Work with DOT to stop bypass
To the Editor:
While enjoying the Fourth of July holiday celebration, we were encouraged
to see people in the community actively addressing two major issues
facing Sylva and the surrounding area. The Smart Roads Alliance group
and T.J. Walker were both providing valuable information on the Southern
Loop Road project and the Dillsboro Dam removal, respectively.
While both of these issues are important, I wish to address the Loop
Road project at this time. The negative impact the new road would have
on the natural beauty and peace of this area would be devastating. It
would be massive and it would be forever.
As an example, recall Sylva prior to the arrival of the Super Wal-Mart.
While I agree that Wal-Mart tries to be a good neighbor, it brought
additional traffic, noise, lights, trucks, etc. A new major roadway
will invite more of the same.
I am not an employee of the N.C. Department of Transportation. I do
have several years experience working with DOT projects in another state.
I have been privileged to meet several of the DOT engineers and found
them to be good, local people active in the community.
My interest in this issue is as a homeowner and simply to preserve and
protect the rare and wonderful beauty of Sylva and Jackson County. I
cannot approve of this project. The damage will be terrible and irreversible.
I encourage everyone to work with the N.C. DOT. Provide them with accurate
information as to why this project must not move forward. I like to
think the welfare and scenic beauty of the town and county is foremost
in their hearts as well.
Someone initiated this project in error. The community must provide
information to support their option to stop it. Request information
and studies for environmental impacts. Is there any protected or endangered
wildlife to consider? Does anyone know what wildlife is in the areas
that will be destroyed: birds, fish, frogs, plants? Request information
on other traffic management tools currently available to improve/upgrade
existing roadways and intersections.
During my work in these areas, public attendance at hearing and meeting
spoke volumes to the DOT and other agencies. It is very important that
those opposing this project make an appearance at all meetings open
to them by the DOT. The engineers will greet you, they will see you
there and they will listen.
Three cheers for Smart Roads Alliance and for T.J. Walker.
Thank you,
Dwight Kirkman
Sylva
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Put Frank Young in charge of everything
To the Editor:
Frankly speaking, or as Nixon used to say, "To be quiet frank with
you," what Jackson County needs is FRANK! He has all the answers
to all the questions concerning Jackson County and the N.C. Department
of Transportation.
Let's bump Buchanan and put Frank (Young) in as chairman of the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners. After a session or two, he should have
the other four board members whipped into shape and then you will have
a board of one! Of course, he will fire Westmoreland as excess baggage.
Frank might also consider getting rid of Conrad Burrell, as he can handle
that job, too.
Then, all you Jackson County locals can sit back and watch the county
being run - Sebring, Fla., style, which will free up your minds to think
of worldly affairs such as your cowboy president and Little Texas, formerly
known as Iraq.
Seriously folks, our dilemma is as simple as this: If you continue to
elect mediocre members to the boards of the towns and county, you can
expect mediocre government, mediocre planning boards, mediocre committees,
mediocre employees, right on down to the lowest man in the pecking order.
As to the nice letter from Western Carolina University Chancellor John
Bardo, we don't need any input from him. We already have it. It's a
little late to mount a study on the traffic mess on N.C. 107.
The Wal-Mart Supercenter was allowed to locate on N.C. 107 because of
really mentally-impaired officials (and the public). Smart people don't
allow Wal-Mart to locate in their towns.
Finally, at the cock fights you will find three or four people who have
all the answers. I call them "chicken philosophers." Every
time you loose, they are in your face, telling you what you did wrong.
But they can't keep any chickens on account of a heart condition or
high blood pressure.
Have a nice, hot summer as you wait for the lights to change in Sylva.
Allen Fisher
Sylva
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DOT will do no harm
To the Editor:
I read with interest the Phillips/Hooper news article "DOT officials:
We're looking at all possibilities" in last week's paper.
We should all be very aware of this issue as it may very well be the
issue for Sylva for many years to come. How the increasing traffic through
the town is handled will not only affect the quality of life but the
viability of our wonderful downtown.
Having lived in other towns, I can appreciate how hard it is to maintain
any semblance of a "downtown" - and Sylva enjoys one of the
finest.
I happen to know N.C. Secretary of Transportation Lyndo Tippett and
find him to be an honorable and just person. I cannot believe his DOT
would do anything that is intentionally harmful to the local citizens,
if they know what we want.
