2008.12.31
A happy ending in Grayson
The lengthy dispute over where to put a prison proposed for Grayson County is over: Land along the New River once selected for the prison has been permanently protected by a conservation easement.
In an editorial for next week, we'll celebrate that outcome.
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To some, it might be a happy day in Grayson but it is not a happy day for Grayson. The remote county (where I grew up) needs employment and economic activity that the prison would give. Outsiders want to keep Grayson County poor and "pure". People are leaving because they have no way of making a living and all that will be left is Christmas trees.
Appalachian Power bought land to build a hydroelectric dam in the county in the 70s. Activists and outsiders worked hard against it and the effort was aborted. Grayson County would have been another Smyth Mountain Lake and everyone would have benefited.
Comment by Ken — December 31, 2008 @ 2:33 pm