20080880 Ver 1_Public Comments_20080731 (2)

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WILLAIM BOYD and MARTHA MILLER
161 Wildflower cove Drive
Swannanoa, NC 28778
July 26, 2008
Cyndi Karoly
NCDWQ
2321 Crabtree Blvd
Raleigh, NC 27604-2290
Re: Corps Action ID# 200701619
Dear Ms. Karoly:
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This is a request to extend the public comment period on the above referenced application
by the Cliffs at High Carolina to the Army Corps of Engineers for certification under
Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Currently the deadline for public comment is August
1, 2008, and the notice was issued by the Corps only a few weeks ago on July 3, 2008.
The notice provided information on the High Carolina impacts on streams and wetlands
that is confusing to laypeople; therefore, additional time is required for us to have truly
meaningful notice, as would be attained with further information provided by your office
and other experts on these matters. We trust that you share our goal to have informed
consent to the Cliffs' proposed environmental actions.
Alpine Mountain is situated adjacent to the Cliffs property on the Swannanoa side. This
development is inclusive of several streams, creeks and waterfalls, which we do not want
disturbed. In addition, all the Alpine Mountain residents depend on well-water since city-
water is not available. The proposed Cliffs development and golf course may adversely
impact the quality of water. Since the Cliffs began construction and subsequent site
blasting, several of the residents at Alpine Mountain have reported dry wells, minimal
water output and other well-related issues. There are several other concerns or questions
that have arisen among Alpine Mountain residents out of the public notice of the Cliffs'
proposed action, which we want an opportunity to explore and address before any action
begins.
Clearly property owners in Alpine Mountain have a compelling stake in the
environmental impacts of the Cliffs development and are entitled to have a meaningful
opportunity to become educated as to what those impacts really are and mean for our
development. We do not believe that the information in the public notice provides that
information in a meaningful way.

We request a 3 month extension of the public comment period, until November 1, 2008,
in order to achieve the above-stated goals. We submit that without said extension, we as
stakeholder citizens and owners of residential property adjacent to the Cliffs at High
Carolina are not being given the required opportunity to comment in a meaningful,
informed manner about a project that may or may not affect our waterways and wetlands
in a deleterious way. We also request information gathering meetings with you and any
other agencies involved as well as documents pertinent to this application so that we may
make informed comments about the proposed action.
Sincerely,
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Martha Miller