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Task force formed to explore possibility of greenways project

Information sessions planned July 24, 25
Jackson County recently established a committee to explore the possibility of constructing a greenway of bike and walking paths connecting several area towns.

Greenways are land corridors used to connect people and places. A local project could eventually link Cullowhee, Sylva and Dillsboro through a system of parks, bike and foot trails, said committee Chairman and Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver.

Though costly, greenways can help improve water quality and reduce the impacts of flooding in floodplain areas, experts say. Generally the corridors are natural, such as rivers and streams. Abandoned railroad beds and utility corridors can also be used. Greenways provide trails that can enhance existing recreational opportunities and provide routes for alternative transportation, they say.

Jackson joins other Western North Carolina communities - including Cherokee, Morganton and Black Mountain - working to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the region through greenways.

In an effort to generate new ideas and share these projects with the community at large, the Jackson County greenway committee will host two events featuring Ed McMahon, a pro-business conservationist and director of the American Greenways Program at the Conservation Fund in Arlington, Va.

"You can take beauty to the bank," said McMahon, co-founder of Scenic America, a non-profit organization devoted to protecting scenic landscapes. "You can put a dollar value on a view."

McMahon will provide information on greenway development Monday, July 24, at 7 p.m. at the Justice Center in Sylva. The following day, during an 8 a.m. breakfast meeting at the Golden Age Center, he will bring the experience of businesses and communities throughout the United States and present ideas on how to preserve the "sense of place" in WNC.

"One of the reasons I've supported the greenway project is its possibilities for alternative transportation," said Jackson County Manager Jay Denton, who also serves on the committee. "I realize other people like greenways for their beauty and preservation opportunities, but I look at them also as areas for recreation and transportation."

"The design of a community communicates what it is. Places are best defined by their culture, the stories born there and told there," McMahon said. "When a community preserves its culture and historic resources, visitors benefit from the shared spirit of celebration and pride in that place's customs and traditions."

Local greenway committee members, in addition to Oliver and Denton, are Steve Eller of Southwestern Planning Commission; Jackson County Recreation Department Director Jeff Carpenter; Phil Gibson of WNC Tomorrow; and Southwestern Community College administrator Connie Haire.

Also, Village of Forest Hills Mayor Irene Hooper; Webster Mayor Steve Gray; John Faulk of Dillsboro; Jimmi Buell of Jackson County's health department; local architect Odell Thompson; Jim Dukes of Environmental Planning; Jack Farmer, a retired forestry; Mike Terrell of Dillsboro; and Forest Hills board member Larry Kolenbrander.

Also, Nantahala Power and Light General Manager Fred Alexander; Department of Transportation Division Engineer Ron Watson; Barbara Davis of Pathways for the Future; and Robert Hawk of Cherokee.

"The task force is open to anyone who wants to participate," said Gibson, who invited those interested to make reservations for the workshops.

Both workshops are open to the public; however, seating for the all-you-can-eat breakfast at the Golden Age Center (cost is $3) is limited to the first 100 people to register by calling Lynn Allen at Sylva Town Hall at 586-2719.

Back to Archive: 07/13/00.