By David Friday

The mission of the Polk County Appearance Commission is to preserve and enhance the appearance of Polk County by advising and implementing programs of general community beautification, according to its mission statement. The volunteer members are appointed by the county commissioners.

Current members are Carolyn Ashburn, Cathy Brettman, Joe Cooper, David Friday, Jake Johnson, Ernie Kan, and Christine Mariotti. Robert Williamson, director of Economic Development meets with us regularly.

Our accomplishments include initiating the “Gateway Tree” planting on Hwy. 108 in Columbus, coordinating with the DOT for the replanting of trees in the I-26 exchange in Columbus and also Saluda, sponsoring landscaping in Columbus for the courthouse, creating a yearly beautification award and winning a NC state award for increasing the participants in the Adopt-a Highway litter program.

We also sponsored artistic recycle bins for Saluda and encouraged Tryon in the creation of the new St. Luke’s Plaza. Our members have developed ties between town management in Columbus, Saluda and Tryon and with Polk County as we plan for future appearance improvements.

Here in the Carolina Foothills we live in a naturally beautiful environment. There are many beautifully landscaped properties and an amazing number of architectural gems. The combination of our rural setting and our rich cultural heritage from generous community minded people give us, and those who visit us, the joy of visual beauty is all around us.

The only blights in our community are the ones we cause ourselves. There are random discards of litter and treeless bare areas on the sides of some of our most important public roads. In much of our area we do not have informational signs worthy of our abundance of cultural traditions, which include nature activities, viniculture, fine crafts and arts, literature, theater and equestrian sports.

Abandoned buildings and dwellings, intrusive night lighting and clear-cut properties are thankfully rare but they constantly challenge us to care more thoroughly about our community appearance. Our pride of place calls for more awareness and more respect.

Our vision is our Foothills clean, beautiful and inviting, with many public expressions of our creativity and partnership with nature. Throughout the county there are beautifully planted areas on the roadsides and artful signs welcoming visitors and informing them of the many interesting features in this rural yet culturally rich area. Buildings are appropriately designed and sized with night lighting that is safe and efficient but not obtrusive to others. Public areas are free of litter and clutter and often showcase our local artists. Visitors are immediately pleased with what they see and they make plans to stay and enjoy being here.

This column will be a monthly feature of the Tryon Daily Bulletin and will highlight the value of community beauty to our local citizens and visitors. Look here for information on the proposed public landscaping projects we are calling the Points of Pride, for beautification improvements to our towns and county and for upcoming litter clean up by local groups in the Adopt-a-Highway Program. Different community leaders will write about their own personal visions for the appearance of our public areas.

Please look for our column on the first Saturday of each month and provide us with any suggestions for enhancing and preserving our beautiful foothills and surrounding communities. We invite you to contribute your ideas for our Carolina foothills.

And please remember: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Contact the Polk County Appearance Commission at P.O. Box 308, Columbus, NC 28722, call 828-894-2324, visit beautifulfoothills.org, or email me at davidfriday@msn.com.