Re: Doe River Gorge Threatened?
| April 19, 2018 09:10AM |
|
Chris Ford, president of the ET&WNC Historical Society, got to the bottom of this last night. Here's the complete response he got back from the chairman of the Carter County Parks & Recreation when asked about the video in question:
Chris,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Please feel free to pass this along to your membership and any other interested parties:
I am Chairman of the Carter County Parks & Recreation Board. I was a member of the Tweetsie Trail Task Force, which built the trail between Johnson City and Elizabethton, and I’m a member of the Tweetsie Trail Conservancy, which advocates for the trail and helps fund improvements.
I can state categorically that there are NO PLANS to take the trail through the gorge. There are 2 primary reasons:
1.A trail would interfere with the operation of Doe River Gorge Christian Camp. The camp has legitimate concerns with security. It has several facilities in the gorge itself, and uses the existing tracks to access them.
2.The owner of the upper end of the gorge, Wilderness and Country Properties, LLC, which is owned by the Gregory family of King Pharmaceutical fame, has informed us politely but firmly that they have no intention of allowing a right of way across their property.
Since the Parks & Rec Board greatly appreciates the work of the camp, the last thing we would want to do is cause them any problems. And, as strong supporters of private property rights, we wouldn’t dream of trying to force the Gregorys to give us a right of way. As things stand, I can’t foresee a scenario which would allow a trail in the gorge.
Now, we have established a trail from Elizabethton to the town of Roan Mountain named “Carter County’s Tweetsie Extension”. It is intended for experienced road cyclists only. Much of it is on Hwy 19E. About 4 miles of it is on Old Railroad Grade Road, which has been a favorite of cyclists for many, many years. By necessity the trail bypasses and will always bypass the gorge; even if there was a trail through it, dirt and gravel trails don’t mix well with skinny road bike tires.
I have no idea who made this video, but it’s not as if the Board is in hiding, we have a website [www.cartercountyparksandrec.com] , and a quick phone call or email would have cleared up any misunderstanding. Now that he knows the facts, I hope the owner of the video will have the courtesy and good sense to take it down, and stop spreading a foolish, unfounded rumor.
If there are any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at kdg@....
Best wishes,
Kenneth D. Gough
Chairman
Carter County Parks & Recreation Board
So, it was much ado about nothing, thankfully.
-Lee
Flickr photo set of my On30 layout
Chris,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Please feel free to pass this along to your membership and any other interested parties:
I am Chairman of the Carter County Parks & Recreation Board. I was a member of the Tweetsie Trail Task Force, which built the trail between Johnson City and Elizabethton, and I’m a member of the Tweetsie Trail Conservancy, which advocates for the trail and helps fund improvements.
I can state categorically that there are NO PLANS to take the trail through the gorge. There are 2 primary reasons:
1.A trail would interfere with the operation of Doe River Gorge Christian Camp. The camp has legitimate concerns with security. It has several facilities in the gorge itself, and uses the existing tracks to access them.
2.The owner of the upper end of the gorge, Wilderness and Country Properties, LLC, which is owned by the Gregory family of King Pharmaceutical fame, has informed us politely but firmly that they have no intention of allowing a right of way across their property.
Since the Parks & Rec Board greatly appreciates the work of the camp, the last thing we would want to do is cause them any problems. And, as strong supporters of private property rights, we wouldn’t dream of trying to force the Gregorys to give us a right of way. As things stand, I can’t foresee a scenario which would allow a trail in the gorge.
Now, we have established a trail from Elizabethton to the town of Roan Mountain named “Carter County’s Tweetsie Extension”. It is intended for experienced road cyclists only. Much of it is on Hwy 19E. About 4 miles of it is on Old Railroad Grade Road, which has been a favorite of cyclists for many, many years. By necessity the trail bypasses and will always bypass the gorge; even if there was a trail through it, dirt and gravel trails don’t mix well with skinny road bike tires.
I have no idea who made this video, but it’s not as if the Board is in hiding, we have a website [www.cartercountyparksandrec.com] , and a quick phone call or email would have cleared up any misunderstanding. Now that he knows the facts, I hope the owner of the video will have the courtesy and good sense to take it down, and stop spreading a foolish, unfounded rumor.
If there are any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at kdg@....
Best wishes,
Kenneth D. Gough
Chairman
Carter County Parks & Recreation Board
So, it was much ado about nothing, thankfully.
-Lee
Flickr photo set of my On30 layout
| Subject | Author | Posted |
|---|---|---|
|
CVR220 | April 18, 2018 04:03PM |
|
et&wnc | April 18, 2018 04:33PM |
|
Popeye8762 | April 18, 2018 04:49PM |
|
Wayne Laepple | April 18, 2018 07:23PM |
|
et&wnc | April 19, 2018 09:10AM |
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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