December 19, 2006
(Asheville, NC) Blue Ridge Parkway officials are extending the public comment period for the Moses H. Cone Developed Area Management Plan to December 31.
Gary Johnson, the Parkway's Chief of Planning, said the two-week extension is being made in response to public requests. He noted that the preliminary alternatives that are now open for public review, "represent a critical decision point in the process, and we want to do what we can to get the most and best possible input."
Those who wish to review and comment should visit
NPS Park Planning web site on the Internet. Select Blue Ridge Parkway, "Plans/Documents Open for Comment" then click on the document link. To go directly to the document,
click here. This website also provides information on the plan process, notices of meetings and updates. Even though using this website is recommended, written comments may also be submitted to Blue Ridge Parkway, ATTN: Suzette Molling, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Comments must be postmarked or made via the Internet by December 31.
The 3500-acre Cone Memorial Park, originally known as Flat Top Manor, was one of North Carolina's premier country estates. Built in the late 1890s and early 1900s by textile industrialist Moses and wife Bertha Cone, the estate boasted some 25-miles of carriage roads, two man-made lakes, and extensive orchards that were used to showcase the scientific cultivation of apples. The 23-room manor house today is home to the Parkway Craft Center, operated by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, and a bookstore and information desk operated cooperatively by the National Park Service and partner Eastern National.
The nonprofit Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which raises funds to support a variety of programs and activities along the 469-mile scenic Parkway, has provided support for the development of the Cone Plan. For more information about the Foundation and its activities, visit
brpfoundation.org on the Internet or call (336) 721-0260
-- Courtesy National Park Service
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