The message to Swain County is “carpe diem” — seize the day. For perhaps the first time in almost six decades, all the players needed to resolve the divisive North Shore Road issue are on the same page in their playbook.

It’s been 58 years since the 1943 agreement between Swain County, the state of North Carolina, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Department of Interior promising a road through the newly created Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the north shore of Fontana Lake from Bryson City to the Fontana Dam access road, creating a throughway from Deal’s Gap to Bryson City.

What the 1943 agreement has accomplished to date is “The Road to Nowhere,” nearly seven miles of road in the GSMNP that extends from Lakeshore Drive in Swain County, across Nolands Creek and then abruptly terminates at the end of a 1,200-foot tunnel, a lot of ill will towards the Park Service from many Swain County residents, and a smoldering debate between proponents and opponents that cyclically flares into heated rhetoric accomplishing nothing.

Over the years there have been a dozen or more initiatives aimed at resolving the controversy.
Historically these initiatives have been introduced either by road proponents or road opponents, with the other side quickly rallying enough support to create another stalemate.

The issue took on a new wrinkle in 1975 when the idea of a cash settlement to Swain County, in lieu of a road, was first introduced. In 1980, a bill introduced by US Rep. Lamar Gudger called for a cash settlement. The bill passed the House but the Senate adjourned without taking action.

The debate flared again in November 2000 when N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms, with the support of N.C. Rep. Charles Taylor, appropriated $16 million for the road. Proponents and opponents quickly suited up and joined the fray.

This year, however, there are new players and some precipitous events that actually provide an opportunity for resolving the 1943 agreement. A newly formed group — Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County — composed of county residents, business owners and area environmentalists has come together to try and promote a compromise solution to the 1943 agreement. The group favors a cash settlement in conjunction with a state of the art museum dedicated to the cultural heritage of those Swain County residents displaced by the creation of Fontana Lake and the expansion of the GSMNP and better cemetery access for those who have family and loved ones buried along the north shore. This group appears to have wide and varied support, including Swain County residents with ties to the north shore and environmental groups like the Western North Carolina Alliance. They argue that a sizable cash settlement, in the neighborhood of $40 million, put into escrow to generate between $2-$3 million annually for Swain County’s operating budget, plus a museum documenting Swain County’s sacrifice and better cemetery access would be of greater benefit to the county than a park road from Bryson City to Fontana Dam. The group plans to bring this argument before Swain County Commissioners at their Oct. 29 work session. This is critical because the Swain County Board of Commissioners is the only body with the authority to amend the 1943 agreement.

The precipitous events mentioned above include an Oct. 15 meeting between (new players) GSMNP Superintendent Mike Tollefson and newly appointed Park Service Director Fran Mainella where the north shore road was discussed and a subsequent, Oct. 17 Washington, D.C., meeting between Helms, Taylor and Mainella where once again the road was a topic.

Of course the North Shore Road Association and the North Shore Historical Association, long time road supporters, have been following these developments. These two organizations have never wavered in their position, demanding the 1943 agreement be fulfilled by a road. They could be instrumental in deciding the fate of any proposed compromise.

But the time is right to bring all these players to the table. The issue is on their agenda, on their mind and hopefully in their heart. The time is right to negotiate the best possible deal for Swain County.
If all parties will enter negotiations in good faith, leaving old, tired agendas behind, there is real hope for a permanent solution.

Carpe diem - let the negotiations begin.

(Don Hendershot can be reached at don@smokymountainnews.com)

 

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The Smoky Mountain News