Planning board visit a missed opportunity
Everything must be going perfectly in Highlands.
That’s the most logical explanation for why the Macon County Planning Board got stood up on Thursday, Nov. 21.
The planning board is currently touring several communities around the county to collect information about what citizens want to see in terms of services that the county provides and get thoughts on big-picture issues facing the municipalities, county and region.
At other stops along the tour, the planning board has drawn large crowds as citizens have voiced their concerns on topics ranging from broadband internet access, to NCDOT projects, to the future of healthcare. The meetings have given the board, which makes planning recommendations to the board of commissioners, a lot to decipher as they look at the next 10, 20 and even 40 years of living in Macon County.
But in Highlands, at a meeting that was announced a month earlier and advertised in multiple outlets, no one showed up. At 5 p.m. the meeting room at the Rec Center featured nine planning board members and a reporter from The Highlander.
Luckily, Macon County commissioner Jim Tate and newly-elected town commissioner Marc Hehn arrived to at least give the planning board updates on some ongoing and future projects in Highlands. Otherwise, the meeting would have lasted all of about 10 minutes with no members of the public in attendance – and that’s a shame.
Highlands has a history of self-reliance that few towns of similar size can compare with, but that doesn’t mean that working with the county on future endeavors isn’t important. An expansion of Zachary Park, improvements at Highlands School and a future solid waste convenience center in town are all things that come to mind in the near future that will take county backing.
The good news is the county planning board’s tour of communities isn’t over and there are still chances to be heard. The next meeting will take place at 5 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the Pine Grove Community Building on Peeks Creek Road at the bottom of the Cullasaja Gorge.
The 20 minute drive down the Gorge Road isn’t as convenient as going to the Rec Center for Highlands residents, but having a voice in the future of Macon County is worth the time.