To the Editor:

I want to commend Holly Kays for her great story on “Breaking the Backlog." 

I hope that her multi-dimensional reporting and analysis for this article will be the basis for a lot of discussion and letters about the problems of the national park maintenance backlog. Western North Carolina is so dependent on our national parks. This is what brings visitors into the area. All the other attractions — restaurants, breweries, amusement parks, music venues — are built on top of our natural features.

It is a shame that our congressional Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, doesn\t see this as a priority. The last quote from Meadows on national park funding, “I do see it as something I have to address” makes it seem like it’s an issue he’s just discovered, though he is now in his third tern in office.

Kays continues to bring us relevant stories on our mountains week after week. And for that, I am grateful.

Danny Bernstein

Asheville