County to DOT: Find another way to extend Siler Road
By Colin McCandless, Staff writer

In their Monday, Oct. 8, board meeting, Macon County commissioners directed county manager Sam Greenwood to draft an appropriate letter to the N.C. Department of Transportation in conjunction with Superintendent Dan Brigman and other relevant government authorities, to revisit the Siler Road Extension in the hopes of developing better alternatives.

The DOT presented four alternatives for the Siler Road Extension (a proposed new location roadway in the vicinity of Siler Road and Wiley Brown Road), at a Sept. 18 public hearing.

Alternatives A, B and C connect Siler Road to Wiley Brown Road by bridging the Little Tennessee River, while D provides a new roadway east and west of the river, but does not bridge the river. The DOT tentatively plans to begin right-of-way acquisition in 2009 and start construction in 2010.

County manager Sam Greenwood said that county commissioners needed to submit formal comments on the DOT proposals during the 30-day written comment period, which began after the public hearing.

Greenwood said that the Board's recommendation for the Siler Road Extension did not have to be one of the four alternatives offered by the DOT.

From all discussions, alternative A seemed to be the priority recommendation, which would realign the northern end of Siler Road and continue east connecting to Dowdle Mountain Road. It would entail the removal of an existing signal at Dowdle Mountain and a possible traffic circle.

Based on concerns they had, county commissioners decided to endorse plan E for the DOT project, none of the above, until more options are provided.

The DOT has said the purpose of the extension project is to create access to sites slated for development in the vicinity of Siler Road and Wiley Brown Road and improve traffic flow in the project area.

However, commissioner chairman Charlie Leatherman, who attended the Sept. 18 public hearing, said that alternative A does not seem to do anything to relieve traffic from the school campus. He commented that it would also cause buses to make a difficult merge across traffic and would block access to the Dowdle Mountain Pit Stop Texaco.

Leatherman said that the alternative that would be better is "don't do anything."

Greenwood and Commissioner Jim Davis both said they felt alternative A's potential negative impact on businesses needed to be taken into consideration as well.

Davis commented that this alternative would also minimize the value of a prime commercial development spot along the route. "We would be better off to leave it alone," Davis said.

"Common sense will tell you that their proposal is not only not feasible, it's also unsafe," Commissioner Ronnie Beale said.

He added, "But also don't lose sight of the fact that we need the Siler Road Extension. I mean that's got to happen. But it's just a matter of doing it the right way."

Davis made a motion for Greenwood to send a letter to the DOT requesting that they revisit the Siler Road extension to explore the possibility of developing better alternatives. The motion passed the Board unanimously.

Southwestern ranked fourth nationally

The Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Monday congratulating Southwestern Community College on being designated the fourth best community college in America and commending the SCC for its contributions to the people of Western North Carolina.

Commissioner Bob Simpson, a trustee of the SCC board lauded the institution for its achievement. "They are there for the people," Simpson said. "They service the people of North Carolina."

Continuation meeting

The Oct. 8 Board of Commissioners meeting will be continued to Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. to handle items continued from the regular meeting and to hold a public hearing to receive comments concerning the intent to finance $2 million in qualified zone academy bonds (QZAB) for East Franklin School renovations.

November meeting change

Due to the Veteran's Day holiday, the regular monthly meeting of the Macon County Board of Commissioners scheduled for the second Monday in November has been changed to Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. in the Commissioners Board Room on the third floor of the Courthouse.

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