Dear Editor:

Senator Harvey Peeler's letter of Oct. 22 was greatly appreciated by me and my family.

I am a native of Cherokee County - the McKowns Mountain/Sardis Church Community. I am also a property owner and taxpayer in this community. My husband, children and I are restoring my family's homeplace on Sardis Road.

My grandfather, Royce Humphries, and his wife, Ella Sanders, bought this property in 1953. My grandparents had grown up in this area. After living and working in other areas of the Upstate, they returned to McKowns Mountain to raise their children. They helped raise me on their wonderful farm.

Our family has a long history in this area - even before it was known as McKowns Mountain. My great-great-great-great-grandmother, Medora Long Davis, helped establish Sardis Methodist Church in 1889. I attended this church as a child and I married my husband there July 4, 1995. The church's newsletter reaches across the miles to tell those of us far from our "homeplace" the local news: who is serving in our military and where they have been deployed; who has graduated; who is getting married; who has new babies; who is in need of our prayers; who is sick; and who has passed away.

Almost every family living in McKowns Mountain has a long history in Cherokee County. This section of Cherokee County has not changed much at all - due mostly to the very land that Waste Management wants to destroy. The people living in this area of Cherokee County have kept their sense of belonging to their community.

This belonging to a place is seldom seen in the residents of today's "cookie-cutter" suburbs. It is a way of life that has been lost over time in most areas. It is a way of life that is as cherished by its inhabitants as it is longed for by those persons living in the newer developments.

The unique community of McKowns Mountain is recognized as a special place by its long-time residents as well as the newcomers who have settled there. The beauty, peace, quiet, and fresh clean air are very much appreciated by the residents and any visitors to the area.

Of course, the McKowns Mountain Community of Cherokee County will be the area most destroyed by Waste Management's landfill/garbage dump, but the ENTIRE county will be affected in some way. Every man, woman and child will run afoul of the landfill. Cherokee County is the smallest county in the State of South Carolina and will become the "Dump of the South."

If Cherokee County becomes the main dumping ground for every other state (and Canada) what other companies and businesses will want to locate in Cherokee County? None.

What families will want to move to Cherokee County? None.

Who will want to send their children to Limestone College when they find out that one of the largest landfills is "just down the road"? None.

How will the realtors in this county survive if no one wants to come here?

The lucky ones involved with Waste Management will likely "take the money and run" as fast as they can to get out of Cherokee County. The most dreadful thing of all will be the fact that the children will be leaving - because there will be no jobs for them in Cherokee County. Who will be able to blame them for getting out of the dump?

There are so many negatives to letting Waste Management put a landfill/garbage dump in Cherokee County. Waste Management has said that they would only use 400 acres of the 1,550 acres they intend to buy. They claim at this time that the remaining acres would be used as a buffer to separate the landfill from the residents.

I visited the Waste Management office in Willis Plaza on Oct. 20 for more information. I asked specifically about expansion of the facility beyond the 400 acres in the initial proposed site. (My homeplace is across the road from the landfill/ garbage dump site.)

Mr. Bob Peeler repeatedly "didn't want to insult my intelligence" as he pointed out how good a recycling center would be for Cherokee County. After I had asked about three times about any expansion of the landfill, he said, "the land will belong to Waste Management to use as they determine it to be used." My intelligence tells me that, yes, they will expand as much as they can.

This landfill will destroy 1,550 acres of beautiful woodlands. This landfill will also drive away the wildlife, deer, turkey, quail, bobcats, foxes, panthers, numerous bird species, insects and reptiles. Some of these animals could become extinct in our county as a result of the landfill. This landfill will pollute Abingdon Creek and the ground water. Is replacing these beautiful woods and the native wildlife species with a landfill complete with rats, roaches and other carrion-eating organisms a good thing for Cherokee County? Is this truly the best way for Cherokee County to grow and develop its resources?

Our lovely Cherokee County would really benefit by having a sports complex/golf course/resort area instead of a landfill. I have heard a rumor that Duke Energy plans to build a lake near the McKowns Mountain area. Wouldn't a lake make our county more attractive and desirable to companies and families? Wouldn't a nice lake increase our county's value?

I care very much about the community I was raised in and the community nearby where my daughter and grandchildren live. I care about the friends and family members I have in Cherokee County. It is my sincere hope that Waste Management (or any company like them) will never be allowed to come into Cherokee County. To have a landfill/garbage dump in our lovely county would be a tragedy that could never be corrected or undone.

There are some things that money can't buy, and Waste Management should be told that they can't pay us to take their filthy, smelly, disease-infested landfill. Waste Management should be told to get out of our county and don't ever come back!

We value our great quality of life in Cherokee County and it is not for sale. Sincerely, Deborah White Perry