Stop the Mendota Trail in Washington County, Virginia!

No Mendota Trail
The manager of this money-losing public golf course
earns about $75,000 a year in one the poorest cities in Virginia.

Stop the Mendota Trail in Washington County, Virginia!

by Lewis Loflin

Announcement: The Mendota Trail land-theft has been stopped. Bristol Virginia leaders plan to file a motion to "non-suit" its existing lawsuits against a group of Washington County property owners. The cost of battling landowners opposed to the trail in court could cost "hundreds of thousands" of dollars in the next few years. (BHC 2-18-08) This is a rare victory for private property owners opposed to an increasingly dictatorial government.

The Mendota Trail controversy has now entered its eighth year in 2008. Now this dirty backroom deal is in jeopardy as the near bankrupt City of Bristol, Virginia (about $120 million in debt) considers dumping the whole project after spending over $635,000 in legal and engineering fees. But what started out as a backroom deal may go back to back rooms to save it. A lot of startling facts have been recently uncovered in the press.

The Mendota Trail was supposed to cost about $1 million in state/federal grants slated for transportation and economics development, which the Mendota Trail is neither. Due to delays from court battles, to quote BHC (11/27/07);

Originally, the project was expected to total $1 million. The city still can access a $400,000 state transportation enhancement grant to help pay for trail construction, if it funds the $100,000 match...Three federal grants totalling $302,000 are no longer in place, but could be applied for, said Bob Childress, the city's director of parks and recreation. "We had to opt out of those because the feds put a five-year time frame on the state spending that money...The programs are still there and the money is still there, so we would just have to get back in line."

In 2001 I attended the so-called hearing (which they properly called a formality) between City of Bristol, Virginia and the Washington County Planning Commission and I accused them then of conducting this in secret and shutting out local residents from the process. They approved the Mendota Trail of coarse, even though the move would cost Washington County thousands in property taxes and strip residents of their property rights. Truth came out in December 1, 2007. To quote a letter to the editor in the Bristol Herald Courier, "Mendota Trail worth the fight" signed by Powell and Sharon Foster of Bristol, Tennessee revealed the following:

...We lost the fully constructed Trail of the Lonesome Pine along Clinch Mountain. Why? When responsibility for the trail was transferred to the state of Tennessee, state employees were too distant to maintain the excellent relations we, on its local board, had developed with the landowners. A similar problem developed when the former Mendota Trail Committee, on which we were volunteers, kept the project secret from landowners adjoining the right-of-way...

They go on to say they need to form a new committee to try to work with hostile land owners they bypassed the last time, and the need for more outside funding. To quote, "There needs to be an effort to obtain additional outside funding. One source that comes to mind is the Virginia Department of Transportation. They, over the objections of the Mendota Trail Committee, tore down a trestle over a local road. They could rebuild it." This in a County full of unpaved and poorly maintained roads. It happens all the time here.

Who Supports the Trail?

90 percent of residents in Washington and Scott Counties that live along the proposed Mendota Trail oppose the project. Those supporting the project, like Powell and Sharon Foster of Bristol, Tennessee don't live there. In fact virtually none of the proposed Mendota Trail is even in Bristol. They have no funds to maintain it and expect Washington and Scott Counties to patrol it. Some extracts from the Bristol Herald Courier (Outdoor enthusiasts rally in support of Mendota Trail Nov 27, 2007) gives us some clues.

Some outdoors enthusiasts hope to rally support for the embattled Mendota Trail during tonight's City Council meeting. Steve Cheers, of Mountain Sports Ltd. (in Bristol, Virginia), said he has contacted friends and customers in hopes of making the case for continuing development of the proposed hiking and biking trail..."People are going to Damascus and Abingdon every day to ride the [Virginia] Creeper Trail. That benefits gas stations, hotels, restaurants all year round...Another trail supporter, Oscar Harris of Mendota, said he's also making telephone calls and expects at least 10 of his friends to attend...Harris said the trail would provide a wide range of benefits. "It would bring a lot of eco-tourists who would enjoy our area, ride the trail, enjoy our beautiful trees, rivers and scenery and not destroy or take anything when they leave," Harris said. "I think it would boost the quality of life for people who live in this area."