Therein lies the real issue - "what do we want?" Traffic problems
are not easily solved because some always seem to suffer for the benefit
of others. The trick is to get the best answer for as many as possible,
while making the discomfort the least it can be.
One partial solution might be to build a westbound entrance to U.S.
23-74 at Exit 85 (near Harris Regional Hospital). I would assume this
would reduce the through traffic now headed for Exit 83 (near the Justice
Center).
There are probably numerous solutions, and they should all be explored
before we agree to any one of them. When the DOT announces its meeting(s)
with the public on this issue, Sylva should be there. If anyone has
a good idea, it should be shared at every opportunity.
This is not an issue to let someone else solve. It affects us all.
Milt Wofford
Sylva
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Think before you spend
To the Editor:
Recently, I was dismayed to see yet another Sylva area mountain give
way to the bulldozers. Afterward, I watched as the workers moved in
and, in days, threw up, you guessed it, another fast food joint.
I just read in The Sylva Herald that this new place served 1,100 meals
the first day. I am glad a business is doing so well. However, as a
small business owner, I have to wonder where the money went. Clarence
and Jeff Ranier (the purported owners) live in Wharton, Texas, not Sylva.
Not Western North Carolina. And not even in North Carolina. The profit
went directly out of our community to Wharton, Texas.
It has been said that money spent within a community gets spent
four more times within that community. I have to ask those 1,100
people who ate there that day where they ate on previous days. Was it
at another local food place? I know of a few that would love to have
1,100 customer days. They could be downright successful. There are locally-owned
places serving exactly the same foods without the bright neon.
I would like to gently remind everyone that should we continue
to allow non-locally owned places to suck all the money out
of Sylva, then we are just a few steps removed from the owners of local
places working for minimum wage at those same places. Every dollar you
spend in your neighbors' business helps put their kids in clothes and
good food on their tables.
Think before you spend, folks, or we won't have to think at all.
John Bubacz
Cullowhee
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Loop will not fix N.C. 107
To the Editor:
It seems to me that in discussing the Southern or Northern Loop roads,
few have addressed the fact that neither of these alternatives will
greatly alter the traffic on N.C. 107.
Those of us who travel it every day see that the majority of the traffic
is either going to or from one of the schools on the road, to shop or
bank or eat in one of the eating places on the road or in town, or to
visit a doctor or the hospital. In almost every case, this traffic will
still be on N.C. 107.
Those cars coming from the Waynesville area going to Cullowhee will
have a slightly quicker route. Travelers from Franklin who know the
area already use the river road.
Even if this expensive road is built, the traffic problem on N.C. 107
will still have to be addressed. I don't know the solution to the problem;
I just know that the proposed roads won't be that solution.
Marcella Huguelet
Sylva
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Chancellor should speak up on Loop
To the Editor:
The people of North Carolina, of Jackson County, of our local communities
recently voted. The majority of voters passed what may be one of the
largest bond issues in the history of our state designed to support
our colleges and universities.
We have shown our will and commitment to maintain and improve the integrity
of our university system. It is time for the university to show its
commitment to maintain the integrity of our community.
The proposed multi-million dollar highway would be a destructive force
far into our future. For the chancellor not to take a position on the
proposed Southern Loop is, in itself, a very loud statement.
Sincerely,
Ralph Morgan
Webster
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In praise of SMHS
To the Editor:
Smoky Mountain High School is a great place to teach and coach. The
teachers are positive and extremely cooperative. The faculty and administration
seem to genuinely have the interests of the students as their No. 1
priority.
For someone who has coached and taught in several different schools
in varying geographic locations, I find Smoky Mountain High a wonderful,
positive place to work.
Jackson County is a gem in the mountains and should be cherished and
supported by everyone. The kids deserve it.
Tom Sargent
Sylva
Editor's Note: Sargent is a SMHS teacher and the school's JV football
coach.
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Get involved in your school system
To the Editor:
I just wanted to respond to Mr. Bumgarner's letter about our school
system that was in last week's paper.
I agree with his comments on how our school system seems to have taken
a downhill turn. I don't have any children in our school system, but
I have grandchildren attending school here, and I am concerned about
the problems that have occurred in the past years with some teachers
and personnel in our school system.
