Editorials - 07/05/01

'Not in my backyard?' Not acceptable

Word seems to have gotten out that Jackson County is indeed a good place to relax, and quite a few people take advantage of our peace and quiet in the summer. For the most part, they recognize that this area is appealing because of its rural nature, not in spite of it, and act with respect for the people who have lived here for generations and for their way of life.

But then there are those who want to have their trees and build developments, too. These are the newcomers who look at our mountains with dollar signs in their eyes, seeing them only as potential money-makers - the ones who will give everything to protect their "investment." In fact, they can get downright possessive with regard to land they don't even own but can see out their window. At a commissioners' meeting a few weeks ago, one Florida-resident-turned-developer called the construction of a cellular tower across from his property his "worst nightmare," and went on to say he would take responsibility for the county's legal bills if, as he demanded, the county passed a moratorium stopping construction on the offending tower and got sued by the tower's builder.

Worst nightmare? He must have led a sheltered life. In the grand scheme of things, a small obstruction of one's view (a view which will soon be even more compromised by his own development) is an annoyance, maybe an irritant, but not a nightmare. A nightmare is the discovery of a sex scandal at Blue Ridge or the loss of a child. A nightmare affects your heart, not your wallet.

Why is it acceptable for this developer to bulldoze his own mountainside, but not for his neighbor to do the same? The amount of ground that will be affected by the tower's construction is not even the size of one house, much less the eight that this man plans to build.

When you think about it, it starts to sound as though his protests stem more from a fear that he will lose money on this deal than from any love of an unspoiled view. And it doesn't help that neither he nor his wife seems to worry much about where else the cell company would build. As long as it's not in their back yard, they say, it's fine with them.

It's time to decide what we want out of Jackson County. It can't be an unspoiled rural paradise and a technological center at the same time - things just don't work that way. If we want wireless communication, we have to accept the paraphernalia that goes with it. Certainly cell towers don't improve the landscape though there are ways to make them less obtrusive.

A moratorium could accomplish this goal, although it won't lessen the need for telecommunication towers to send signals throughout our mountainous terrain. If one is enacted, however, it should be based on what's best for the county as a whole and not on the wishes of one Florida developer.

Back to Archive: 07/05/01.