Swain County commissioners have joined with Macon County in calling on Crescent Resources to work with local interests in crafting a permanent ownership and management strategy for the property.
The commissioners voted unanimously to pass a resolution authorizing Bill Gibson, director of the Southwestern North Carolina Planning & Economic Development Commission, to act on behalf of Swain County with regards to the Needmore Tract.

The Needmore Tract is a 4,600-acre piece of land in Macon and Swain counties that was formerly owned by Nantahala Power and Light. The land has been deeded to Crescent Resources, the land management arm of Duke Power. Duke has owned NP&L for years and just recently began doing away with the NP&L name on its Western North Carolina properties.

Included in the resolution passed March 12 was a “Statement of Interests Regarding the Needmore Tract.” Some of the points included in the statement are:

° The Little Tennessee River Corridor has served generations of mountain families.

° The dominant citizen opinion, regarding Needmore, that Crescent has heard during public meetings is that current land use types and current public access be permanently retained.

° This same sentiment has also been expressed by hundreds of Swain County citizens in one-to-one discussions with members of the Swain County Board of Commissioners.

° The Needmore Tract was originally acquired from dozens of mountain families by Nantahala Power and Light Company, Crescent’s predecessor title holder, for a public purpose; therefore, local citizens feel that the disposition of the Needmore Tract by Crescent resources should maximize public purpose.
The board’s resolutions states that future public uses of the property should be established through a state/local scheme of ownership and management, and that multiple uses would best serve area residents. The resolution also says that traditional uses such as farming, hunting, fishing, camping and boating should be promoted while protecting soil and water quality, preserving the floodplain and enhancing wildlife habitat.

The board also wants to insure that county expenditures be insulated from administration and management costs associated with Needmore while county revenues be favorably impacted through incidental sales taxes and user fees.

Commissioners hope that mechanisms may be established in any future management plan that would favorably and permanently offset any recurring loss in county property tax revenues.

Swain County Administrator Linda Cable said that in previous meetings with Gibson a variety of avenues were discussed regarding ways the county might acquire some control or ownership of property in Needmore.

A letter was sent to Gibson authorizing him to act in the best interest of Swain County in finding ways to achieve the goals outlined in the resolution.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News