One of the big news-making items of the week occurred when consultant Randall Gross told county commissioners the somewhat surprising news that turning the 2,000-acre McDonald Farm in Sale Creek into an industrial park as intended might be very difficult.
Citing the expensive costs of sewer construction lines and developing industrial pod sites, and the lack of nearby interstate access, he said this land that was bought for $16 million in late 2021 might be best used for recreation and agricultural tourism.
That seemed to cause almost angry replies among some of the commissioners, who thought that industrial use was primarily why the land was bought.
I would be willing to bet, though, that numerous Hamilton Countians who love the beauty of the Chattanooga area’s outdoors and have seen bucolic local farmland disappear in the name of subdivisions and retail use were jumping up and down with excitement over the news.
To possibly have such a panoramic setting of former farm fields and to see unscathed Waldens Ridge would be a treasured gift to them. The same could be said for the related news that a land swap nearby between the state and the Chattanooga Audubon Society might result in more trail extensions there related to the expanding Cumberland Trail.
Of course, getting tax dollars in return for land purchases and creating jobs are obviously important for an elected official and a community’s financial solvency. But maybe a preserved McDonald Farm will result in some financial return as well. That could include, possibly, increased residential and retail development from people wanting to be near a popular park, or maybe activities within the park that bring some money.
Time will tell if McDonald Farm will be like a local Seward’s folly. That is a reference to the initial criticism of the American purchase of Alaska in 1867 from Russia for the seemingly expensive price of $7 million after U.S. Secretary of State William Seward negotiated a treaty. But as the years passed, the natural resources, the natural beauty that has brought in tourism, and the additional and strategically placed land for the U.S. made the Alaska purchase seem like one of the greatest deals in American history.
One fact in McDonald Farm’s favor as a worthwhile purchase, some might say, is that they are not making any more bucolic land on the Earth. And it seems to be an obvious fact that more and more people are treasuring and wanting to spend time in natural areas in a place like greater Chattanooga, a community that has steadily become more urban and suburban, especially in recent years.
What would you like to see happen to the farm?
That news item also made me wonder about all the industrial jobs in the Chattanooga area. Are they rewarding and fun to do, or are a lot of them extremely hard and not very fulfilling? And is the work done in an interesting-looking building with windows, or just a non-descript structure made of monotonous metal siding?
And do the jobs pay well enough? And which is more important, getting paid enough or enjoying your job or getting some kind of inner satisfaction out of it?
I have been blessed particularly in the last 15 or so years to get to enjoy some freelance journalism writing while also doing some adjunct college teaching. Both have their own great rewards to me, despite the sacrifice of a larger income. Of course, if I had needed to feed several children, I might have opted more for the pay over satisfaction.
Do you enjoy your job or activity that takes up most of your time?
Regarding parks and natural areas like McDonald Farm, the trees there and everywhere will start turning soon in a more collective manner, and some of those like the maples will once again stand out like dogwoods and redbuds do in the spring. Unfortunately, the torrential remnants of Hurricane Helene did knock down a few area trees, although this area was obviously more greatly spared than places east of Chattanooga.
I went jogging over at Greenway Farm in Hixson last week and saw that the large old tree that sat by itself near the picnic tables in the large open field surrounded by the circular road was knocked down by the weather. Every time I see something like that, I feel like I have lost an old friend.
I also learned recently that an old tulip poplar tree that had been on some family property recently sold was cut down as well by the new owners. That is certainly understandable and was even predictable when we sold the home and property, as no one likes a tree right by a house anymore, with felled trees on damaged houses a common sight on the internet. And that tree had a hole in it, despite its still healthy and trimmed limbs full of leaves.
And I remember seeing a few years ago a tree that fell onto a classic bungalow home on Barton Avenue in North Chattanooga. The owners had to completely rebuild and actually constructed a larger home in the same style.
But I particularly hated to say goodbye to our old arboreal tulip poplar friend that I understand was the main reason my family had selected that lot to build on years ago.
And speaking of trees, I have always been fascinated at how many streets in the historic areas of Chattanooga proper are named after trees. I understand William Penn had started that tradition for American cities in Philadelphia beginning in the late 1600s, and maybe Chattanooga followed that lead.
And the Scenic City named the streets that run roughly north and south after trees, with a number of those running east to west named after numbers, a much less interesting nomenclature in some people’s opinions.
I believe over in the former Cameron Hill area were such street names as Cedar, Poplar and Cypress, if memory or past research serves me correctly, with Chestnut and Pine the remaining ones intact from the base of the old hill. A short stretch of Poplar remains, too.
And on the other side of the two key streets of Market and Broad in the heart of downtown have been Cherry and Walnut, with Lookout and High streets and Georgia Avenue in the mix to throw us all off.
Also confusing urban history researchers is the fact that Oak and Vine streets a little farther east run east and west, not north and south. And yes, vine does at least grow out of the ground, even if it is not a tree. A small part of Ivy Street is also farther east in this same direction, if you wanted another plant that is not a tree.
Going out in the direction of Missionary Ridge but in the north-south direction are such other arboreally named passageways as Palmetto, Magnolia, Spruce, Greenwood (yes, a loose connection), Holly, Hickory, Beech, and Willow streets.
All this mention of trees made me realize that one of my favorite activities on a nice day – and one I do not do enough of while always staying busy – is to lie on my back on some soft grass and look up at the pretty limbs of a large tree amid the backdrop of a rich blue sky.
It might be hard to do that on some of those busy streets named after trees and plants near downtown Chattanooga, but that might now be the perfect activity to be able to do for some time at McDonald Farm, if the consultant’s suggestions are followed!
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Jcshearer2@comcast.net