Letters to the editor: 10/11/01

Eyesore could have been prevented

To the Editor:

The signs at the new convenience center in Cullowhee, next to the U.S. Post Office and right below Western Carolina University faculty apartments, are big and ugly.

A decent sign ordinance may have prevented this blight, but in 1999 a majority of the Jackson County commissioners voted against Jackson County beautification. To quote the Nov, 11, 1999, Sylva Herald:

"Through a series of 3-2 decisions, Commissioners Roberta Crawford, Conrad Burrell and Franz Whitmire outvoted Chairman Jay Denton and Commissioner Stacy Buchanan to amend the proposed ordinance to allow higher and more frequent billboards along Jackson County highwaysŠ.

"Last week's work session, designed to allow commissioners and planners to discuss a draft ordinance to restrict billboards and other off-premise signs, began with a plea from George Allison, owner of Allison Outdoor Advertising Co. in Sylva. The session ended with an amended ordinance that mirrored Allison's requestsŠ.

"Commissioners Crawford, Whitmire and Burrell began modifying the proposed ordinance, following, almost as presented, the requests made by Allison and Ayers. Denton and Buchanan took the side of the planning board, consistently voting to stick with that board's recommendations.

"'The question is not who uses billboards, but how many billboards we need in Jackson County,' Denton said. 'As county leaders, we need to look toward the future.'"

Is this the beginning of a N.C. 107 trash strip in Cullowhee? Probably so, if the people continue to allow commissioners who don't care about the environment to run Jackson County.

I, for one, will boycott this new eyesore. And, when the time comes, I will vote against candidates for Jackson County commissioners who are unwilling to protect the environment and beautify Jackson County.

Mary Jean Herzog

Cullowhee

Flag theft was truly un-American

To the Editor:

As you know, there has been a resurgence of patriotism, not only across our nation, but also in Jackson County. I would like to let your readers know of an outrageous and horrible incident that took place during the night of Oct. 7, which was a slap in the face during these patriotic times.

The Cullowhee-Sylva Kiwanis Club owns and sets out the large American flags on white poles along Main Street in Sylva. We usually place these flags along Main Street and outside other local businesses during federal holidays and special occasions.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in New York City and Washington, D.C., I received several requests to place our American flags along Main Street for an extended period of time. One of our downtown merchants decided to spearhead the effort to have our American Flags proudly displayed.

Heather Menacof, one of the owners of Blackrock Outdoor Co., took it upon herself to contact other merchants on Main Street, to distribute the flags and take responsibility to insure their proper display. The very first day she arranged for the flags to be displayed was on Oct. 7. She wanted the flags displayed for the county's heritage parade, which took place Sunday afternoon.

The cowardly and un-American act to which I previously referred to occurred that night. An individual(s) proceeded to steal 11 of the American flags. This was apparently accomplished by cutting the nylon cords that held each flag to their individual poles.

This outrageous act of thievery would have been terrible at any time, but it is more particularly so during these trying times for our nation. It truly makes me sad that an individual(s) would take such pains to accomplish such an un-American, cowardly and outrageous act. Obviously, this individual(s) is not going to display these flags but most likely will try to sell them for a profit.

At this point we would be happy with this individual(s) being a "true American" and retuning these symbols of American history and pride. Otherwise, I would ask anyone who has knowledge of the perpetrator(s) of this act or the location of the missing flags to contact the Sylva Police Department.

Sincerely,

James R. Anderson

Attorney at Law

and President

Cullowhee-Sylva

Kiwanis Club

Ginseng needs to be protected

To the Editor:

If I may be allowed a few more words on the ginseng issue, I would like to respond to Verlin Bryson's letter.

I'm sorry to have offended Mr. Bryson. I believe him to be a good man and a good neighbor, but his letter misrepresents some facts.

Some of my neighbors have asked me to keep an eye on their property when they are away. I did inform one neighbor who lives in Florida that ginseng diggers and hunters were using her property rather freely and offered to put up some "no trespassing" signs for her.

Mr. Bryson's colorful description of "great holes and dead animals" comes only from his own imagination. On just one occasion I reported a trespasser to the Sheriff's Department.

I regret that Mr. Bryson chose not to address the issues I raised in my original letter. Large amounts of ginseng are being dug illegally and irresponsibly. Thefts from private property are common occurrences. If I seem protective of my land, it is because people steal from it.

I take an interest in what happens in the National Forest because this is public land that everyone should help to protect. It seems unreasonable to me that a valuable resource is being depleted for the financial gain of relatively few individuals.

I am not alone in this concern. Forest Service botanists are worried about the rapid decline of ginseng populations. Too many plants are being harvested each year, young plants are being dug before they produce any seeds, and the seeds from mature plants are often not being planted.

One remedy that has been proposed is a complete ban on ginseng digging on National Forest land. If ginseng diggers continue in their present habits, this may come to pass.

Like Mr. Bryson I also enjoy walking in the mountains on a beautiful fall day, and the experience would be much nicer if I occasionally saw the bright red fruits of big, healthy ginseng plants that had not been dug up and sold.

Mike Ivey

Cullowhee

Volunteers make Soccerfest 2001 a success

To the Editor:

I would like to thank the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this year's Chevy Soccer Festival/Soccerfest 2001 a success.

If it weren't for volunteers like you (and you know who you are), many of the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Departments events would not be possible.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

Rusty Ellis

Assistant Director

Jackson County Recreation

and Parks Department

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