Chattanooga developer John "Thunder" Thornton appeared at a meeting of the Marion County Commission to defend his high-end residential development from critics who have expressed concerns about old coal mines inside Aetna Mountain.
The 7,500-acre River Gorge Ranch planned for about 2,500 lots when fully developed was the target of criticism at the commission's February meeting from neighbors of the project. The neighbors contended there was a "Swiss cheese" of coal mine shafts in Aetna Mountain.
Officials in February and at the meeting this month agreed the mountain — and almost every other mountain in Marion County — had a long history of coal mining, including shafts that go deep into the ground, but Thornton said a geophysical study of the Aetna Mountain property performed as part of early phases of design identified problem areas that will be avoided and showed that River Gorge Ranch is being constructed atop a 120-foot-thick bed of Newton sandstone.
Document
Read the geophysical study report.
Thornton told an occasionally hostile crowd at the March 22 meeting in Jasper, Tennessee, that he's not hiding anything and is proud to bring the development to Marion County.
"I've been honest and open and transparent. I'm going to do things the right way — and I have — and I think Jasper Highlands is evidence of that," Thornton said, referring to his other high-end Marion County mountaintop development on the west side of the county. "We've got 1,300 home sites with a wonderful community — almost 500 homes there."
Earlier this month, Thornton went on the defense over the "Swiss cheese" assertions by Aetna Mountain resident Ronnie Kennedy, who told commissioners in February some people in the community were worried about the effect of the old underground mines. Kennedy and Joe E. Blevins, a former county commissioner, expressed similar views on social media, triggering a libel suit from Thornton filed March 15 in Marion County Chancery Court. The suit names both men as defendants and demands payment for unspecified damages, recovery and expenses.
The suit contends Kennedy and Blevins are "angry and disgruntled about the development" and the men made the alleged remarks on social media out of "malice, spite and vindictiveness."
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Kennedy and Blevins, who have said they only want potential development residents to be aware of the conditions under the mountain, said in a phone call Thursday they are making arrangements for legal counsel but declined to comment further on the suit.
At the March meeting, Clarence Howard, of Thornton's Thunder Enterprises, reiterated the long history of coal mines in Marion County and the rest of the Sequatchie Valley and the nearby Cumberland Plateau and said River Gorge Ranch was developed with that understanding.
"We spent to date $3.1 million on engineering fees, environmental consultants, permits, civil engineers," Howard said.
Howard said an account of a U.S. Forest Service bulldozer sinking into the ground on Aetna Mountain a few years ago was more likely due to "silt-filled mud holes" created by trucks than anything to do with coal mines. Howard said the coal mining issues raised in public meetings were often preceded by comments on social media.
Derek Kilday, with GEOServices, told commissioners the study done on the development property acknowledged the evidence of mining activities and residual spoilings from those activities, as well as the coal seam sought out by mining companies over the decades. Findings in the study were submitted to the state local planning office and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
"We do not feel like there's any concerns with the planned development," Kilday said. "In addition to what we've done to date, we've been asked to do geophysical testing only as confirmation."
Answering a question from the commission about "orange surface water" noted in the study's findings, Kilday said it was believed to be iron fouling.
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According to the study, orange staining "is an indicator of iron leachate from likely open mine sources or spoils." Leachate refers to water that percolates through solids and carries some of the materials away.
Dane Bradshaw, president of Thunder Enterprises, said the study provided information on where to build and where not to. If a home site isn't suitable, it's a loss for the developer, he said, not the potential buyer.
Bradshaw called recent commission meetings attended by residents who voiced concerns about the development "a circus" and accused commissioners who raised questions of having personal reasons for doing so.
The remark generated loud boos from the crowd.
"Most of you should offer your resignation as county commissioners," he said.
At the March meeting, Thornton told commissioners and the audience his development would bring tax revenue and prosperity to Marion County.
"It was $27,000 a year in property taxes when I bought that 9,000-acre piece, and now it's generating well over $1 million and when built out will generate well over $3 million in taxes," Thornton said of Jasper Highlands. "River Gorge Ranch will generate more than $5 million. Our customers for the most part are retired. They don't have school-age children, for the most part, 95% of them don't. They are not putting a strain on county services. It is a massive windfall for Marion County."
Thornton's voice rose as he continued.
"But that doesn't give me the right to do anything wrong, and I'm not going to," he said. "We are going to do it right."
Thornton said the study's findings show there is thick sandstone to build on.
"A foundation of 120 feet of sandstone? You could build the Empire State Building and probably the World Trade Center up there if you wanted to," he said, adding that a $12 million restaurant is planned for River Gorge Ranch. "It'll be the beacon of Marion County."
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.