From: Nicholas Hasslock
Date: Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 11:36 AM
Subject: Merrimon ave.
To: kbereis@hntb.com

Dear official,

It is very important to keep the historic streets the way they are. The old trees and local environment have taken decades to establish. This is irreplaceable. Wider faster roads kill the life of a neighborhood area. We saw this happen to Caldwell St. in Brevard, nc. Thankfully they saved the the old trees although the beauty of the street is all but gone.

It’s easy to see how traffic data suggest that these projects are needed. It’s also easy to see HNTB needs jobs to stay in business, as we all do. Big business needs to start appreciating the small towns they impact. We are more than dollars and a project. We live here. Please consider beauty and history of this old throughway.

Faster traffic means less stops to local businesses funneling it to larger box stores outside of city limits where taxes are lost. I’ve seen study’s. My step father is an architect and a planner. New urban studies show that wider faster sprawl diminishes returns for the city. Diluting neighborhood culture. Cutting people off from their once walkable neighborhoods.

Please reconsider project. There are other solutions for Merrimon that benefit the community as a whole.

Thank you for your time,

Nicholas H