What isn't here is any input from opponents. Yet if residents of Bristol VA/TN are going to Damascus, the residents along the proposed trail couldn't care less. Mountain Sports Ltd. has a direct economic stake in the deal, for every Oscar Harris, there's nine opponents. So where is the press when it comes to equal time for the Trail opponents?

Biased Press

The Bristol Herald Courier and its staff are biased on this issue. Let me quote some extracts from their editorial "Don't abandon Mendota Trail" November 27,

After an eight-year struggle, Bristol Virginia leaders seem poised to give up on the Mendota Trail project...Such a move wouldn't just be a loss for the city. It would be a blow to trail enthusiasts everywhere. And it would embolden trail opponents, teaching them that unending delays can kill a project just as surely as a court ruling...city leaders were overly optimistic, but they shouldn't be faulted for the delays.

Blame properly belongs to trail opponents, a small, but outspoken group of people who own land along the proposed path. These folks fear a privacy-invading onslaught of hikers and bikers, but presumably didn't mind living within a stone's throw of a working train track, when the trains were still running. Call us crazy, but we'd prefer hikers to the bone-jarring vibrations and noise that accompany a train's passage. Opposition to rail-to-trail conversions, as these projects are often called, is nothing new...

At one time the Bristol Herald Courier supported individual rights, but no longer does.

But the editorial goes on and on how wonderful the Creeper Trail has been for Damascus. How those opponents finally admitted defeat and live with it. They said, "The town of Damascus experienced an economic rebirth as a result of the trail's popularity. Restaurants, bike shops and small stores have sprung up all over town to serve those who flock to the trail every weekend to ride down from Whitetop Mountain or to simply go for a stroll. Given time, the Mendota Trail, which will run from Bristol Virginia to the Scott County line, has the potential to be just as popular. It would be a boon to the region." They forget to mentions millions in transportation funds that went into the construction of this trail. This is the so-called "economic development" in this region. So was Clear Creek Golf Course. See Clear Creek Golf Course. Ask for a list of jobs that "trail" created and the explosion in property taxes.

But what about those that live there? Did the Creeper Trail really improve the lives of those along the Trail? Is a seasonal restaurant job, renting bikes, or selling tacos from a roadside stall really a career? What is another retirement community suppose to achieve? Property values have exploded there and finding an affordable place to live while waiting tables is impossible.

The Herald Courier staff are typical liberals that think not in terms of individuals, but in terms of collective benefits (Their own social class) at the expense of lower income individuals. That has been the arrogant view of the wealthier people in Bristol and Abingdon (the county seat in Washington County and the wealthiest community in the region) towards us "hick's" in the country. And we better be wary of terms such as "eco" often leading to excessive government control and restrictions against property owners. That's not counting an exploding cost of living generated by development that produces only higher taxes and low-end jobs they don't work themselves. Many of those "jobs" are going to illegal aliens entering the region.

In this community there's no liberal or conservative, but who has the money.

Nov. 27 City Council Meeting

Bristol has found itself up against a wall. The city had won an earlier legal victory when Washington County Circuit Judge C. Randall Lowe (in Abingdon) ruled that the former railroad land didn't revert to the original owners. But the ruling also revealed the city doesn't own four parcels, which would have to be purchased or acquired through condemnation. During the hearing Mayor Jim Rector to ask the city attorney, "You mean we went into all of this and we didn't own the property???" The attorney mumbled something, while many in the crowd of snickered at the City Council. About 300 packed the hearing. This was only the start of the fun.

For 30 minutes opponents and backers of the Trail gave their sides. Several City residents demanded to know how they were going to pay for all of this. One speaker asked those supporting the Trail to stand up. I was in the back, we had several police officers present in case trouble broke out. Between 40-50 on the left side stood. At this point I asked "How many of you are Washington County residents?" Over half sat down. At that point I asked how many oppose the Trail. On the opposite side and in the back over 100 stood up. At this point an angry Mayor Rector banged his gavel and said, "the other speaker has the floor."

The City just couldn't afford the Trail and counted on pork-barrel grants to pay for it. That money was being held up by legal fights from property owners the City tried to drive into submission with legal costs. Now it turns out they really didn't own the property, it was going to court again and still no money. Now the real shocker as Mayor Jim Rector said,

"The city has never met with the Washington County Board of Supervisors or the Scott County Board of Supervisors on this issue. As a lot of you - on both sides of the aisle have said - this is in the counties. They are the ones who would have to patrol it. I think we need to sit down and see if they support it."

