Published August 17, 2006 11:36 am -

Save Chimney Rock

The state of North Carolina cannot allow one of its most recognizable landmarks to be sold to private developers.

Chimney Rock in Rutherford County is such a North Carolina geological icon that a giant 50-year-old photo of it graces a prominent spot in the Legislative Building. Yet Chimney Rock, to the surprise of many a tourist who arrives at the 996-acre park, is not state property. It is private, and it is for sale.

The Morse family has owned Chimney Rock since 1902, according to The Charlotte Observer. As the years passed, the family expanded the surrounding park by buying adjacent parcels. Now the family is ready to sell, and the state is about $35 million short of the asking price.

Chimney Rock is so important, on its own, that one is tempted to say, “Pay them what they’re asking.” Unfortunately, even if the state had an additional $35 million, it wouldn’t be that easy.

The state cannot offer more for the land than its assessed market value, according to the state constitution. The state’s assessment of the land’s market value is $20 million.

Now there may be a way to reassess the land, raising the total that the state can ask. And there may be a way to get the Morse family to come down a bit in its asking price, especially if the family knows that the state will take good care of the land. The Morses don’t want to see condos atop Chimney Rock any more than anyone else does. But $35 million is a huge gap to close, and creative thinking will be necessary.

The land’s purchase is all the more important considering that North Carolina is investing heavily in adjacent land. The new Hickory Nut Gorge State Park is being readied for opening in 2010. The development of that land into a public recreation area and preserve is almost certain to drive the value of the Morse property even higher. Without Chimney Rock Park preserved, either as a public or private entity, the Hickory Nut Gorge park will suffer.

There must be a way around the current impasse between the family and the state. And a large part of that solution will come from private citizens who are already working to save the land. (They’ve established a Web site at savechimneyrock.net.) The constitution does not prohibit private citizens from adding to the state’s purchase offer.

There was a time when the state’s school children raised the money, with their nickels and dimes, to bring the U.S.S. North Carolina to its berth in Wilmington harbor. Chimney Rock is of similar importance.

And if there is someone out there sitting on a pile of money who really wants to do something nice for the people and environment of this state, and get a big tax deduction in the process, this is a very good way to create a personal legacy.

— Winston-Salem Journal