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Close Spring Street between Main, Mill
To the Editor:
Does anyone else besides me feel that the repair work on Mill Street (“Back Street”) in Sylva is actually helping the traffic flow, even though it narrowed the road to one lane?
By eliminating the difficult intersection at Spring Street, with its three-way traffic light and confusing jog to the right to get across the street, the work crews have made it easier to get through town.
I suggest that we make the arrangement permanent. That one block between Mill Street and Main Street is more hassle than it’s worth. Let’s do away with it. Drivers could go one extra block and turn up Landis Street. We could tear up the pavement on the one block of Spring Street, build some terraces, plant some grass, add some benches, install some raised garden beds (or maybe water gardens with falls) in the middle, and we could have a classy little downtown oasis in Sylva. Maybe there could even be some arched entranceways at either end of the block ...
Drivers on Mill Street would benefit. Out-of-towners would no longer have to puzzle over the complicated directions on how to get through the intersection. Eventually, it could serve as a pedestrian connection from Main Street to the Mill Street beautification and creekside redevelopment projects that will hopefully happen down there one day.
I think this plan would make it easier to get around downtown, as well as making Sylva a nicer and more attractive place to be.
David Wheeler
Whittier
Saddened by theft in Wal-Mart parking lot
To the Editor:
Last Saturday my children and I stopped at Wal-Mart in Sylva on our way to the kids youth football game. We were in the store less than 30 minutes and returned to my van to find that someone with nothing better to do had stolen my son’s magnetic football with his name and number off the back of the vehicle.
This was in broad daylight. This football had his name, the number 55 and said “Franklin Panthers” on it. The only reason someone would have taken it was for pure meanness. Whoever did this – I hope you are happy to have pulled a stupid stunt that upset my child greatly – he was very disappointed that someone could just be “that mean.” If anyone saw someone doing this to my vehicle or anyone else’s (there have been several others taken) please report it. This is theft. These kids play and practice hard and they deserve to be able to display their names and numbers and be proud of them.
Stephanie Morgan
Franklin
Letter unfairly targets Thompson
To the Editor:
In response to Marie Leatherwood’s Sept. 15 letter to the Editor:
Despite Ms. Leatherwood’s noble fact-finding mission and Freedom of Information Act requests, her accusations that the county has paid local architect Odell Thompson $50,000 in taxpayer dollars for his services is at best absurd and at worst potentially slanderous.
In fact, with regards to the public library, Mr. Thompson was compensated a total of $3,445 for his professional services to the county. This does not include the hundreds of hours he has given as a volunteer, and his personal dedication to our community.
I personally was present for most of the public library task force meetings and then site selection committee meetings leading up to the selection of Jackson Plaza for the public library. Those included the meeting from which Mr. Thompson was quoted in Ms. Leatherwood’s letter, saying he felt is was appropriate to improve areas that needed more help than those which did not. It was not Mr. Thompson’s decision nor his first choice to locate the library outside of downtown proper, but was instead that of the county and town leaders assigned their roles on the library’s site selection commitee. Mr. Thompson made recommendations based on the sites supplied to him by the selection committee, some of which were eliminated before further study could be completed.
Ms. Leatherwood’s letter does not accurately portray Mr. Thompson’s outstanding commitment and dedication to our community. His genuine desire for the betterment of sevices for our county’s entire population is admirable and should not be sullied by inaccurate information.
Jason Kimenker
Sylva
Another episode in ‘As The Propeller Turns’
To the Editor:
At least it sounds like a soap opera to me.
I believe I read correctly that the County Commission is contracting to have a study done of the Jackson County Airport. Why?
Would that replicate the one done recently for the Airport Authority? Do the commissioners know that such a study was done recently? They don’t act like it? Have they read what it says? Have the commissioners talked to the members of the Airport Authority? Not as of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.
Apparently this is the episode where they say, “Don’t bother us with the facts, we’ve already made up our minds.
Come on now, commissioners, explain this childish behavior to the citizens of Jackson County. My wife and I did not tolerate such insolate behavior in our children when they were growing up. Why should we tolerate it in our elected representatives?
If the county is so affluent, why not give us a tax cut?
I challenge commissioners to explain these actions in The Sylva Herald, if you can. And don’t hide behind the excuse of a law suit pending.
Then there’s the matter of donating $250,000 to Macon County to expand their airport. I for one oppose such an expenditure. They can and should do what ever they wish with their airport, and I wish them well.
Fran Webster
Sylva
Inspired by sight of students at prayer
To the Editor:
Last week on my usual travels to work and the delivery of children to their schools, God gave me a blessing like none I have ever encountered.
When I dropped off Jordan at Smoky Mountain High School, I was humbled at the site I saw. In front of the biggest school in Jackson County, where all the high school young people are dropped off, in front of hundreds of people driving by, stood about 50 to 60 young people praying around the flag pole.
It was See You At The Pole day, where students initiate, organize and lead a time of prayer for their school, friends, teachers, government, and nation. Because of the traffic movement and congestion, I was not able to linger too long but had enough time to notice a blonde female youth with her head turned toward heaven, eyes closed tightly and her mouth in constant motion, calling out to God with her requests concerning her school and nation. The glow around her was eye catching. Immediately my eyes were completely filled with tears as I was overcome with emotions.
Why? First, that we still have youth who love God and believe that he can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others. Second, the youth of today are bold enough to stand in a public place and state to this community God is still the answer.
I believe if this nation is founded on the belief “In God We Trust,” then Americans need to give themselves and this United States back to God. Pray today for our young people. If they are the leaders of tomorrow I hope they do a better job than we have of allowing God to lead us.
Randal Moss
Sylva
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