Last week I sent a note – substantially the same as the “Open Letter to Page County to my Page County Neighbors” linked at the end of this post – to local hospitality and tourism businesses. Page County recently was recognized as “The Cabin Capital of Virginia” and my sense of it is the tourism and hospitality industry would take a significant hit from the presence of a Fibrowatt plant. I worried that it might be a little forward of me to write to them, but I thought it was reasonable to share my opinion, and once they received it, they could (and would) decide for themselves anyway.
To my surprise, I received more than a dozen responses, all but one saying they appreciated the information and that they weren’t inclined to support the Fibrowatt proposal – the one basically a request for more information. I’ve chosen a few of these emails (and disguised the text to protect their anonymity) and now I am posting them below. I thanked each of these and asked them to write letters to their BOS rep.
From B. “I wanted to thank you for a well written letter and bring our concerns to the table. I will write to the supervisors and will reiterate some of your points and my own. We do need help with our tax base and we should be picky and concerned about any industry that wants to come here. There was always a routine for due diligence for every project to be considered but for some strange reason this came out. Something stinks here and I don’t think it’s chicken poop!”
From H. “Thank you for your email, and I'm totally against this project. A few jobs is not worth risking the health of thousands of people in and around Luray/Page County. I was hoping to open a business in Luray within the next year (my products are sold at [another business in Luray] at the moment), and I have been looking for store space, or the possibility of purchasing land to build a proper store...I can tell you that if this project is approved, I will NOT be continuing business in Luray. Further, if there is anything I can do to help fight this incredibly pathetic reason to boost economy, I'd be happy to join in any efforts possible.”
From E. “Thank you so much for this! I agree with your "discussion" and will do everything in my power to block Fibrowatt from coming into our area. [We] were instrumental in blocking a cell tower from being erected on the property that abuts ours and we will do our best to block this issue. “
From H. “Thanks for taking the time to research and sharing of this information. Unfortunately the EDA appears able to do what it wants when it wants, regardless of the opinions of the masses.”
From C. "Thank you Jim, I appreciate your comments. These are all very valid concerns, and ones that I hope the Board will consider in their deliberations on this. Another major area of concern is the amount of water that will be needed for operation. That quantity has not been clearly identified, but based on estimates I’m hearing, it could have a serious impact on water supplies in the area."
From D. “Jim: I read your beautifully constructed letter and I couldn't agree more. I think…the idea will soon die. Thanks for taking your time to do the research and helping to save the beauty and well being of Page County.”
http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2010/02/open-letter-to-my-page-county-neighbors.html
No comments:
Post a Comment