, but couldn't due to length! :)
Take care, ~Derek
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 9:48 AM, Emily Vasile emilyvasile@gmail.com wrote: Agree on getting it out today and extending to 10/17. The earlier we send it out today, the better. I think e-mails tend to get lost on Fridays. I'm happy to set aside some time next week to help follow up with folks we haven't heard from, as well.
Nice work!
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 9:34 AM, Graber, Stephen sggraber@hsc.wvu.edu wrote:
Very welcome! I say today, by all means today! But I'd give them until the 17th just the same :)
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Stephen G. Graber
Biochem & Mol Pharmacology
PO Box 9142, HSN-3122
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-9142
phone: 304-293-2305
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From: Derek Springston [dspringston@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, October 12, 2012 9:01 AM To: Graber, Stephen Cc: Bike Board - Morgantown Subject: Re: [Bikeboard] Sustainable Communities grant email/attachment review and approval...
Butch, Thanks so much for your quick response. You must have been eating your Wheaties while typing! We'll see what others say today, and finish it up. Do you think we should send out at the end of the day today or earlier Monday? I vote today since we're requesting a reply by the 16th.
I've bought in to the single email with no attachment now. In just a few weeks we'll be sending them a letter on letter head with our signatures and requesting theirs, so I think skipping the formal letter is ok initially, too.
Also, we ask for their support and reply by email, but we need to make it clear that we must have their signature(s) on the our application to, "...represent the community's support and commitment..." to the bikeshare program as the Letter of Interest, so I'll make sure to add that clarification in the opening and closing of the letter.
Thanks again, ~Derek
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 8:02 AM, Graber, Stephen sggraber@hsc.wvu.edu wrote:
Here's my three cents......
I strongly favor the email that shows all the addressees in the "To:" field. I think it's important that the stakeholders can see who's been included.
I remain ambivalent about attaching the letter- personally I hate the extra steps involved in having to click and wait for the attachment to open, however, some may prefer the appearance and weight of a more official document. The attached letter also creates a two step process- busy people may decide to wait and open it later when they have "more time". There is never more time so this may lead to fewer responses than an immediate all in one process. If I were doing it I'd probably skip the attachment and make the email the letter addressed to Dear Stakeholder, or Hi All,
Two short suggestions for editing the letter- I like the combination you've created of our two letters- it balances the greater informational content of Emily's and the quicker informailty of mine nicely. So consider these suggestions and move on!
I think the first sentence in both email and document (assuming you decide to keep both) should not use the pronoun "I". Something like "The Morgantown Bike Board is requesting....." carries more weight in my view.
The Word document is good but has several overly lengthy sentences that have a staccato like feel and too many commas! For example:
"The technical assistance we plan to apply for with your support is offered through the EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, which provides quick, targeted technical assistance to selected local governments and communities using a variety of tools developed by the EPA and contracted consultants, which have shown positive results."
I'd suggest breaking them up into two or three individual sentences.
Cheers,
Butch
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Stephen G. Graber
Biochem & Mol Pharmacology
PO Box 9142, HSN-3122
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-9142
phone: 304-293-2305
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From: bikeboard-bounces@bikemorgantown.com [bikeboard-bounces@bikemorgantown.com] On Behalf Of Derek Springston [dspringston@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, October 12, 2012 12:14 AM To: Bike Board - Morgantown Subject: [Bikeboard] Sustainable Communities grant email/attachment review and approval...
Dear BB Members, Either late on Friday or early Monday morning, I would like to send the email text below and the letter attachment out to our identified stakeholders. Please review and give your approval as early as possible, but no later than Sunday. Also BIG THANKS to Butch and Emily for their drafts of the letter. They did most of the work!
Here is the list of stakeholders we've identified: Hugh Kierig - hugh.kierig@mail.wvu.edu - 304-293-9095, Tom Arnold - tarnold@cityofmorgantown.org - 304-284-7435, Terrence Moore - tmoore@cityofmorgantown.org - 304-284-7405 Jeff Mikorski - jmikorski@cityofmorgantown.org - 304-284-7405 Chip Wamsley - chipwamsley@gmail.com Pathfinder - andrew@pathfinderwv.com - 304-296-0076 Perry Keller - Perry.J.Keller@wv.gov - 304-558-9591 Dave Bruffy - bruffy@busride.org - 304-296-3680 Bill Austin - baustin@labyrinth.net - 304-291-9571 University Health Associates- ??? Terry Cutright - MainStreet - director@downtownmorgantown.com - 304-292-0168 BOPARC - Mark Wise - mwise@boparc.org - 304-296-8356 Marjorie Gardens - ???
We also have two options for sending out via email... We can address by name each email and attachment letter to send each out individually OR make generic address and send out all together copying everyone in the TO: field so they can each see who else we're asking. Votes anyone?
Will place the attached letter on the attache BB letterhead when I have access to scanners, printers!
Review this email and comment: ------------------------------------------------------ Dear [insert stakeholder name], As a member of the Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board, I am requesting that you please review the attached letter. We are asking you to support our request to the EPA to host a bikeshare program workshop in Morgantown in Spring 2013. If Morgantown is selected as one of the communities to receive this technical assistance, we also need your commitment to attend a one to two day workshop. Please read the attached letter and reply to this email by Tuesday, October 16th with your response.
Sincerely,
Derek Springston
Chair, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board - EPA Building Blocks Program Committee -------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, ~Derek
--
Let deeds, not words, be your adorning. -'Abdu'l-Baha
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells
_______________________________________________ Bikeboard mailing list Bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com http://wvcompletestreets.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard
--
Let deeds, not words, be your adorning. -'Abdu'l-Baha
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells
_______________________________________________ Bikeboard mailing list Bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com http://wvcompletestreets.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard
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Chip Wamsley