Accountability needed at South Cumberland
In 2019, a young woman died at Foster Falls Campground in South Cumberland State Park after a dead tree fell on her. Tennessee taxpayers paid $275,000 to settle the claim. Park managers had failed to follow the hazard tree removal policy that might have prevented her death. To my knowledge, not one manager was held accountable. They continue to serve and have reportedly received raises.
I am a retired Tennessee State Park manager with 39 years of service at South Cumberland State Park. I filed a formal complaint about those management failures. I then signed up for a public program — the Fiery Gizzard Secret Swimming Hole Tour. It was promptly canceled. The stated reason was “lack of participation.” I had just registered. I was a participant.
When I requested the written policy basis for the cancellation, I received no reply from anyone in the chain of command. I filed a formal public records request. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s own written response confirmed that no minimum-participation policy exists. The program was canceled on a policy that does not exist.
I devoted 39 years to this park system, filed 150 resource protection cases without a loss and founded the Friends of South Cumberland State Park. Tennessee taxpayers deserve accountability when state employees fail in their duties — and freedom from retaliation when those failures are reported.
John Christof
Jasper, Tennessee
Welcome Home thanks Hamilton Place club
Welcome Home provides compassionate care and loving shelter for those in need of cancer respite or hospice care while also suffering from housing insecurity — restoring dignity and solace when it matters most. It has always been a dream to have a special place where we can honor and remember those who have died. This summer, we began plans for a small chapel with a memorial garden. The Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place not only raised and contributed $7,000, its members came along and helped install beautiful lighting inside the outdoor chapel.
We also want to thank those who supported this project this year, as well as Amarii Pearson of Cherokee Council Troop 166 who chose this for his Eagle Scout project, Earthscapes and Dovetail Construction.
This holy and sacred space will serve to remember and celebrate all of the people of Welcome Home and to provide a place for our community to come together in the future. Schedule a tour when you have time. Thank you so much to the Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place! We couldn’t do this without you.
Sherry Campbell, LMSW
Director, Welcome Home of Chattanooga
Notice was lacking for medical clinic
I am writing because I am upset about the recent Remote Area Medical clinic at Notre Dame High School. A free clinic like this can make a real difference for people who cannot afford care, but this one was not announced to Chattanooga’s homeless community in advance, and because of that, people who needed it most did not have a fair chance to be seen.
I know this firsthand. I have needed glasses for some time, and a clinic like this was my chance to finally get them. I was not informed about it in advance, so by the time I learned it was happening, I was unable to get there at the proper time to be seen. For care that is offered on a first-come basis, arriving late is the same as not being served at all.
That is what makes the lack of notice so frustrating. The homeless community does not learn about events the way other people might. If word does not reach the places we rely on — and reach us early enough to plan how to get there, then for all practical purposes the clinic might as well not have been offered to us. The need was there. The notice was not.
Free clinics do important work, and I am grateful that RAM came to Chattanooga. But if the goal is to serve the people with the fewest options, then announcing a clinic to the homeless community, well in advance, has to be part of the plan — not an afterthought. I hope the next clinic is shared early and shared where it will actually be heard, so that no one else misses care they have been waiting for simply because nobody told them in time.
William Dewayne McBryar
Moccasin Bend future awaiting exploration
I have the privilege of guiding students on field trips at the Moccasin Bend national archaeological district engaging them in purposeful placemaking through difficult periods of our shared American history. From the earliest Paleo-Indian advances in mankind to the Revolutionary War, Chickamauga wars and Trail of Tears, the Underground Railroad, slave trade and the Civil War, Moccasin Bend is a place where history comes alive, inviting students and their families to connect with the past, enjoy natural beauty, and envision the future.
I extend my thanks and gratitude to the legislators who have stayed true to the promise of preserving Moccasin Bend. State Sen Bo Watson, the entire local delegation, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and former Congressman Zach Wamp have given voice to the legions of Chattanoogans who celebrate the work of the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute and look forward to the day it moves to its new home in Hamilton County so that the vision of a fully interpreted national archaeological district can come to life.
Over 70% of (online) polled readers favored the announced relocation site, and 74% opposed the flip-flop. Residents expressed outrage that Nashville officials overrode the will of the people of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
I join the children of our community and today’s leaders in hoping the State will pursue a path that protects Moccasin Bend, welcoming the world to America’s only national archaeological district.
Jennifer Crutchfield