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Contributed commentary by Clarksville resident John Bench:
I know there is a segment of the population that wants Clarksville and Montgomery County to grow. However, one thing to keep in mind is that one of the biggest employers in the area with a major impact on our economy is Fort Campbell.
I grew up outside of Louisville, and at that time Fort Knox was a major player in the military combat arms. One of the things that occurred was that Louisville and the surrounding counties wanted growth, and as they did, Fort Knox started to get surrounded by development. It finally reached a point where the pressure from that growth caused the Army to move most of its operations out of Fort Knox to Fort Benning, making Fort Knox a virtual ghost town. Without the intervention of the congressional delegation from Kentucky the post would have been shut down.
I point this out because as we grow as a community we put pressures on Fort Campbell and their ability to train. I see numerous comments on social media complaining about the noise and operations. I remember not too many years back when there was zoning request to build houses on Dover Road near Sabre Heliport, and one of the issues brought up was the impact of the lights from the housing on night operations.
If we want Fort Campbell to remain a major part of the community and contribute to our economy, you the leaders need to make sure the desire to grow does not come at the expense of one of our major sources of income and employment.
John Bench, Clarksville