A VISION AND A PLAN FOR COWEE:

Cowee resident and Macon County planning board member Susan Ervin put it this way: “The values of the people who live in Cowee Valley should govern our future. We should have our own farmland protection plan, our own preservation plan, our own development plan. We should take control of our future and only go to the county when it’s necessary.”

Eric Moberg, chairman of the Cowee Community Development Organization, echoed his mother-in-law’s long-held wish for a place to “put her feet in the river.”

[ STORY CONTINUES BELOW PHOTOS > ]

With property values escalating beyond the reach of many long-time residents, that simple act is tougher these days. Which is one reason why more than 45 people attended the Thursday-night kickoff meeting of Cowee’s satellite charrette for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative “Toolbox.” The event was done Cowee Community-style, with a potluck supper.

Lawrence Group consultant John Cock, one of the facilitators of the kick-off meeting, opened his presentation with a question: “Can we have to-go boxes for the rest of this incredible food?”

John would be happy to know that the close-knit Cowee community holds a potluck dinner every month at the Community Development Center. This rural neighborhood still retains the tight bonds that used to characterize most farming communities, and the people who live there feel very strongly that they want it to stay that way. So integrating those traditions into long-range planning strategies will be a priority topic over the next few days.

Preserving the historic buildings at the heart of West’s Mill is also high on the wish list for Cowee residents. “Every night when I turn down my road, I see kids playing on the ballfield at Cowee Elementary,” Bob Apsey said. “This school is the anchor building for the whole community. People are walking the track, kids are playing ball, there’s a gym, parking, a cafeteria. We need this building to stay alive.”

The Cowee Elementary School is slated to close in two years, and the fate of the Civilian Conservation Corps-constructed stone building is uncertain. Apsey heads a group of concerned citizens who are working to preserve the Art Deco-inspired building as a community center, envisioning such amenities as a canning facility where residents could put up jars of local produce, a place where square-dancing classes could be held, and a venue for local theatrical and musical events.

Residents of Cowee seemed delighted Thursday night to have an opportunity to participate in designing the future of their valley. They told the consultants on hand to collaborate with then over the next three days that the Mountain Landscapes Initiative offers a way to ensure that community voices will be heard and that their vision for the destiny of Cowee will be given weight.

-- Deborah Thomas, Cowee resident

Macon County led off the Community Forum series with a well-attended April 3 meeting. Not surprisingly, given the county’s pride in its rivers and streams and its concern about long-range access to drinking water, water quality was a top concern.

County Commissioner Ronnie Beale, who has been one of the regional leaders in support of the Mountain Landscapes Initiative, told MLI consultants, “This may be our number one priority for the next 10 or 20 years. Right now, we have an advantage over lots of other places because of our water resources. But what happens if we don’t plan for the future?”

The “Tool Box” effort in the region will benefit from a model project in North Macon County, focusing on part of the Little Tennessee River in the Cowee Community. It’s a chance to merge multiple approaches to growth challenges, including historic preservation of both natural and man-made assets, farmland preservation, and water quality concerns.

More details about that project will be posted in this space soon. But here are Cowee residents talking about their ideas for making the most of this planning effort:

With a year-round population of 32,395 (2006 U.S.Census estimate), Macon County is the third largest in population in the seven-county region. Its county commissioners were the first to endorse the Mountain Landscapes Initiative “Tool Box” effort and to pledge funding.

The Little Tennessee River corridor in North Macon will provide the setting for one of the most ambitious of the “Tool Box” model projects.

Watch this page for more county-oriented updates and reports.

Evelyn Owens, Realtor

Elena Carlson, Macon County Resident

Jessica Cochran, Macon County Resident

Fred Alexander, Duke Power