Letter to the Editor: Jim Mairs

How does Iredell pastureland suddenly become a trailer park for the "economically naive home buyer?" How did the Brawley School traffic jam occur? The actions of our county commission aptly demonstrated these problems at their last session, Tuesday night. After 3 hours they voted to allow an oil refinery to be built in the farmland of Northern Iredell. In their fourth hour they intrenched the stranglehold that the Troutman Utilities department has on the farmland of southern Iredell.

Over the last decade, Troutman has seized control of southern Iredell county by utilizing the county easements and right of ways to negate any resistance a property owner could hope to exert. First a sewage-line or water-line is run down a highway or creek. Now Troutman controls the development of the area with control of the water/sewer hookups. This usurpted control of the exit 42 exchange five years ago, despite an existing "Iredell County Land Use Plan" (paid for by county taxpayers). To commerate this victory, Troutman is now building the Troutman Memorial Watertower on Interstate 77 just north of exit 42, for all of to see.

One can only hope this memorial touches a nerve with our Board Chairman every time he is in a Brawley School Road traffic jam on Highway 21 between Mooresville and I-77. A jam caused by the 200 plus "economically naive home owners" in the quarter million dollar 1/3 acre lots he allowed in the so called Shiloh Farms housing development (ie. trailer park). Why should he worry about roads, isn't that the responsibility of the state? Even if he knew the State would be 10 years behind in road development, why should he foresee (if not cause) the resulting traffic tie-up in which he now sits. Perhaps our elected representative will have the time to reflect on the Troutman Memorial Watertower and remember how he was led around as if he had a ring thru his nose.

Perhaps fellow commissioners can recall where they had their thumbs.

Jim Mairs
Troutman (former Mooresville resident)