Thursday, July 20, 2017
The Highlander • 9A
Forest From page 1A planning specialist with the forest service, said she was happy to see a large turnout with varying interests at the Franklin meeting. “We got good input and a diverse group of folks showed up with diverse viewpoints,� she said. “We had new faces and people who have been involved in the past, which is exactly what we were hoping we would see.� Aldridge said this most recent round of feedback would factor into the plan alongside last year’s meetings as the forest service moves toward releasing a draft environmental impact statement at some point next spring. Much of the feedback will be familiar to anyone following the plan process, with the most vocal debate focusing on the degree to which lands should be managed and certain types of access limited. Hugh Irwin, landscape conservation planner at the Wilderness Society, said at the meeting that his organization is primarily interested in land management practices and wildlife conservation.
“We’re definitely interested in wilderness, but more broadly we have some of our most natural and ecologically intact forests in the East here,� Irwin said. “We’re also interested in species diversity, particularly our rarer species.� Irwin said some of the geographical areas established most recently have biological significance on a global level, and he hoped to see those resources protected to a high degree whether it’s done through wilderness designation or other, less restrictive measures. “Nantahala-Pisgah is one of the real hotbeds of biological diversity not only nationally but internationally,� Irwin said. “And there are a number of areas that have been identified, particularly in the Nantahala National Forest, that are at the very top of importance in the national forest system for biological diversity.�
More access for hunters Where Irwin and many others would like to see more conservative management in many areas of the forest, there is an equally vocal con-
Restaurant From page 1A No further plans have been submitted to move that project forward in the year since, said Town of Highlands Planning Director Andrew Bowen. “The rezoning was approved to allow for the expansion, and the board said that once they had their design finalized they’d have to go through for a special use permit for the building,� Bowen said Monday. “Right now it’s on hold while that’s pending.� The Park on Main Hotel and the planned restaurant is owned by RLR Investments, LLC. Requests for further information about the restaurant project, including the construction timeline and planned date of opening, were not answered. The restaurant will be built in the former location of Ruka’s Table and Bar. A public hearing before the Zoning Board attracted comments from one neighbor. Sharon Anderson of T.A. Anderson Goldsmiths, just a few doors down from the restaurant, spoke out in support of the project. She lives and works in Wright Square, and she said she’s heard nothing but positive remarks from other nearby business owners. “I’m thrilled about them coming in and sprucing up our shopping center,� she told the board. “What they’re going to do back behind us is great, everything they do is great.� Plans call for adding 418 square-feet to the main level to accommodate 122 seated guests in a main dining room and a private dining area. The plans also include the renovation of upstairs office and storage space into a two-bedroom, 1,747 square-foot apartment. With Weller of Summit Architecture representing RLR before the Planning and Zoning boards, the company applied for a special use permit to expand the heated square foot-
tingent lobbying for broader access and more active management of the national forest. Many hunting organizations and other sportsmen’s groups claim access to public lands is slowly being restricted and early successional habitat is becoming less prevalent throughout the forest. “I’m concerned about the restriction of access with more wilderness, I’m concerned about the lack of management with more wilderness and backcountry, and we have precious little wildlife habitat around here,� said Marc Bischof, a Franklin resident who has been hunting regularly in the area for close to 10 years. “Basically the only thing we have around here are logging roads, which are mowed here and there, and those are basically our herbaceous browse areas for wildlife.� Bischof said that the timber harvesting that would produce early successional habitat, prime grazing area for many game species, could be done responsibly in order to preserve the biologically significant areas of the forest while still catering to the demands of hunters and other groups who would like to see less-stringent regulations on
age of the building, although the exterior footprint will not increase. “The function of the building is exactly what it was, the kitchen is in the corner where the kitchen was,� Weller said. “It’s all gutted right now, or will be gutted and redone. The whole building will be gutted down to studs and then redone inside and outside. New windows, new siding, new everything.� The covered recessed facade will be pushed outward, Weller said, to take full advantage of the building’s footprint. “There are covered areas in two spots, and basically we’re bringing the whole building out to meet that,� Weller told the Planning Board at its June meeting. Extra space will be added to the restaurant downstairs to house refrigeration equipment, Weller said, and a covered porch will be added upstairs. The restaurant’s aesthetic will closely resemble that of the Park on Main Hotel. Renovations would drastically alter the outward appearance of the building, both inside and out. Plans call for larger windows, and for replacing the cottage-like exterior with one that’s decidedly more modern. The Zoning Board of Adjustment was receptive to the plans, with the only real concern involving the exterior color of the building, which caused some disconcert when planning board members pointed out that printed renderings of the project showed the building as stark white, which is not an approved color. But the color issue was the only barrier, and the plans were unanimously approved on the condition that the exterior be painted a color included on the town’s chart of allowable colors. “My only concern is that if you look at Wright Square, it’s got sort of that wood and mountain feel, and if it was that white it would be somewhat of an eyesore I think coming into town,� said zoning board member Jerry Moore. “It’d be clean, but it would stand out.�
access. As it is, he said, many game animals are becoming scarcer due to a lack of suitable habitat. “Everything is aging out, there’s very little truly young forest. Young forest now is 12 to 15 years old, and that’s where it ages out for browsing for a lot of songbirds and grouse, and deer, which I’m mostly interested in,� Bischof said. “People see all the deer here in the lowlands where the agricultural areas are, but there’s very little deer up in the mountains. You’ve got some turkeys and some bears, but there’s very few grouse, very few deer.� Irwin said he understands the importance of managing the forest for game species, but he warned against management that might be detrimental to some of the rarer species that are unique to this region. “People involved in the planning process are interested in some species like deer, turkey and grouse, and we’re interested in those too,� Irwin said. “But we don’t want the focus to be too much on those. Don’t forget, this is the center of salamander diversity and many other things that we don’t want to fall through the cracks.�
Common ground Bischof said he thought it was possible to address the demands of the various groups with a stake in the process. “I don’t know why there are two different camps – we’re just as interested in protecting and nurturing this forest,� he said. “But we don’t want to smother it – we feel like things need to be done. We don’t want to see the forest disappear, we don’t want to see the clear-cutting of bygone years. We want a limited, sustainable harvest that works for the economy, that works for the wildlife and doesn’t af-
fect our access.� Tommy Smith, a Franklin resident who moved here from Jackson, Mississippi earlier this year, said he was encouraged to see such a large turnout and such focus on the future of public lands here. He said his main interest in following the revision process was the protection of the Appalachian Trail and other local hiking destinations. “I’m an outdoor person – I enjoy hiking,� Smith said. “Of course, the national forest is an incredible resource that we have, so I have an interest in seeing that it’s maintained and cared for now and for future generations.�
It has been an honor and privilege to serve the public as an Optometrist in Clayton for the last 25 years. I want to thank my patients for their trust and loyalty during that time. I have met so many wonderful people and formed true and lasting friendships. We’ve grown older together, our families have shared many stages, our children have started families of their own. As I have served several generations of family members I consider each one a treasured memory.
Thank you from my family to yours. - Dr. Steve
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