Thursday, January 31, 2008
High Knob tower is worth the price
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Duane Akridge and Joyce M. Payne
Akridge lives in Big Stone Gap and is the 2008 president of the Wise County Chamber of Commerce. Payne lives in Norton and is the executive vice president for the Wise County Chamber of Commerce.
On behalf of the Wise County Chamber of Commerce, we are writing in response to the editorial "High Knob tower isn't national priority" (Jan. 4). Your editorial referenced what you called a "lesser-known" landmark -- the High Knob Observation Tower -- and its destruction by fire on Oct. 31.
Wise County is abundant with the most natural, beautiful scenery available in the commonwealth of Virginia. The High Knob Observation Tower, which was located in the Jefferson National Forest, was among the most unusual treasures available to the commonwealth for displaying such beauty.
Although the tower was enjoyed and appreciated by local residents, it was valued and treasured by thousands of former residents and visitors from across the United States. Its destruction touched the hearts of tens of thousands of people.
Ninth District U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher stated that he shares the love of the landmark with those who have initiated grass-roots effort to rebuild it, and he has rightly pledged to secure federal funds to rebuild the beloved tower.
To view such a valuable monument as unworthy of federal funding is not only an insult to area residents but also shows such lack of appreciation for the beauty and treasures offered by Virginia -- in particular, Southwestern Virginia.
If you have ever climbed High Knob Observation Tower, you would know the grandeur of its majestic views that offer horizons and backdrops of five surrounding states. Only at the top of this tower could such a breathtaking view be found. Every summer and winter, people from across the U.S. traveled to High Knob to breathe in its priceless beauty; many traveled past Roanoke on Interstate 81.
According to the Virginia Tourism Corp., in 2006, this regional tourism area, which includes Wise, Lee and Scott counties, posted a 8.9 percent increase over 2005. Making Virginia's top 15 list is the city of Norton, with a 9.8 percent change in 2006 on total tourism expenditures of nearly $14.6 million. Norton is situated at the foot of the Jefferson National Forest.
Virginia does, indeed, extend west of the Roanoke area, and like many American taxpayers, we too pay federal income taxes. We deserve the rebuilding of High Knob Observation Tower, as do the thousands of people the tower has touched and will touch in the future. We proudly applaud Boucher for his support of Southwest Virginia.
