Stop I-3 Coalition Monthly Newsletter
August, 2006
Notes from the chair -- Thank you, Elizabeth Wells
The Stop I-3 Coalition Board of Directors recently decided that our monthly newsletter would include a brief note from its chair. I am kicking off this feature with a well-deserved thank you to Elizabeth Wells.
The Board of Directors of the Stop I-3 Coalition sends its sincere thanks to Elizabeth for her hard work and dedicated effort towards stopping Interstate 3. Elizabeth was there from the start – organizing one of the first series of public meetings in June, 2005, upon the announcement of plans for this proposed highway.
One thing that is true about road projects is that as they build momentum they become harder and harder to kill. Therefore, it is very important to nip them in the bud – the quicker the better. Without Elizabeth’s energy early in the game, the ball would have gotten rolling much more slowly. We now have a large and thriving grassroots campaign due to those early efforts.
Until very recently, Elizabeth was the acting Executive Director of the Stop I-3 Coalition. She was responsible for a variety of extremely important tasks, all of which were executed with grace and tact. For example, we can all thank Elizabeth for the excellent working relationships and open lines of communication that exist between the coalition and key state and federal officials. Creating and maintaining those critical relationships is no easy job.
As we move through this transition period and search for an Executive Director we will keep our eyes squarely on the purpose of the Stop I-3 Coalition – to protect the Southern Appalachian and Piedmont region by preventing the construction of I-3 or any similar highway. Please contact the Stop I-3 Coalition and join our fight to stop the construction of this highway, the construction of which would have a devastating impact on both our natural as well as cultural resources, and the quality of life we enjoy in and around our region.
— Greg Kidd, Chair
“Burma Shave” Blitz
"Proclaim it from ... The mountaintop! ... This freeway is ... A thing to stop ... STOP I-3"
These catchy, informative signs went up along key roadways of North Georgia, Western North Carolina, East Tennessee and South Carolina’s Upcountry, about mid-month.
Our aim is to place 10 sets of signs in each of the 34 counties potentially affected by an I-3 corridor, both to expand our grassroots network and to influence passers-by.
Please contact Sandy Lyndon at bandit@bbinc.org to secure a sign for your property. (Costs of the each sign set -- five signs each -- are $35, but financial sponsorship is not a prerequisite.)
Let’s get ‘em up and demonstrate the breadth of this grassroots coalition.
Sandy also sends a big “thank you” to all volunteers who helped assemble and manufacture the signs.
Tracking the candidates
Check the new link at this website, “2006 Pro/Con Candidate Track Poll,” to help us register the I-3 positions of candidates for elected office this November.
Please report your responses to stopi3@alltel.net and put candidate poll in the subject line. Also, please include documentation of a candidate’s position statement, as well as the date and location (at a particular event, rally, newspaper article, telephone conversation, email, etc.).
Results will be posted now through Election Day, Nov. 7.
Please note that the Stop I-3 Coalition does not endorse candidates for elected office. We will not post party affiliation in this poll. We will not list candidates undecided about this issue – only those who have a position for or against I-3. This poll is one of the activities to fulfill our mandate of providing educational information to the public about the Interstate 3 issue.¨
Mark the date for the Stop I-3 Motorcycle Rally
Saturday, October 14, 2006
The rally begins at Grant Park in Atlanta, and culminates with an end-rally at the bottom of the Tail of the Dragon in Robbinsville, North Carolina.
Look for more information to be posted here and in the next newsletter.
Bikers and their bikes can do the entire run, or just participate in the start or finish (both of which include free caps, with a $20 registration fee). There will also be free barbecue for those completing the run and the 381 curves of the Tail of the Dragon, that famous and infamous stretch of US 129.
Contact Sandy Lyndon at bandit@bbinc.org for more information.
Stop I-3 Coalition Petitions
The Stop I-3 Coalition at last count has collected about 4,000 petition signatures since it kicked off the process in the spring. This is a goodly number, but many more signatures are needed if they are to have any significant effect on the public officials who will receive them.
Look for a petition in your favorite local hangout or coffee shop, or handle it online at www.StopI-3.org
Bumper Stickers Available
Stop I-3 Coalition bumper stickers are still available from a dedicated volunteer, Kathy Williams, for $1.00 per sticker.
Contact her at sauteewill@alltel.net, or at 706.878.3349.
