Dear President Lancaster,
We hope this letter finds you well. Attached to this letter are the signatures of residents of the Dean Highland neighborhood in Waco, where the old Hillcrest hospital was located. We would like to express our interest in ensuring that this unoccupied land continues to remain true to the intentions of the land’s donor, Jesse Dean, an early 20th-century resident of Dean Highland who wanted his donated land to be utilized for the public good.
The hospital’s demise has not been followed up by any sort of development or renewal. It is simply a massive empty lot that has become littered with garbage and an overall detriment to Dean Highland’s standards of living and historical dignity. As the center of our community, this empty, litter-strewn lot embarrasses us and does a disservice to our neighborhood.
On behalf of the residents of Dean Highland, the Dean Highland Neighborhood Association respectfully proposes a partnership between Baylor, Scott, & White and the Dean Highland neighborhood; one whose end goal would be to secure nothing less than a community park – a greenspace – that would be the pride and joy of our city and something worthy of the vision that our neighborhood’s founders sought for its people.
We understand that there may be logistical, environmental, and legal considerations involved, but we are eager to work constructively with you to explore options on how we can make this a reality and protect the integrity of the neighborhood’s residents and its dignified history.
A park would be part of your lasting legacy in the heart of our neighborhood, too.
We are determined (humbly so) to meet with you to discuss this proposal further. Thank you for reading our letter. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dean Highland Neighborhood Association