Reservation gift a great opportunity

On the Go

The Tennessee Valley Authority has suffered its share of criticism through the years. Too much debt, unwillingness to work with communities, too many layers of bureaucracy and a perceived pompous attitude toward Congress are among the cited issues.

To some, it makes no difference that TVA, especially in the years after the Great Depression, has brought a lot of positives to the Tennessee Valley - life-changing things such as electricity and a navigable river. Those people simply don't have anything good to say about TVA.

Frankly, many of those critics live in the Shoals. It's no secret longtime residents can't get over TVA moving its headquarters from Muscle Shoals to Knoxville. The move was made despite a charter that required the headquarters to stay here.

TVA officials have admitted through the years that some things could have been done better. Putting all that aside, though, it's time to give credit where it's due.

TVA officials are prepared to give local governments 1,340 acres on its Muscle Shoals Reservation. We can use the land for a variety of developments - industrial, retail and residential are among the possibilities.

All of the land is south of Reservation Road. The other boundaries are Wilson Dam Road, Second Street and Hatch Boulevard. The property has been under TVA's rule for 75 years.

Before you start saying "well, taxpayers and customers bought that land anyway," remember TVA is under no obligation to make it available for development.

TVA officials, in fact, have hired a consultant to help determine the best use of the land. They will make information available to government officials to assist them in future developments.

Also, TVA is putting together a public meeting to gather input and share information about the property. The meeting will be July 14 at the Muscle Shoals High School gym.

This is a great opportunity for our area and we need to do it right. It will be interesting to see the plan unfold and the focus of the master plan. Reaction from residents and government officials will also be interesting.

At some point, tough decisions must be made. Some government agency will have to take responsibility for providing services to the developments - fire and police protection, infrastructure needs, etc. There also will be discussion about how revenue generated from the site will be divided.

Those details will ultimately be worked out, but finding the best plan is the priority. Thankfully, TVA is taking the approach that getting as much input as possible is a good thing.

Mike Goens is the TimesDaily managing editor. He can be reached at 740-5740.