Megasite Public Forum illustrates cooperative spirit

Just four short months ago the headline on our lead editorial pulled no punches: “Mega misses on the Megasite.”

In the editorial we were critical of the county government – both staff and elected officials – for allowing a vacuum to form in which no solid information on what was planned for the 1,353-acre site on the Burke-McDowell border was released.

And, as always occurs with a vacuum, a mixture of rumor, misinformation, and innuendo rushed in to fill it. 

Unknown to the general public were significant efforts happening behind the scenes. Three environmental organizations – Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, Catawba Riverkeeper, and the Lake James Environmental Association – had come together to analyze the area including and surrounding the proposed megasite and develop recommendations to minimize negative environmental impacts.

The 10-page conservation plan took two months to craft, after which they gave these thoughtful recommendations to the county. 

The recommendations, however, wouldn’t mean anything if the County, Burke Economic Development Inc., or the property owners weren’t willing to listen. But they were.

Since the conservation plan was released in February, the involved groups have been working on a compromise of sorts. A proposal that allows for much-needed economic development in the county while not causing irreversible harm in the process.

This openness is coming to full fruition with a public forum on the Megasite development set for Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. in the commissioners’ board room at 110 N. Green St., Morganton.

At the forum, County Manager Brian Epley will present what he is calling “a detailed development plan formed in partnership with property owners, nonprofit environmental groups, and economic development teams.”

This won’t be a one-way presentation, however. After Epley finishes, a question-answer period will follow in which attendees can ask questions, request clarifications, and express concerns.

The goal is that the forum will be, according to Epley, “An input tool. A genuine effort to share factual information, to listen to concerns (and) to identify the gaps.”

A couple of things impress us about this forum and what will be presented there.

One is that it aims to provide an honest and informative give-and-take about what is without question the largest economic question now facing our county.

Secondly, and more importantly, the presentation was prepared with input from three highly respected local environmental protection organizations.

Among the recommendations made by the environmental groups to the county: 300-foot minimum forested buffers along Hwy. 70 and other public roads to ensure the viewshed of the Lake James area and 300-foot minimum buffers on the 100-year floodplain to be placed along all surface waters and wetlands on the parcels.

Our hope is that a large crowd will turn out for this forum on Tuesday – a large crowd with an open mind that won’t form an opinion until the facts are heard and the county’s cards are on the table.

And, if you can’t attend in person, the forum will be livestreamed on Burke County Government’s YouTube channel.

We’ll close with some hard facts.

Ours is a poor county. We have not recovered from the mass exodus of furniture and textile jobs that swept like a plague across the region in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

As we reported in our series of stories on housing in July, the average Burke County family cannot afford to buy a home.

Our county needs the millions of dollars in tax revenue that a large new industry or industries would bring.

Our county needs the income from new high-paying jobs that could make homeownership a reality for hundreds of working families.

And, our county needs to approach the development of the megasite with an open mind, recognizing that economic development and environmental protection can indeed go hand in hand.