There is no simple solution, but I am going to start attending more
school functions and try to become more involved in the schools. By
not having any children attending school now, I am not aware of a lot
that is going on in our schools, such as PTO meetings, etc. But the
functions I am aware of, I still try to become a more active and involved
citizen.
Just maybe there are some other people in Jackson County who would like
to know more about what's happening in our schools and what the school
board is doing. We pay taxes and have a right to know.
Let's get involved and help our children.
Ann Bryson
Cullowhee
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Citizens' group requests Taylor probe
To the Editor:
A few weeks ago, I heard that a citizen's group was circulating a petition
asking the U.S. House Ethics committee to investigate Rep. Charles Taylor
(NC-11). Like many folks in this area, I am very concerned that Mr.
Taylor seems to think that he is above the law and was anxious to learn
more about this petitioning effort.
Well, last week I found those responsible for this grassroots effort
and thought that I should pass along what I have learned, as I am sure
that other concerned readers are also interested.
It's a non-partisan group called the Committee to Investigate Rep. Charles
Taylor, and their petition is being circulating in 12 WNC counties by
at least 26 volunteers. They initiated this petition drive following
the recent indictments and testimony of Taylor's close business and
political associates that link him to bank fraud and money laundering.
Three of them have now been convicted and have testified that Taylor
was aware of the fraudulent loans made by his bank to one of his political
cronies. Even though Taylor approved the fraudulent loans and has been
implicated by his former partners, the U.S. Justice Department refuses
to investigate or even question him.
The Committee to Investigate believes that no American is above the
law and that Taylor should be thoroughly investigated relative to these
charges. To get involved in this effort or simply to learn more about
this case, contact the Committee by e-mail at CICT@earthlink.net or
by mail at P.O. Box 1048, Asheville, N.C. 28802.
Doug Jones
Asheville
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New road would give Sylva room to grow
To the Editor:
I don't understand why people feel Sylva does not have a traffic problem.
I have lived in Sylva for 16 years and have noticed that lately traffic
is ridiculous. There is no other place for people to travel, and let's
face it, Sylva is growing!
I lived on Cope Creek Road for five years. Within the first few months
someone lost control in a curve and came into our yard, taking some
trees with them. It would be nothing to sit out in our yard and watch
cars come around the curves on two wheels. Cope Creek Road is the main
road college students and everyone else uses to get to Highway 74.
I would love for some of these people who say we do not have a traffic
problem to live on Cope Creek for just one month. We moved from this
area because of the traffic that comes through there.
We need a road to not only alleviate traffic from N.C. 107 but also
Cope Creek. I don't understand why people think N.C. 107 is not a problem.
I have left my house on Cope Creek to go to Wal-Mart and the traffic
has been backed up all the way from Cody's to Wal-Mart. It has also
been backed up from My Grandma's Pancake Barn to Taco Bell.
I am all for a road! I would like to see my tax dollars go to something
useful and will help the town. I know that roads decrease from the beauty,
and Sylva is a beautiful place, but there are more and more people coming
to share that beauty with us, and we must make room for them.
Shawn Stanton
Sylva
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Balsam church withdraws from TBA
To the Editor:
On Aug. 13 in a special called business meeting, Balsam Missionary Baptist
Church members voted unanimously to withdraw from the Tuckaseigee Baptist
Association. This vote was preceded by unanimous recommendation from
the deacon body of the church.
This was not a rash decision by our church, but rather came about by
much prayer and soul searching.
We know that our withdraw at this time might be misconstrued by some
as a vote in favor of those churches that have ordained women deacons
or have called a woman pastor. We want to make it very clear that we
strongly supported the action taken by Brother Claude Conard and the
Executive Committee of the Association concerning those issues.
We have the highest respect for the present leadership of the association
and believe as they do in the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.
However, for several years now and for various reasons, Balsam has been
a member of the association in name only. We did not feel as though
we could continue with so little interest in associational matters.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do
it with thy might," In other words, if we cannot give our all to
the work of the association, we should not be a part of it.
We have no stones to throw or axes to grind, and we have been and will
continue to pray for the Tuckaseigee Baptist Association. It is our
sincere prayer that whether we are members of the association or not,
we will all work together toward a common goal of seeing men and women,
boys and girls come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
Johnny Swanger
Pastor
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Back to Archive: 08/21/03.
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