Perhaps it hasn’t registered yet to many in Haywood County and the surrounding area, but it will before long. The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina is about to turn the buildings and property it bought at Lake Logan into a spiritual and environmental showcase. By doing that, it is also going to provide somewhat of an economic and cultural boon for the county, something along the lines of a mini Lake Junaluska.

The diocese was one of the players who stepped in to help save the area around Lake Logan from development. Champion International had put the 80-acre lake, its buildings and the surrounding 4,500 acres up for sell to the highest bidder when the Canton-based WNC Sportsmen’s Club started rallying the community to prevent development of the pristine forest land.

After a protracted battle, the land was indeed saved from typical development. The church bought 300 acres around the lake, and the rest of the property now belongs to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the Boy Scouts of America. Covenants protect the property from ever being developed commercially.

The Episcopal Church, however, wants to renovate the existing buildings, construct a few new facilities, and turn its Lake Logan Episcopal Center into a retreat, environmental education center and youth camp. They plan to spend up to $5 million for renovations now on the board. In the coming decades, we suspect there will be other improvements. But even with its grand visions and plans, the diocese has promised to keep the land surrounding the lake as it is  pristine and undeveloped.

When Lake Junaluska Assembly was a dream of the United Methodist Church nearly 100 years ago, there were probably few who realized how it would influence Haywood County. Many Methodists who came to the lake, either as adults or children, ended up making their home here. Lake Junaluska Assembly has brought more benefits to Haywood County than can be enumerated, and its lasting influence in this community is a testament to the wisdom of church leaders past and present.

And now another denomination has decided that the natural beauty of these mountains is a wonderful place for the spirit, and so the Episcopalians will build their camp and retreat. It will draw people, and some will likely fall in love with these mountains, perhaps begin thinking of the day when they can come back for good. Jobs will be created, our merchants will benefit from the travelers, and the adults and youths who come will enrich the community.

It’s the kind of development that is all positive, and the powers that be in Haywood County should be rolling out the red carpet.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News