Billboards diminish town charm

This letter is about the mammoth signs being erected by William Roop in Washington County, Va.  No one I talk to thinks these signs are a good idea for our area. I am particularly struck by Mr. Roop saying he moved here because of the charm and beauty of the area. Well, thanks to him, this charm is quickly being eroded.

I want to thank the Abingdon town officials for having the wisdom and foresight to have a sign ordinance in place. Thanks, too, to the Washington County Planning Commission for attempting to stop this blight.

I urge the Washington County Board of Supervisors to try to curb what Mr. Roop has begun and to quickly enact regulations to stop any other signs of this nature from being erected. I also hope they will think about what else they need to put into place to preserve the beauty and charm we still have.

If you are a business in the Washington County area, I hope you will not advertise on these signs. Being a "Pigeon Forge II" is not what I think most people around here want.

Now, I urge you, the citizens of our area, to contact the Washington County supervisors about this sign situation. You can look for them online and, with a click, look to see which district you are in if you don’t know who your supervisor is. You can also call the Washington County administrator’s office at (276) 525-1300.

Mr. Roop has come in here like a carpetbagger to exploit our area for money – such a familiar scenario in our history. I am originally from the North but have lived here for more than three decades. I have come to love and respect our community and the people who live here. I wish Mr. Roop would do the same.

Laurel Flaccavento
Abingdon, Va.