Prentice Cooper Officials Balking At Idea
posted October 29, 2007
County Commissioner Richard Casavant said the lone road to the new Signal Mountain Middle/High School will be congested, and he favors building a new road that would go across a portion of Prentice Cooper State Forest.
But he said Prentice Cooper officials are balking at the idea.
Commissioner Casavant said, "I am getting a lot of push back from the state forestry people. They just don't want to do it."
He said the road would be about 1,800 feet across an edge of the state forest.
Commissioner Casavant said, "They do not want a road to divide the park, and they say the skullcap flower is there. I think the skullcap are everywhere and not very endangered."
The current route to the new school - Sam Powell Trail - leads past Nolan Elementary School.
Commissioner Casavant said he would like to build a short-cut road going to the school from the junction of Edwards Point Road, Shackleford Ridge Road and Timberlinks.
He said a physician who lives near the proposed road, Dr. Robert Spalding Jr., is an opponent of the idea.
But Commissioner Casavant said there are going to be major traffic concerns when the school reaches its expected 1,200 student enrollment.
He said, "You throw in the faculty, parents and visitors and you talk about football games and other events. The traffic is going to be heavy."
Commissioner Casavant said he expects that if the road is approved that the county would build and maintain it.
He said the state park includes 24,000 acres and the section for the road is only a tiny part of that.
County Mayor Claude Ramsey said he supports the road project, and he said he went with Commissioner Casavant to Nashville to meet with the state agriculture commissioner about it. He said no answer has yet been received from the state.
Mr. Ramsey said, "It does not affect a great deal of the park, and it would give much-needed access to the school."
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