Email Subject Heading: I am opposed to saving the ASARCO stacks
In my opinion, they are a reminder of several terrible things: pollution, contamination of soil leading to permanent and debilitating disease, and exploitation, to name a few.
I would love to see the area reclaimed, decontaminated, and put to some good use. However, I believe the cost of restoring and maintaining the stacks would be much better directed to continued restoration of our once-beautiful downtown, especially the area around the plaza, or to preventing further destruction of our mountain.
I am not opposed to building homes on the lower elevations of the Franklins. What I am opposed to is the lack of care and concern for the visual and ecological impact of allowing a few, very wealthy, people to build multistory homes which are garish and which do not blend in to the surroundings. Other cities do allow some building, but the homes are discrete and one level, so the rest of the citizens and tourists are not subjected to looking at ugly, ostentatious structures where our beautiful mountain terrain once was.
Thank you for considering my opinion. Let’s encourage those who wish to spend time and money on the ASARCO smokestacks to, instead, promote and restore other parts of the city which we can truly be proud of.
Sincerely,
Anne Walker