Wally World Revisited

I read the Metro Pulse story about the city of Oak Ridge's development of Haw Ridge Park with interest and confusion ("Hard Ride" by Joe Tarr, Vol. 8, No. 35). Haw Ridge is presently used by cyclists, hikers, equestrians and canoeists. In the Metro Pulse article, Josh Collins, head of Oak Ridge's parks and recreation department, stated that the citizens "may not be interested in developing Haw Ridge Park." But, according to the information he gave the Knoxville News-Sentinel for their story on August 7th, the city of Oak Ridge had already lined up developers. Namely they are LDR International of Columbia, Md., Lockwood Greene Engineers of Oak Ridge, Write Stuff Advertising and Marketing, and already awarded a landscaping contract to Lose & Associates of Nashville. Why do you award contracts and line up developers at the money trough if there is no project?

It sounds to me like the city plans to force the development of Haw Ridge on the citizens of this area. At the very least, they have wasted time and money chasing a project that Collins himself admits "we didn't have a clear direction from citizens" on.

The city built a golf course across the street from Haw Ridge and added to the pollution and chemical runoff problem. Is DOE going to open up the woods around Y-12 and X-10 for recreation for Oak Ridge's citizens? Before long they will all have to drive to North Carolina to hike.

And Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge a "destination" park to attract tourists? What a joke! The carp would have already moved if they had legs.

Leave the park alone and use it for the purpose intended when TVA gave it to Oak Ridge—recreation in a natural setting. Come to think of it, a company named "Lose" is a good partner for the city of Oak Ridge. If they cram development down their citizens' throats to further someone's political aspirations or a pipe dream of another Wally World on Melton Hill, then we all lose.

Call Josh Collins at 482-8450 and voice your opinion.

W.M. Murphy
Knoxville

Heritage Recalled

Once again, Jack Neely has demonstrated the advantage an indigenous writer lends to your paper. Mr. Neely's kind words of Ernie Dickerman [Vol. 8, No. 33] was a tribute to one of Knoxville's lesser-known (at least locally) heroes. It often surprises me how few of our present crop of Greens know of Knoxville's long tradition of conservationists. When people like Ernie, Harvey Broome, and David Chapman worked on establishing wilderness areas in the Eastern U.S., including the Great Smoky Mountains, trees and rivers were considered commodities, or often liabilities, and not resources. These folks and a succession of their friends literally forged the ethic we now know as the environmental movement. When we look at our present tired, vacant downtown and congested, sterile suburbs, it is easy to forget that Knoxville was once a fountainhead for progressive thinkers who saw value in our region beyond factories and mills.

Thank you Ernie for the woods you saved from Champion, and thank you Mr. Neely for reminding us of our heritage.

James Wedekind
Knoxville