Save Airlie Gardens, Now and Forever

When faced with an extraordinarily tight budget in 2010, the chairman of the New Hanover County Commissioners floated the idea of selling county-owned Airlie Gardens, an historic garden that is one of the most cherished landmarks in North Carolina. Airlie Gardens Foundation reacted swiftly and hired Talk to plan and implement a proactive communications campaign to ensure the long-term security of the 67-acre, 100+ year old treasure.

In Spring 2010, New Hanover County Commissioners announced the possibility of selling Airlie Gardens to help fund significant budget gaps facing the county. The sale of Airlie was positioned as a possible outcome if a proposed 1/4 cent sales tax increase was not approved by in a voters on May 4, 2010. Many were surprised to learn the county had the authority to sell the Garden it purchased in 1999 to be a historic public garden. Public outcry was rapid, loud and heated. The Airle Gardens Foundation was faced with the following challenges Potential sale of Airlie, now and during next budget crisis Reduction in county funding due to budget constraints Reduction in private donations due to uncertainty Misperception of Airlie Gardens as an elitist destination not easily accessible to or frequented by local residents Talk and the Airlie Gardens Foundation held strategic planning meetings to brainstorm ways to Mitigate threat of a sale Raise awareness of need to save Airlie from a sale now and in the future by discussing the idea of conservation easements Maintain positive relationships with county officials and staff Strengthen the Gardens' position as a public destination that is widely treasured by and easily accessible to all county residents. Position Airlie Gardens as a fiscally responsible destination well on its way to being financially self sufficient Use awareness campaign as a catalyst to increase memberships and private donations Developed five key messages: Airlie Gardens is a sound investment because it is valuable as economic development tool Airlie is run like a business; goal is to be financially independent Airlie is accessible and affordable to all First time in NC that a county/municipality would sell land that was preserved - sets precedent that threatens green space throughout the state Rich history distinguishes Airlie from other green space (Pembroke Jones, Azalea Festival, etc.) Nurtured 3rd party support of business leaders, opinion leaders and conservation groups via meetings with and calls from board members Wrote and distributed eblast to supporters, members and elected officials Engaged employees, members, donors and neighbors as ambassadors; distributed buttons and flyers with talking points at Garden events Press materials and fact sheet distributed to media statewide Soon after campaign launch, majority of county commissioners publicly stated they would NOT support the sale of Airlie Gardens Media placements included: Wilmington Star News front page article Two Star News editorials Star News Letters To The Editor (12+) www.StarNewsOnline.com blog posts Lumina News Rhonda Bellamy public affairs program on WAAV-AM Byline Wilmington public affairs program on WILM-TV WECT-TV WWAY-TV http://wilmington.johnlocke.org StarNewsOnline created an Airlie Gardens Topic Page: http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/TOPIC04// Prior to the campaign, a county-commissioned survey showed that 51.8% of voters opposed the sales tax increase and only 37.5% supported it. On May 4, 52% of voters approved the tax increase, thanks in part to concern over the fate of Airlie Gardens. Discussions ongoing regarding conservation easements.