There was a collective gasp of disbelief. Eight years and $635,000 and Bristol had never consulted Washington or Scott Counties? Now they wanted Washington County to drag their own residents into to court for Bristol and condemn their property so Bristol could get it. When I got up to speak I told the City directly, "I can tell you as a Washington County resident, you will lose!" I got on local channel 5 the next day. I also demanded to know if this will be an open meeting for the public. Mayor Rector made it clear the public might attend, but wouldn't be allowed any input on the issue. Washington County Supervisors don't allow public comment on anything without pre-approval. Most real business in Washington County is conducted in closed session where the public is barred and no records are kept.

That is where we are at in January 2008, still no end in sight. Perhaps the little people might prevail for once. Quoting a letter write named Ben,

There is also the idea, which Bristol city leaders have, of swaying the Washington County, Va., Board Of Supervisors to forfeit the extra land needed to complete the plans of the city to establish the trail. I don't believe the residents of Washington County would approve of any back-door bargaining by their board leaders to partner up with Bristol city leaders on this, or any other, recreational plan. To put it in simple words, there is just a stigma that Bristol city leaders carry, that Washington County residents do not prefer. We see how they've run the city of Bristol over the past decade and wish not to be a part of any of their inveterate levies.

I Lived in Mendota, and Why I left

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My letters printed in the Bristol Herald Courier

Washington leaders need to live in real world
Pork Barrel Spending Doesn't Create Jobs
Let's Work Together But Be Realistic

Printed: 4/1/01 in the Bristol Herald Courier

Printed: 4/4/01 in the Kingsport Times-News

Re: Mendota Trail Hearing

To the Editor:

The Mendota Trail hearing I attended on March 26 was a joke and revealed the level of dishonesty and conceit from the Washington County Planning Commission. They intended to vote in favor of Bristol, Virginia all along and the citizens adversely affected by this trail were totally ignored.

The Bristol Gang ran the show from the beginning (over half the supporters) along with business owners, move-in retirees, and assorted eco-wackos. They don't live on poverty-wage jobs that dominate this community more and more everyday.

Those opposed are 100% Washington County. As they spoke, members of the commission rolled their eyes and still refused to answer any questions snapping, "We don't answer questions!" These decent people never had a chance and the way they were treated makes me sick.

Bristol officials hold the same contemptuous attitude towards our residents as they did their own when they blocked a 300 unit trailer park that would have provided affordable housing: One can flip the famous "Bristol Burger" or clean the restrooms, but you can't live here.

That's why this area is great for retirement and almost dead last on earning a living. What this community needs is a mandatory living wage and affordable housing, not that worthless Bristol Trainstation and hiking trail.

It's about time those of us who actually live here start to take our community back from the corrupt politicians and eco-wackos. Those of us who can't afford the high priced subdivisions have already been written off and this hearing proved that.

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia

Also see Bristol Train Station

Published Bristol Herald Courier August 7, 2003

As a Washington County resident, I'm opposed to the Mendota Trail and a long list of government waste across this region. We're desperate for decent jobs, not useless pork.

Many roads in the Mendota area need repair/paving, yet why waste money on a horse trail? It's part of a bigger rip-off involving the Bristol Train Station, which has no economic value, and $200 million for passenger rail with no demand and a proven failure. All this just to waste transportation funds that will produce nothing for our impoverished Bristol workforce. The $113,583 given to the nearby Carter Family Music Center by VCEDA won't either. "Tourism development" is codeword for "pork-barrel."

Waste isn't limited to welfare for the wealthy Carter Family. In Dickenson County, VCEDA squandered $642,500 in Clintwood for the Ralph Stanley Museum which is cheap compared to a local call center. For 250 "jobs" they porked out $7 million in free infrastructure, $250,000 for job training, and $1.6 million (107 kids at about $15,000 each) to subsidize daycare. How does it cost $10,000 each to train someone to answer the phone for $6.18 an hour? Four years at a community college cost less then this. (Note: this place closed down. See A Town's Future Is Leaving the Country: Travelocity and Dickenson County)

The money squandered on the Coalfields "pork-barrel" Expressway alone could send every adult in Dickenson/Buchanan Counties to college. Moving rotting, empty buildings in Grundy ($100 million) won't stop the our "best and brightest" from fleeing the region. US 23 through nearby Norton (where I grew up) has proven these kinds of projects fail to produce decent private-sector jobs.

