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Referendum
To the editor: On my return from spending a few days over Memorial Day at Camelback, where I was once again pleaaed at the enthusiastic public response to our Alpine Slide there, I found the News of May 25, with your welcome
pahannock Ski area.
Like you, I appreciate the problem of what will happen to the property if we do not reopen the area for year-round recreation. We would not develop it ourselves, as that is not our business; we w -uld of course sell it at the best price possible in order to avoid additional loss. What the purchaser would do with it 1 do not know. I hope such an issue will never have to be decided in Rappahannock County.
The principal purpose of this letter is to endorse and approve your suggestion of a referendum. This has one important disadvantage to us, in that additional time would be consumed and we would clearly not be able to open the area for the winter ski season. However, I feel that the advantages far outweigh this disadvantage.
As you point out. the legal proceedings themselves are complicated; they are also time consuming and expensive, both for us and the taxpayers of the county. More important, the voters of the county surely should be allowed to make this decision. I have consistently stated that I do not want us to run the area if we do not have the support of the community. For some time I have been confident that we have that support; if we do not, I prefer to forget the whole thing.
I suspect that the opponents of the area are equally confident that the voters would disapprove; indeed, in your issue of June I, two of the three letters critical of your May 25 editorial mention the referendum possibility without criticism and the third does not mention it. I believe (naturally) that the opponents are mistaken in their fears of the adverse effect of the area would have on the county, but I give them credit for complete sincerity. The overwhelming advantage of a referendum is stated by Mr. Parson: “If the people have the facts and vote a decision, that would end the controversy." I agree.
JAMES A. MOORE
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