Letter to The Pocahontas Times from Fairley Workman

The citizens of our county know that the use of eminent domain to benefit private enterprise is wrong. They have voiced this opinion numerous times and in numerous ways including petition, election, and letters to the editor of this newspaper. In addition to our citizens, there are many outside organizations who have made it plain that they are against the Slaty Fork sewage treatment plant location on the Sharp farm primarily due to environmental concerns. Other people and organizations are against the proposed site due to the historical aspects and aesthetics of the Sharp farm.

Despite the public outcry and the glaring problems of the Sharp farm site, the County Commission (CC) continues to insist that the proposed location is the correct location. This obstinacy is contrary to common sense and rationale. When people depart from the obvious, suspicion of motives creeps into the minds of people who see what is obvious. Even one member of the PSD recognized the obvious and changed his position from one of support for the location to one of opposition to the location. The CC has dismissed this in the tone that the PSD member was "badgered" into making this disclosure to your newspaper by foes of the site location.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, nor do I support such; however, I do have suspicions that illogical activity may be part of a logical plan designed toward some end. For example, is the Sharp farm site tied in with the recent sale of Intrawest? Does the site have anything to do with reactivating the railroad? Is the site standing in the way of planned development? Does someone in power have a grudge against the Sharps?

I could go on and on as I have heard hundreds of suspicions expressed by people, but I simply do not know if any are true. I do know that if the treatment plant is placed on the Sharp farm, we'll find out if any of these and other suspicions are reality.

As always, I beseech the CC to listen to reason and change the sewage treatment plant location to the state site. If the CC, as claimed, wants a letter from the Governor confirming his offer of the site, all they need to do is have the PSD request the letter (WV procedure).

Sincerely,
Fairley Workman
Slaty Fork