To the Editor:

Last week I had the great misfortune of seeing first-hand the results of wanton destruction of acres of formerly pristine Macon County woodlands all in the name of the Super Wal-Mart now under construction.  If this is what bodes for the future of Franklin, our community is indeed the poorer for it.

Shame on the majority of the town’s leaders for allowing this grotesque eyesore to ever see the light of day. Their lack of vision and reverence for Franklin is clearly on display at the construction site.

Ask any full or part-time resident of Macon County if they choose to live here because they want a Super Wal-Mart in their backyard. Ask any tourist if they travel to Macon County for the mountain or the Super Wal-Mart views. Is it big-box Bentonville architecture they want to see or the pastoral vistas and (increasingly compromised) Little Tennessee River?

Instead of town leaders coming up with creative and insightful ways to bring more jobs and tourists to the county, they fell in line with the same banal approaches that have blighted unique communities like ours all across America.

But don’t take my word for it. Instead, take a drive. See for yourself how the town of Franklin is further distancing itself from the real reasons that brought us here in the first place.

Carol Ramsey

Cowee