Junk Yard or Monastery: Which Route for AP TrAIL at Capon Springs?
Dear friends and the iPetitions Campaign Team,
I am the vice-abbot of the Bhavana Society Buddhist Monastery and Meditation Center located on Back Creek Road. I wholly support the great efforts you and your group are doing to get the message out about this ‘land grab’ by the Power company and to fight against it.
It seems the route of the new TrAIL Co. power line is being moved east of the existing power line, the Capon Woods Resort houses and the La Follette junkyard.
I quote a section of the letter in the LRE p. 71:
“The routing team determined that the new route should continue to the east for an additional 500 feet and then turn more gradually to the southeast. This allows the route to diverge away from the existing line in this area and pass to the east of the auto junkyard on Back Creek Road and the numerous residences on Capon Resort Road.”
By looking at that route map, this proposed change would go over the eastern part of our monastery property which is adjacent to the junkyard. This change in the route will seriously impact at least five cottages used by our residents and guests. Apart from healths risks due to the close proximity to electromagnetic radiation,
this will seriously infringe on the sanctity and space of our religious/contemplative order.
It will also adversely affect our livelihood and way of living. Hundreds of people come here every year from all parts of the country as well as from abroad to spend time in prayer and meditation in the peaceful setting of the forest, on organized retreats as well as individual self-retreats. Local people in the area may not know about this.
I know that probably nobody wants to be closely affected by this additional mega power line. I guess ultimately it may have to go somewhere. But we are curious and would like to know why the power line cannot go through the middle of the junkyard. Is a junkyard more valuable than a place of spiritual worship and refuge?
I don’t know if local people know that a place of spiritual worship may be sacrificed over a junkyard. People may be interested to know this.
You may know more about this particular aspect of this controversial issue than I do. Any insights and thoughts about this particular issue would be greatly appreciated. And if you deem it worthy of notice, to bring this issue regarding the serious compromise of our monastery to your website readers. It may also help galvanize additional support for the total stopping of the use of ‘eminent domain’ and the additional power line altogether, which some people deem redundant and which is primarily helping corporate interests.
I am also going to write a ‘letter of protest’ to the Governor and other State Officials. After consideration, we may perhaps put this issue up on our Bhavana Society website to inform Buddhists worldwide of this serious encroachment of a place of worship over a junkyard. So any additional clear facts related to this issue are greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bhante Yogavacara Rahula
Vice-abbot
Bhavana Forest Monastery
Rt.1, Box 218-3, Back Creek Road
Hampshire County, WV.