Let them drink ditch water

Three Ashe County communities are now in dire need of assistance with water and sewer services, but they'll have to look somewhere other than Jefferson for help.

Residents in the Peak Creek community have been suffering for decades from water contamination issues around the old Ore Knob mine. The feds came to town recently to discuss the issues. Heavy metals continue to contaminate household well water and some families rely on bottled water just to get by.

Possible solutions involve a community water/sewer service district. But that ain't going to happen. And Commissioners aren't even concerned enough about these folks to pick up the phone. County Manager Dan McMillan says the county is not in the water and sewer business. Period. End of story.

Peak Creek residents can get in line with folks in Warrensville and Todd. Both of those communities have real needs for a local water and sewer service, but they're not getting any help from the county either. Both are old railroad towns where small lot sizes and geographic impediments make complying with state health laws a challenge to say the least. The Todd Post Office has had to bring in bottled water for years because of bad well water. Both have opportunities for economic growth, but that can't happen without community water and sewer services.

County Commissioners screwed county residents several years ago when Watauga County officials came knocking with an offer to collaborate on creation of a regional water and sewer system. The county got a second dose of stupidity last year when Commissioners refused to fight for the resources of the New River. The Town of Boone now owns all the allowable drinking water from the South Fork of the New River. Any future plans for West Jefferson or Jefferson to draw water from the New will mean paying Boone -- or shipping it in from the moon. Ashe County residents are left in the desert without any leadership.

What exactly is it that Ashe government does again? No water and sewer. No planning. No parks and recreation. No economic development. No Mount Jefferson. But the toilets at the pretty courthouse on the hill are still flushing just fine!

It must be time to fire up the moonshine still and clean the cobwebs out of the outhouse. Welcome to the 19th century, Ashe County!

Meet your new mute representatives

The silence we're hearing from the Taj Mahal in Jefferson and the offices of newly elected state representatives over the proposed Mount Jefferson closure is becoming deafening.

So far, the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, the Ashe County Board of Realtors, the Jefferson Board of Aldermen, Lonnie Adamson at the Jefferson Post and Ron Fitzwater at the Ashe Mountain Times have pleaded for public support to keep Ashe County's majestic lady open. Even Rep. Cullie Tarleton and Sen. Steve Goss have weighed in with their support for the mountain.

But no one's heard a peep from new Representative-elect Jonathan Jordan, Senator-elect Dan Soucek or the Ashe County Board of Commissioners. If this is how they're going to govern, it's going to be a long, dark two years for Ashe County.

Com'n guys, is this even a debatable issue for you? Mount Jefferson and New River State Park brought an estimated 268,000 people to the county in 2009, and spent an estimated $6.3 million if you use the state park economic impact figures.

If this governing thing is going to be a problem, please let someone know. If you can't even voice an opinion on closing the county's most well-known landmark, God help us when you have to actually tackle a tough issue.

Mt. Mothball?

A new round of austerity cuts being proposed in Raleigh may land smack on top of Ashe County.

The News & Observer reports this morning that a hefty round of budget cuts being proposed for next year include closing down Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. The rest of the state park system, including New River State Park, would shut down Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

According to the state park system, 268,000 people visited New River State Park and Mount Jefferson last year. Even if those people just spend 50 cents in the county, that's a hefty chunk of change for a county with 25,000 residents. (A study estimates each tourist visitor to a state park in North Carolina spends $23.56 per day.)

What will the deciders at the Taj Mahal in Jefferson say about closing down the county's most prominent landmark? With the previous proclamation of a return to "conservative government" we can't help but believe the Poe Posse will once again fail in their obligation to look out for the interests of the county's residents and treasures -- just as they did when they remained silent on the future of the New River.

Given that what's left of Ashe County's hobbled economy is based on tourism, we fail to see how this is going to do anything but lower us another few feet down into the dark, dark ground.

More conservative?

Re-elected Ashe County Commissioner Judy Porter Poe suggests the Ashe Board of Commissioners will be returning to conservative leadership now that the GOPers control all five seats on the board.
Wait, wasn't Poe the chairman for the last two years?
Were those the progressive years?