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To the editor:
Pittsylvania County taxpayers are putting up $4 million for the new industrial park near the Dan River in Westover District while the City of Danville is supplying the largest share of the needed funds.
The objective, we taxpayers are told, is to be ready for the great opportunity of getting a plant to build one of the next-generation automobiles.
This expectation seems to be based on the fact that one manufacturer looked at the area but a sufficiently large site was not available at that time.
Pittsylvania County government, according to statements that have been made, is taking a neutral stance on uranium mining in the county, which, in effect, is about the same as support for that endeavor.
It was strong, open support in the 1980s with one or two supervisors going around speaking in support of the mining. All that money coming in for a few short years is so tempting.
In 2007 Southside Cattle Company, a company owned by Walter Coles, purchased land on Horseshoe Road, which is not far from the proposed industrial park.
I do not know why Mr. Coles purchased this land, but I do know that Marline held uranium leases near Cascade in the 1980s.
Based on known uranium leases in the vicinity, one can assume that eventually there will be uranium mining in the general area with the ore being hauled to the mill at Coles Hill.
My understanding is the industrial park site has been checked and found not to have a uranium deposit on it.
Now, why would any automobile manufacturer want to locate a plant in that environment?
I would not want to purchase a car that I knew had been built near a uranium mine site and only about 30 miles from a uranium milling site.
I hope the supervisor from Westover, who seems to be the leader in this financing, has taken all of this into consideration.
I knew I would have to pay increased taxes for the school improvements, but do not fancy having to pay for a huge industrial park that may never be used because of its location.
Hildred C. Shelton
Danville
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2008/11/13/chatham/opinion/opinion12.txt
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