Unaka shows up to make voices heard
By Aiden McCoy Williams
Staff Correspondent
Unaka – Cherokee County Commissioners Alan Bryant and Dan Eichenbaum held a Chairman’s Forum at the Unaka Community Center on Aug. 4 to allow residents to ask questions and share their thoughts about what’s happening in the community.
More than 50 people showed up, with topics specific to the Unaka area discussed with passion.
“You guys down here always have it together and have something going on for the community. You care so much for each other, and I really try to do what I can to help,” Bryant said.
Emergency and
internet services
The first issue brought up was the lack of cell phone service available in Unaka and surrounding areas. A neighbor is willing to allow a portion of their land to be used to build a tower if they are able to secure funding.
Eichenbaum said this is something commissioners have previously discussed with service providers such as Verizon. However, the companies have said the community doesn’t have a high enough population to warrant building a tower in the area.
“It requires a spot high enough up, but can’t be on forestry property and needs at least 1 acre of accessible land,” Eichenbaum said. “But the big excuse is there aren’t enough people.”
The inability to contact emergency services in Unaka is a concern for residents. The area still doesn’t have access to fiber-optic internet lines that were promised more than two years ago, but issues with land rights continue to delay progress.
This leaves satellite internet as the only option, which can be unreliable, especially during adverse weather events. Members of the community expressed that more internet access doesn’t help when it comes to traveling or accidents away from home.
The Unaka Fire Department requested funds to fix the repeater in the radio tower, which also hinders emergency service response during power outages. The radio repeaters are supposed to have batteries and a solar backup to make sure the community isn’t left without radio communication during power outages.
They have some of the supplies, but need funding for the remaining parts and a technician to set everything up, and these costs are far less than a generator backup would be. Without these updates, there are even more weak spots and dead zones than usual, leaving the community vulnerable.
Landfill & trash services
An ongoing issue for Unaka and surrounding areas are the limited options for trash disposal, especially for items not considered household trash. The community is frustrated that appliances, construction equipment and other non-household trash has to be taken to the Cherokee County Landfill in Marble, which can be close to an hour drive for some.
Some people suggested placing trailers for appliances and metal at the dump sites bi-yearly or quarterly, or partnering with those that collect the metal from the landfill to keep a trailer at the sites consistently year-round. Many expressed continued grievances with the limited hours of the landfill and have noticed increased illegal dumping in rural areas.
Community center
improvements
The Unaka Community Center inquired about getting matching funds for bathroom updates. The center recently repaved the driveway to make access safer. They have also had a generator installed, one of the many steps toward becoming a crucial natural disaster shelter.
Eichenbaum said commissioners would match the funds. They are only needed to make sure the renovations were ADA-compliant.
Unaka plans to pursue securing all funds necessary to complete this renovation by submitting its plan and official cost estimates. This includes updating plumbing, fixing flooring issues, and adding showers in case the center needs to be utilized as a shelter.
Land petition
One of the hot topic issues for Cherokee County is a “petition for redress of grievances” unanimously approval by commissioners.
“We don’t have the land, and no land has been offered. This is just a request,” Eichenbaum said. “If we were to get a land offer or approval, we would then turn to our constituents to discuss how the land should be used.”
While this might be up for discussion if land were acquired, the commissioners have ideas in mind for the use of the land. One idea that many agree on is a state park.
The land is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, but no regular maintenance or updates have been made. Reopening the campground that previously occupied the land would create an opportunity for local jobs and provide another area for tourism, but many community members express the desire to keep the land as natural as possible and want to avoid major developments.
Bryant previously expressed the idea of a “floating restaurant,” but during this meeting he said it was simply to express the potential and opportunity this would create for the county. One community member expressed concern that “money will talk once your foot is in the door.”
For many, the signing of this petition on behalf of the county without holding a meeting to discuss the idea has led to an increased amount of distrust in local government officials.
Logging
Eichenbaum believes logger livelihood has been ruined since this land is no longer able to be logged, “The last local saw mills closed three years ago,” he said.
One local, resident argued that the failure of this industry is the result of a lack of market demand.
“It’s been over 20 years since yellow pine sold for timber and no bulk wood. If you want to bring back logging, then first you need to push to bring back the lumber industry,” he said.
Eichenbaum said clear-cutting is positive for the environment by opening up the canopy to benefit lower-growing plants and trees. A community member who has studied environmental science replied, “In some cases, clear-cutting can benefit the environment, but in the mountains, selective cutting is optimal. The roots of trees hold soil and rock in place, and when you clear-cut these trees, it can lead to erosion issues and rock slides in mountainous environments.”
In the Violet area near High Lonesome Stables, there are plans to put in around 80 homes. Members expressed concerns about how Joe Brown Highway will handle the influx of people.
The commissioners said this is a private endeavor, and they can’t control what other people do with or on their land. While they will keep an eye on the roads and any arising issues, but any road maintenance is a state-handled issue, so they can only advocate for projects.
Valley River
Humane Society
Potential funding cuts at the Valley River Humane Society was also a hot subject.
Strays and abandoned animals are a countywide issue, but also a significant problem in the Unaka area due to the population being spread out more than in other areas. Many members expressed concern over the possibility of defunding without a functioning animal control unit or plan that would replace the efforts of the humane society.
Eichenbaum discussed the increased amount of taxpayer funds that have been allocated to the humane society over the years. He said the nonprofit is not doing enough to justify spending taxpayer money when taxpayers aren’t able to surrender animals due to the shelter being at max capacity.
“When the county and state get too many complaints, it leads to requests for audits to see what exactly is being done with that money. If we don’t step in now to address the issue, then the state will in the future,” Eichenbaum said.
Residents expressed more empathy for the humane society.
“They have protocols and rules they have to follow regarding capacity and adoptions. We have too many strays in the area for them to be able to keep up with them alone, but imagine if we didn’t have them there, “ one person said.
“They care about the animals and are one of the few no-kill shelters remaining. Instead of blaming the humane society, we should be looking at what other communities are doing and decreasing the costs of spaying and neutering pets,” one member said.
To which Eichenbaum replied, “If we’re going to pay them, they have to accept the animals and put them up for adoption to the community.”
This issue led to the discussion of the lack of animal control for the area, especially with several packs of wild animals that cause trouble in different communities, including downtown Murphy. Eichenbaum said they trained someone for the position, but they moved out of the area before the service could be established.
Bryant estimated that it would take around $300,000 to restart the process and provide a salary for the position, but that this would taper down each year.
The commissioners said they are still seeking solutions for the Valley River Humane Society and lack of animal control in the county.