I’ll bet a lot of readers of the Polk County News got a nice self-righteous buzz from Laura Lewis’ attack on Bruce Walters in the March 18th issue. “How dare he write a letter to the editor! She sure told him! Go back to Florida! And stay there!”
But what if he’s right? What if the river road could be made safe for a lot less money? Right now, not dozens of years in the future? What if it doesn’t make sense to build a superhighway for truck traffic through the middle of the Cherokee National Forest? Aren’t long distance shippers already moving from trucks to much cheaper rail alternatives?
It’s terrible to lose a loved one on any road. But if you’re trying to prevent more deaths and make intelligent decisions, you need to look at the facts, not just heap scorn on people who disagree with you. According to the Chattanooga Times, “The safety argument doesn’t hold water. That stretch of highway has a lower-than-average traffic accident rate” (Forget Highway Boondoggles, February 14, 2009).
They should have gone on to say that most of the accidents are at two or three bad spots, and they need to be fixed now, not in twenty more years, and that we need guardrails and more passing areas. But it really is just a boondoggle, a welfare project for the road contractors. Something tells me that they don’t want you to know that it’s going to be a toll road. (Excuse me, a “public-private partnership.”) If this thing ever gets built, most of us who live here will probably go right on using the same old unimproved river road instead of paying a $5 or $6 toll every time we want to go to Cleveland.
Obviously, the people who are going to make millions from building this road are telling us that it is going to lead to a new era of instant economic prosperity for Polk County. We’ve heard all this before, and if you believe it, there’s a bridge or two you might want to buy. The truth is, it isn’t going to benefit anyone who doesn’t own a gas station. If they build this road where they want to build it – over the mountain - it is going to ruin every acre of national forest between the Ocoee and the Hiwassee. If they build it through the gorge instead, it’s going to destroy the gorge.
Our economic base is tourism, not interstate truck traffic. People come here because it’s quiet and beautiful, not because they want to see big trucks roll on wonderful superhighways. They can see that at home. If we let this thing get built, it’s goodbye to our tourism industry and our second home industry forever. That’s goodbye to our economic future and to our present way of life. If you just really hate Floridians, maybe that’s a reasonable price to pay. But if you love and care about our mountains and our young people, it isn’t so good.
Our happy local road boosters seem to think that the wonderful, benevolent government wants to spend a couple of billion dollars just to help us out, so we can get to Cleveland a little faster. They seem to think that we’re the only people who are going to be allowed to ride on it. These people need to wake up. They want to build it to take all that truck traffic off I-40 west of Asheville. Maybe you people should drive over there some day and take a look at that and ask yourself what Ducktown and Polk County are going to be like with that mess smack in the middle of it, and whether you really want that for our area and our people.
I’ve said this before, but maybe I should say it again. All this nonsense is just TDOT’s latest, greatest, and slickest excuse for not fixing the river road. Let’s get smart and push for that, not for an interstate truck route over the mountain that will never be built.
The Polk County Planning Commission voted last month to send a letter of intent to call in the remaining $24,000 of the road bond for Phase V of Ocoee Mountain Club.
State-of-the-art mapping technology is located in every ambulance now that Rural/Metro has takesnover, thanks to the foresight of the Polk County 911 Board.
The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s iconic schoolhouse quilt has been replicated on an 8-foot-square block and installed above the museum’s front entrance as part of the Appalachian Quilt Trail program.
After the social hour and meal the business session was held and several important items were discussed, including the selection of the 2010 scholarship recipient from Polk County High School.
Polk County High School students put their skills and talents together at the National Technology Students Association Conference and came away as National Champs in the On-Demand Video Competition.
The Museum Center is pleased to host an exhibition that looks at the history of the fraternal lodges in Bradley County and the impact that they have made on the development of our area.
The Bonnie Blues 956 Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy made a trip to Franklin, Tennessee on June 18 and 19 to attend the Tennessee Division Convention.
