The Corridor K Gazette

Last week, Ducktown Tennessee resident Len James offered an opinion that was printed in the Cherokee Scout regarding Corridor K.  In response to Mr. James’ opinion piece, the following Letter to the Editor was sent to the Cherokee Scout by a concerned local citizen, Aurelia Stone.  What’s your opinion?  We’d like to know.

County in Jeopardy??

In response to Mr. James’ article, I doubt that the word ‘jeopardy’ should
apply.  ”Jeopardy” refers to “danger, threat, peril, hazard, or risk,” none of which apply to whether or not the county attracts automotive suppliers for the new Volkswagen plant being built in Chattanooga.  However, “jeopardy” is an appropriate word to apply to the income and business that depends on the natural resources of the area which will be destroyed and forever altered if the proposed Corridor K is built.  Destruction of a base of known income in pursuit of some perceived and unsecured future income is not only ill advised, it is downright stupid.  Yes, US 64 between Ducktown
and Ocoee needs to be fixed.  There are areas of the road that need some serious work in order to be truly safe.  That being said, there is no need to build a totally new road – one that would destroy so much for so little gain in travel time saved.

As far as the Volkswagen plant, why would they want to purchase parts from this area when Chattanooga, Atlanta and Knoxville already have distributors
in place with contacts and direct access to various ports and major
airports.  How can Cherokee county get parts into a warehouse more quickly without this access.  Does that mean we are going to have to build an interstate (I-3) through here and then get a large airport?

Let Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Knoxville have the parts distributorships. Let us market our area to everyone who wants a break from the pressure and needs to refresh their souls in the peace and quiet of the mountains.  Let’s use the natural resources we have to provide a continuous retreat, which we
can also profit from, instead of abusing and losing them for a profit empty of sustainability.

We have already gone the industrial route and found it to be a dead end street.  We lost industry in the area – not to road access, but to cheaper
labor outside the continental US.  We have adapted by finding our niche in providing a place for people to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the big cities (and all the pressure of heavy traffic and high pressure jobs).  Why would we want to seek that which others are trying to escape from and which has let us down so grievously in the past?

Aurelia Stone