While I do have empathy for the desire of those who want to visit their old
home place or the cemetary where their relatives are buried, building a road
across 34 miles of shoreline at the cost of $600,000,000 isn't the answer.
The families already are given transportation across Fontana Lake *and* bus
transportation to the old home sites and graveyards. They want to eat their
cake and have it, too.

I have had many discussions with friends and clients who have lived in Swain
County their entire lives about this issue. The most enlightened comment
came from a friend whose family was moved out to build the lake and then had
half their property taken to begin building the Road to Nowhere. She said it
was a conflict between those who were always looking backwards (pro-road)
and those who hoped to build a better future (anti-road, pro-settlement) for
their children so that they could remain in Swain County and not have to
seek a livelihood elsewhere. As things stand now, Swain County is one of the
poorest counties in North Carolina and has traditionally had one of the
highest unemployment rates.

And finally, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, like all National
Parks, belong to ALL Americans and decisions about the Park should be made
on a national basis. To give a small but vocal minority in a county of
10,000 the power to decide for all Americans is ludicrous.

John in WNC


"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
om...
Daniel-San wrote:
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote ...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5218050

I take no side on whether or not the road should be continued, as I
don't
know enough about the issue. But, I do want to thank you for posting the
link. ...

I don't know which side I'm on in this either. On the one
hand building a road through that part of the Park is costly
and unwise and I usually take the environmentalist side, but
on the other hand a lot of Fortenberrys were displaced when
TVA built the dam at Guntersville, Alabama and I know that
side of the issue too.

--
Ken Fortenberry