GSMNP - Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to the second series of public meetings to continue discussion on the long-debated road construction issue arising from a 60 year-old agreement between the Federal Government, the State of North Carolina and the Swain County, NC, government.

The "1943 Agreement" involved creation of Fontana Dam and Reservoir, which flooded NC 288, land-locking 44,000 acres of Swain County, that was transferred to the Department of Interior and added to the national park.

The focus of this 60-year public controversy regards the Agreement's requirement for the DOI to construct a two-lane paved road through the Park, along the northern shore of the Fontana Lake to replace NC 288. Many local residents consider the unsettled Agreement to be "a broken promise" by the Federal Government. The decision as to whether road construction will move forward will be made based upon public input and analysis of possible impacts to the natural and human environments of building the roads as proposed as well as other alternatives that might resolve the long-standing dispute. These critical decisions and analyses will be detailed in the project's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Acting Park Superintendent, Phil Francis emphasized that a final decision regarding the road is still as much as 18 months away.

"Given the complexity of the natural, cultural, social and economic issues involved, we are still at the stage of assembling input on what people are concerned about." Francis said. "We are not yet at the point of having alternatives to discuss. What we can do at these next meetings is describe what we have learned about the road area and summarize what type issues and information the public has told us that the National Park Service needs to consider in deciding what should happen on the North Shore."

The second round of 5 identical public workshops will provide an opportunity for the public to review initial study area data collection and provide input. The workshop presentation will include a review of the National Environmental Policy Act process, previous comments expressed, and the project's final Purpose and Need, Goals and Objectives, and EIS topics. The presentation will also summarize information on the area's natural and cultural resources, the human environment, and transportation network.

Hundreds of people attended the first series of public meetings last March with over 2,500 comments submitted during this phase of the EIS process. In an effort to gain input from everyone interested in the North Shore Road EIS, the September public workshops will be held at five different locations and provide the same information at each meeting over the course of two weeks. Throughout the duration of the EIS process, the public will be given project updates at additional public workshops and will have opportunities to provide input during each phase of the EIS process.

Meeting Times & Locations:

September 8th - 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Swain County High School for the Arts Auditorium, 1415 Fontana Rd, Bryson City NC

September 9th - 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Holiday Inn Sunspree, Pilot Room, I-240 Exit 38, One Holiday Inn Drive, Asheville NC

September 11th - 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Fontana Village Resort, Hotel Lobby, Hwy 28, North Fontana Dam, NC

September 15th - 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Marriott Knoxville, Mississippi Room, 500 Hill Ave, SE, Knoxville TN

September 16th - 5:00-8:00 p.m. - Glenstone Lodge, Azalea Room, 504 Historic Nature Trail Drive, Gatlinburg,

Submit Comments at a Workshop, or Mail Comments to:

North Shore Road Project PO Box 30185 Raleigh, NC 27622

or email to: Nancy_Gray@NPS.GOV Great Smoky Mountains National Park 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865/436-1208