Kim Chapman Marcia Kling

Community Comment Board

Little Cedar Mountain Meeting By Chelie Britt (TheBritts@myexcel.com) On Monday, December 13 @11:03PM Although the TVA representatives were available to answer broad questions, they were unable to answer specific questions regarding the proposed development. "Question and answer" is a bit misleading since no questions were taken from the podium. Instead, it was necessary to stand in line to ask questions of the appropriate Thunder Enterprises representative. Additionally, there are still many questions that need answers - such as whether or not the Jasper Sewage plant can actually handle the additional load - when factored into normal usuage and if it doesn't, what will be the bill to the taxpayers. Until ALL of the questions are answered, the answer to the question of whether or not to support this development should be no. And at this point in time, the developers themselves don't appear to know the answers. [Reply to this comment ] Thunder Enterprises By John Q. Public On Tuesday, December 14 @07:54AM It's ironic that this development company is named Thunder Enterprises. A similarly-named organization, "Rolling Thunder Enterprises", is "...the oldest and most consistent producer of cultural events in the southeast producing the largest Native American festival in Georgia every Mother's Day weekend. RTE services include cultural sensitivity programs, wildlife rehabilitation, habitat preservation and kinship programs, Native American arts and entertainment, and primitive skills", according to the RTE website. I suspect that this particular company belongs to "Thunder" Thornton, who is now famous for grabbing huge tracts of land in the Southeast and Wyoming in order to build pricey new McMansions for the Hummer-driving eco-snobs who can afford them. Don't be surprised when the name of this new sub-division - with its enormous, impersonal residences, zoysia lawns, and 3-car garages - includes the word "Thunder". There's a huge ego inside a small man, at work here. And Marion County had just better get used to it. [Reply to this comment ] RE: More Than 700 Acres Up For Grabs By Dale Mitchell (maildale@webtv.net) On Tuesday, December 14 @03:42PM Jenny, Your story on TVA's Open House Meeting regarding the proposed sale of Little Cedar Mountain was somewhat misleading. TVA did not conduct a question & answer segment. They made statements, and allowed the proposed developers to make statements, but did not take any questions from the audience; so, in not taking any questions, they did not provide any answers! There was some limited one-on-one input at the different tables, but nothing that more than a few people were able to participate in. The only type of sanctioned "interaction" was via comment forms that people had the chance to fill out - and who knows if and when those forms will be reviewed? Members of the public opposed to this development were there in large numbers, and came not only from nearby Marion & Grundy Counties, but also from Nashville, Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Sparta, Crossville, Winchester, and Chattanooga, TN, & Ringgold, GA. Among these people were members of the Advisory Council on Tennessee Indian Affairs, the Alliance for Native American Indian Rights, Tennessee Native American Veterans Association, the Tennessee Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, a member of the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs, and several tribal members and supporters of the Chikamaka-Cherokee of the South Cumberland Plateau. Please try to be a bit more accurate in your reporting; and please continue to report on issues of Native American importance in Tennessee & in your broadcast area. Thank you, Dale Mitchell [Reply to this comment ] Galloping Greedy Grabbies By Valerie Ohle (vohle@comcast.net) On Wednesday, December 15 @01:57AM Web: tworivers.tnaim.org It's always the same old story. Government condemns and takes land for a song, figures out down the road they over estimated their needs, then turns around and sells it for a profit. It doesn't matter whether the profit is $$$ or acres, the point is the bottom line. This nation has a case of the galloping greedy grabbies. Little Cedar Mountain, Two Rivers Mounds, and many other pieces of undeveloped land have an earlier history than 1492. They have a value in their undeveloped status that is higher than anything that can ever be put there and that can never ever be reclaimed once the first shovel (hand held or diesel powered) touches the ground. Stop destroying undeveloped land! If you want to develop something, start with the deteriorating inner cities, the abandoned industrial areas, or go clean up a super site. Those with the bucks in this country are too lazy to work their way around cleaning up and doing something useful with some place like the Coster Shop site. They'd rather take a bulldozer to what's left of undeveloped land. I am thankful that the Creator does not practice HIS dominion over us the way we practice dominion over the earth he created! The last time I played golf, it wasn't the view I was after. It was a lower score than the time before that! Leave nature alone, stop tearing down what's left that is pure and good, and go clean up the messes you've left in your wakes. [Reply to this comment ] No Subject Given By chelanfarsight (chelan.farsight@gmail.com) On Wednesday, December 15 @10:16AM Polls like this are good...too bad TVA is not a democracy. If it were we might get to keep this land. [Reply to this comment ] No Subject By Marion County Resident On Wednesday, December 15 @02:49PM First off I am not for or against the project but I do have a few questions. If this land had never been in the possession of TVA and the real owners decided to develope it, would there but a "stink" over it like there is now?? And when TVA took possession of the property, where the original owners compensated for it and if not should they not be getting a larger sum of the money than TVA. This development could be good for our county. People are looking for land to build nice homes and land is scares here. I can see where we could use the tax dollars and help bring new industry to our county. As far as the cultural aspect of the land, I understand that it should be preserved but in all reality this whole area is full of Native American remains and if we stopped progress because of every bone we found then our county would be in worse shape than it is now. [Reply to this comment ]