The Bristol Gang should stop suing citizens over Wal-Mart and horse trails. Calling government waste "tourism development" won't produce needed jobs with a living wage. Let's put a horse trail through Fat Cat Estates and the country club.

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, VA.

Washington leaders need to live in real world

To the editor:

I am writing in regard to exploding property taxes in Washington County, VA. The cost of living is getting out of control, with soaring energy prices, poverty-wage jobs and Electrolux layoffs and now this. Our leaders need to start living in the real world outside of Abingdon.

The simple fact is the working poor and retired poor can't afford to pay for a high-class retirement community on $6-an-hour jobs or a $500-a-month Social Security check. We can't afford it, and the cost should go to those who benefit from it, not the general public. That means not only cutting tax rates, but by cutting wasteful spending on tourism, the arts and pork-barrel projects.

A good start is the Mendota Trail. This useless project is a waste of money and will violate residents' property rights, inflate taxes and even endanger citizens. We also need to look into industrial development, which has produced more corporate welfare and higher taxes than jobs.

I ask my fellow property owners to join me at the Mendota Trail hearing March 26 so we can get some straight answers on what this ``comprehensive plan'' will really cost. I'm sure our supervisors are willing to work with the public to solve these problems.

Finally, I wish to commend the folks at the assessor's office in Abingdon for their concern and help to a very upset public.

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, VA.

Pork Barrel Spending Doesn't Create Jobs

Bristol Herald Courier

Date 1/3/01

To the editor:

I'm writing this letter in regard to the editorial "Save bats and orchids...highway too," (Herald Courier 12/20/00). There is a lot more reasons to halt the Coalfields "pork-barrel" Expressway then just wildlife: There is no economic justification for spending $1.1 billion on that road anymore than the $100 million squandered to move the Grundy business community. Political popularity doesn't mean economically sound.

It's a proven fact that new highways do not bring jobs or prosperity to local people with Glade Spring and Russell County being the latest examples. Glade Spring wants to annex because I-81 and millions in park-barrel spending has done nothing to boost the local economy. Russell County already has two interstates yet is begging for more money for another empty industrial park. (Herald Courier 12/20/00) How many more failures will it take to stop the waste?

What's worse are kinds of jobs the experts say we should rely on. We've already lost hundreds of costly "phone jobs" in Wise and Dickenson Counties, yet they want to spend millions more on this even when the industry is in chaos on Wall Street? If the private sector won't invest in these schemes, why should taxpayers?

Stop wasting our tax dollars on development schemes that never work and benefit only a few wealthy people This money could be better used for secondary roads, pay off public debt, or lower taxes. This kind of waste with a recession looming and a billion-dollar short-fall in state revenues is just stupid and needs to end.

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia

Let's Work Together, But Be Realistic

Bristol Herald Courier

Date 01/15/01

To the editor:

I wish to commend the Herald Courier for the article "Growing or dying: The choice is ours." (01/01/01) While bringing out valid points, we've heard this for years and nothing comes of it. We must look at what we can and can't do.

The economy is out of our hands. National trends have left this region with few options outside low wage retail/retirement/service industries. Keeping taxes and the cost of living down is vital in communities where many residents have low or fixed incomes. Regional cooperation needs to be real, not more talk.

It's time to get political garbage like multiculturalism with its emphasis on socialism, New Age religion, environmental myth, and victimization out of our schools. Studying Western Civilization (including the role of Christianity) would stress Enlightenment values of reason, objectivity, and individualism. This idea of two different diplomas is wrong: All students should take the same classes and be treated equally. Keep the SOL, no social promotions, and stop making dropping out of school so easy.

Crack down on truancy, limit after school employment, and look into curfews such as the one proposed in Big Stone Gap. Children that are supervised and busy with homework at home don't get into sex, drugs, and crime. Our churches could be very helpful by offering safe, supervised places to go after school.

We have to solve our own problems as a community and stop waiting for government to fix everything. Let's do it in 2001!

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Virginia

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