To the editor Today, April 21, I received a

To the editor

Today, April 21, I received a letter from the Rappahannock Center for Independent Living (RCIL), informing me of an informational meeting for concerned citizens and neighbors about the waste water disposal system planned for the RCIL. I might add that this is the first information, either by letter, phone, or personal contact, that I have received from Mr. Snead or any of his associates about the new plans for the old Rappahannock Ski Area.

My family came to Harris Hollow when I was seven years old. I have lived here for over 30 years. I own a substantial tract of land known as “The Plains,” which joins the Rappahannock Ski Area. I am presently raising a family of my own and plan to spend the rest of my life here. I represent no political organization or special interest group. I’m not an expert on, anything; 1 have no college ' degrees. I do have something I wouldn’t trade for any of the above. It’s called common sense.

To begin with, the Ski Area was established for just that purpose. It sounded sensible. It was not far from a large metropolitan area. The climate was as cold as any place within an hour’s drive from D. C. The slope of the land was steep, with enough moderately sloped land for parking, etc., at the bottom of the slopes. Most important, the property was protected from the warm sunshine. There was less than five hours of sunshine per day on the slopes.

As I said, it sounded sensible, but Mother Nature prevailed, answering with warm winters and heavy rains at the most inopportune times — Christmas and New Year holidays, etc. The Ski Area failed. A lot of money was lost. It was a bad business adventure.

Next came the amusement park theme. Why not turn the site into a yearround recreational area? It sounded sensible, or did it? The first thing you need for an amusement park is a million people close by. We didn’t have them and I hope we never will. The Arab oil embargo and hard economic times soon killed the idea.

Now we come to the