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Sylva resident questions spending
By Lynn Hotaling
A Sylva resident took county leaders to task last week (Oct. 12), questioning their judgment with regard to spending at the Jackson County Airport and their decision to purchase property for a library site.
Just because county property tax revenues are up is not a reason to spend money that doesn't have to be spent, Marie Leatherwood told Jackson County commissioners during the public comment portion of their meeting.
Leatherwood characterized the airport as a drain on county coffers since its construction 26 years ago. She also said it would not be in the public's interest to invest another $1.2 million (the amount the Jackson County Airport Authority has released for a planned terminal/hangar project) into what she termed a "small, dangerous airport."
Turning her attention to commissioners' Sept. 14 announcement that they would purchase some 1.4 acres adjacent to Jackson Plaza as a site for a new public library, Leatherwood told county leaders they "shouldn't waste money buying land at unsafe, unpleasant Jackson Plaza."
"Why in the name of the world would you want to put a library in a place like that?" she asked, referring to police reports of recent criminal activity at Jackson Plaza.
Leatherwood also objected to the county's purchase of Leo Webb's East LaPorte property that adjoins the county's river access park for $207,000. Plans are to add that tract to the park to increase county recreational offerings. At one time commissioners were considering "trading" that property in a move that would allow a library to be built on the old Sylva School site in Mark Watson Park.
Replacing the land taken out of recreation use with additional land at another park would satisfy the terms of a trust fund that was used to develop Mark Watson Park, Commissioners' Chairman Stacy Buchanan said when the idea was first proposed.
The county already owns land adjacent to Mark Watson Park, Leatherwood said, so there was no reason to purchase Webb's property.
Continuing on the library project, Leatherwood also told commissioners it was unfair to ask the town of Sylva to contribute half the cost of the Jackson Plaza library site.
"The town of Sylva has no money to repair streets and fix storm drains," she said.
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