The long-awaited book is an update of the very popular “Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control,” published by the Station in 2003.
How effective have plastic bag bans and restrictions been on reducing plastic litter and other problems associated with their proliferation? And is it really better to use paper bags, which will just lead to more deforestation?
Wildlife linkages can have a significant impact on decreasing animal deaths on roadways as well as highway safety, according to An Assessment of Wildlife and Aquatic Habitat Linkages.
A pair of juvenille White Ibis have been visiting the East Tennessee Nursery during the last two weeks ... seemingly content to feed on the abundant Junebug population.
Jim Caldwell snapped this picture last week, commenting that he couldn't believe he saw something so unusual as a deer grazing in the middle of the Hiwassee River.
Subscriber Carol Cooper captured what appears to be a special moment between two cardinals at about 7:15 last Wednesday morning at Campbell Cove Lake in Turtletown.
A group of Copper Basin High School students learned about environmental cleanup, the importance of clean water and the history of copper mining during Earth Day activities hosted by Glenn Springs Holdings.
The new, easier-to-use site provides new ways to explore Living Heritage Museum’s current and upcoming exhibitions, its programs and events, and detailed information about the Museum and its collection.
The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association (TOHA) hopes to capitalize on that trend by promoting driving tours that link the Cherohala Skyway and Ocoee Scenic Byway.
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Officials report that three American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funded projects in the Cherokee National Forest were recently completed.
Each year, the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development publishes a Vacation Guide that includes a collection of Tennessee’s finest communities.
A Tennessee Overhill trail will be included in the initiative, and the Cherohala Skyway between Monroe County and North Carolina is included in the byways section.
Linda Caldwell, executive director of the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Tourisim Association, is helping to coordinate the local effort under the state guidelines.
In addition to destroying part of the county’s major highway, last week’s rockslide also damaged the county’s major tourism infrastructure – the whitewater rafting put-in.
Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the 2010 Back to School CoverKids outreach campaign to help enroll Tennessee’s children in the state’s free, comprehensive health insurance plan.
A man claiming to be a representative of Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) telephoned at least two Meigs County residents early Wednesday morning attempting to get money.
The Department of Revenue is reminding Tennessee shoppers that during these three days of savings, you can save almost 10 percent on tax-free clothing, school and art supplies and computer purchases.
Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) officials were recently alerted of a person trying to gain access to a VEC customer’s home by claiming to be an employee of “the electric company.”
In fact, due to ARRA incentives, initial federal data shows the average tax refund for 2009 is up nearly 10 percent, or $266, from the previous year, according to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman.
While the economy slowly recovers, many budget-conscious homeowners are looking for simple, cost-effective ways to transform their homes' exteriors into inviting outdoor "land-escapes" that can be enjoyed year around.
Dear EarthTalk: I see a lot of “healthy snacks” being marketed for kids that list “natural flavors” but don’t identify them. Should I use these products?
Flowers and plants are blooming, the sun is shining and the weather is finally getting warmer after winter's chill. So why not bring some of spring's beauty into your home so you can enjoy it day after day?
Reports from across the nation indicate fake agents and sales representatives are going door-to-door claiming to be with the federal government to peddle phony health insurance policies.
At a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission meeting, action was taken which reduced the bear archery season to three weeks from the originally proposed five week season.
The second Kid’s Fishing Day, hosted by TWRA, Forest Service and the Cherokee Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, will be at McCamy Lake in the Chilhowee Recreation Area on May 15th, 8 am-12 pm.
An economic benefit study of trout fishing in Tennessee showed total expenditures of $1.5 million for the Hiwassee River during a 6-month period in 2002.
What many consider the "King of American Game Birds", the wild turkey is quite vocal during the spring breeding season. The call (gobble) of the wild turkey in the mountains of east Tennessee is an unforgettable sound.
TWRA officials met with the county’s Fish & Wildlife Committee and more than a dozen citizens to discuss the planning process for a new five-year management plan for the river.
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