Let those elected make the call

To the Editor:

I'm a Sawmill Mountain homeowner who sees the Yosemite Under Canvas Glampsite and Terra Vi Resort as terrible ideas which will permanently transform the gateway to Yosemite in many detrimental ways.

But at least I now understand where Supervisors Gray, Rodefer and Brennan are coming from. The county needs to grow, so it needs more money. I get it, and I respect their forthrightness expressed at Thursday's BOS meeting.

However, a majority of the county voted for three new supervisors who all ran on the platform of public participation and supporting their communities .

Well, for the third consecutive county meeting, 95% of the public was opposed yet the board voted 5-0 to approve.

It would have been more appropriate to have allowed the elected Board of Supervisors to make the decisions on the many outstanding issues and the significance of the many acknowledged negative impacts.

These big out-of-town developers won't jump ship because of one-and-a-half weeks.

The county is so eager for the projected taxes that it's endorsing an incomplete environmental impact report, which glosses over or outright ignores dozens of viable long-term negative impacts and questions such as: the increased risk of a catastrophic wildfire, only one evacuation route, sewage draining into the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River, inadequate water testing and monitoring, a possible illegal subdivision, and much more.

I hope the outgoing board will do the right thing and at least allow the elected board to decide on the adjacent 250room Terra Vi Resort. However they have scheduled a special meeting on Dec. 29 for this vote. That's a week when many people are unavailable and just three business days before the elected board is sworn in. What's the rush?

BOS, please let the elected board make the call on Terra Vi.

Dan Courtney Groveland