I-3 meeting

Word of the informational meeting being held this Thursday at Tri-Community College, from the Stop I-3 Coalition:

On Thursday, August 18, from 7-9 PM, there will be a Public Information Meeting on the proposed "Interstate 3" at Tri-County Community College, Enloe Building. (On US Hwy 64 between Murphy and Hayesville, NC, about 9 miles west of the light in Hayesville and about 6 miles east of Murphy). The meeting is sponsored by Western Carolina Pacesetters.

Speakers from the NC Dept.of Transportation and elected officials and representatives of elected officials will provide information on the proposed interstate from Savannah to Knoxville and an update on the status of the Feasibility Study for the highway.

There will also be speakers who are experts on watersheds, nuclear transport, and highway feasibility studies.

The second half of the meeting will consist of a public forum for questions and comments.

Coalition members and other groups may have a place to set up for literature, etc. There will be opportunities to sign up to receive email updates from the Clay/Cherokee Chapter of the Stop I-3 Coalition throughout the feasibility study process and Stop I-3 stickers, shirts, and hats will be available.

A big turnout is crucial to demonstrate that Western North Carolina, North Georgia, Upstate South Carolina, and East Tennessee are paying attention and that I-3 proponents will not be allowed to force this unwanted and unnecessary project on our mountains. Please forward this email freely and invite friends and neighbors to attend.

For more information on Interstate 3 see www.stopi-3.org .



Also on Thursday, August 18, there will be a "Nuclear Luncheon" at 12:30 PM at the Monte Alban restaurant in Hayesville,NC (just south of the US 64 stoplight on NC 69-first strip mall on the left) Reservations are required and we will be limited to 40 people maximum. We will order lunch off the menu and do checks individually; it's good affordable Mexican food.

Mary Olson of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, who will have a speaker's position at the Tri County meeting, has agreed to meet with interested folks for an informal lunchtime discussion about nuclear materials transport as it is currently practiced through the Asheville interstate corridor and would be practiced on I-3 if it was ever built. Mary will have limited speaking time at the TriCounty meeting Thursday evening but this is a very important topic that takes time to understand, and we are thrilled that she is sharing her expertise with us.

Please email John Clarke at jkqualla@verizon.net if you would like to attend.

The Stop I-3 Website seems to be out of service right now. Here's the Google cache. (There also seems to be some confusion over the exact URL. I tried all of them, though.) There's also some good information on the Chattooga Conservancy site.
I'd also recommend this Asheville Citizen Times editorial.