The Mills River Homeowners Association Coalition, which represents more than 1,000 homeowners, is seeking impact statements from area residents who wish to voice concerns over the Duke Energy Foothills Project. Collected comments will be presented at the Mills River Town Council meeting on Aug. 27 before being sent along to the power company.
Duke’s proposed development could see power lines being built throughout Western North Carolina, including Mills River and other Henderson County communities.
The goal of voicing the community’s collective concern, according to Mills River HOA Coalition president Greg Van Voorhis, is to “unite in presenting Duke with both a large volume of letters and loud voices declaring ‘NO Duke Power Lines HERE!”
Duke is also collecting public comments from the company’s website. A South Carolina-based petition to halt the project has also gained almost 5,000 signatures.
Interested individuals can email impact statements to KZiprik@aol.com no later than Aug. 26, at 5 p.m.
Here is the full media release:
MILLS RIVER, NC – Coordinators of the Mills River Homeowners Association Coalition are encouraging all area residents to create “Impact Statements” against proposed Duke Energy power lines in Western North Carolina. The statements will be collected and presented at the Mills River Town Council meeting on August 27, 2015 at 6pm and will then be sent on to representatives of Duke Energy.
“People have probably seen or heard of how victims of major crimes often get the opportunity to address a person who has committed a crime to let them know how the offense affected them — this is the same idea,” says Greg Van Voorhis, president of the Mill Ridge Homeowners Association. “If Duke Energy brings power lines to our area, we are the victims. These Impact Statements allow all area residents to have their voices heard.”
Van Voorhis and other leaders of the Mills River HOA Coalition (which represents more than 1,000 homeowners) will present the letters to the Mills River Town Council at the August 27 meeting. Homeowners and business owners are also encouraged to attend the meeting in the Commons Room to deliver their personal impact statements at the meeting.
“The Mills River community is fighting hard to keep the proposed power lines out of our area,” says Van Voorhis. “We invite all area residents to send us their Impact Statements so we can unite in presenting Duke with both a large volume of letters and loud voices declaring ‘NO Duke Power Lines HERE!
“Personally, I’m hoping we have a wheelbarrow full of letters to send on to Duke to let them know that we do not want power lines in our area.”
Anyone interested in having their Impact Statements presented to the Mills River Town Council can email them to KZiprik@aol.com no later than August 26th at 5pm.
Mills River and other Henderson County communities fall into Segments 12 and 10-B of the proposed Duke Energy Foothills Project. The area contains pristine waterways, farm lands, mountainous trails and other areas that would be negatively impacted by the construction of power lines.
The presidents of homeowners associations for High Vista, Mills Pointe, Willow Creek Farms, Cummings Cove and Mill Ridge have joined together and recently sent a letter to the North Carolina Utilities Commission opposing the proposed route through Segments 12 and 10-B.
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