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Tuesday, May. 06, 2008

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - May 6, 2008

By Staff Reports

Lake Wylie Pilot

PARK IT

In response to Tom Smith reacting to your concerns editorial published April 29 in the Lake Wylie Pilot:

It's one thing to say you hear our voices (nod) and another to act in regard to these voices. The fact you had Lowe's stop burning trees is secondary to the fact that Lowe's destroyed an entire forest in the first place. How ironic that you feel you and the local builders do a good thing when you destroy the trees, thus causing erosion and then use their dead bodies as mulch to control the erosion that killing them caused. Have you even noticed the frantic deer and other species of displaced animals trying to find a "spot" where there's simply something to eat and drink?

How arrogant we all are to feel it's our right as the superior species (I'm being sarcastic here) to not even consider their welfare and build (destroy, kill) and call that progress.

If you have smart growth consultants, and if you are concerned about over development as you indicate, then why hasn't the blight of broken asphalt and abandoned buildings on the right of 49 after immediately crossing Buster Boyd Bridge been utilized or rebuilt? There are no more trees to kill there. It is the wasted remains of what once had been a good idea. Who owns that land and why haven't they sold it or developed that? It makes Lake Wylie look like one long strip center where some people moved out and let their buildings rot. Seems to me if there were businesses there, people could actually work in Lake Wylie instead of driving to Charlotte or Gastonia or Rock Hill.

Lake Wylie is a neighborhood that needs all of us participating in preventing travesties like destruction of the natural environment (trees, water) and wildlife. Isn't there a conflict of interest between Duke and Crescent Resources owning the majority of large undeveloped tracts and yet, in Duke's case, being the one to issue the licenses to developers to actually build on it as Duke purportedly "manages" the lake (our water resources)?

I for one would appreciate a park that left room for deer, birds, squirrels, plants, trees, and water where one might actually take a walk and not inhale exhaust fumes. A place children could fly kites, people could ride bikes or walk, and where yearly, there could be a "plant a new tree day" to attempt to make up for the years of developer destruction.

Carol Butler