The headline may not say it all, but it says a chunk:
Commissioners Demand “Geren” Wonder Prove Black-and-White Dollar Value.
A request for filling a vacancy for staffing the Green Energy Park was met with resistance from the Jackson County Commissioners. The person making the request argued the project, which for five years has not been able to be financially self-sustaining as advertised, could be with a little more hope. Reportedly, he believed new pottery studios would help complete the vision to arrive at the “tipping point.”
“I don’t see how you can make that statement,” newly elected Republican Commissioner and local businessman Doug Cody flatly responded after eliciting from [the park’s director Timm] Muth that there’s an absence of hard numbers to back that claim. Prove it, Cody told him. Perform a cost analysis, top to bottom.
The article, written by Quintin Ellison for the Smoky Mountain News, is highly entertaining, making the park sound like the quest of a fairy tale, conceived “when Democrats ruled.” The park was to convert landfill methane to usable fuel for something like an arts guild. The idea was so green, Governor Beverly Perdue came out west to honor the site with her presence. Regardless of party, the commissioners tried unsuccessfully to extract at least an estimate of costs.
