I was honored to serve as Sparta’s mayor in 1984 and have seen numerous challenges to the quality of life in the community I dearly love.
Concerns about clean water, clean air, traffic safety and more are legitimate issues for a project as large as the Diamond Chip Warehouse proposal.
However, this is not our first rodeo.
In the 1970s, work at A.O. Polymer, then located in vicinity of the historic Sparta Rail Station, included recycling solvents.
Residents complained about acrid odors emanating from the site and investigations determined that soil and ground water had indeed been contaminated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the area as a hazardous waste site and placed it on the National Priorities List for cleanup.
The cleanup took years and years. The EPA didn’t remove the site from its hazardous waste list until 2000.
I appreciate the work of our current Town Council members who have tried to protect the clean, healthy community in which we work, play and raise our families.
Sparta does not need yet another potential challenge of this magnitude to our small-town, rural life.
With thanks to those have tried to reconcile the challenge of ratables with preservation of the “Sparta lifestyle,” new energy is prepared to take up that task.
I believe that Mark Scott and Marjy Murphy are well-equipped to meet the challenges and urge your support for them on Nov. 5.
Nancy Starnes
Sparta
Editor’s note: Starnes is a former Sparta mayor.