The Great Debate In Midasville

Background

You live in the quaint mountain town of Midasville, founded during the local gold-mining boom of 1886. The gold ran out and the mines closed in 1911; the town was practically abandoned. Those who did stay on worked in the small but steady timber industry. For 60 years, the town didn't change much.

In 1971, a family was visiting the old mining site when their four-year-old fell into a shaft and was trapped for two days before being rescued, safe and sound. The incident focused attention on the hazard posed by the old mine.

Most of the old mine workings were owned by Pioneer Mining Company, but fell within the town limits. The Midasville city council prepared a proposal to Pioneer Mining Company to lease and eventually purchase the old workings for a nominal cost. They wanted to take advantage of interest in old mines and their history, and turn the mine into a safe and rehabilitated tourist attraction. Pioneer agreed to the proposal since they would no longer be liable for the safety of visitors, and the gold was gone anyway. The restoration project began.

Over the next 10 years, Midasville prospered. Today the area offers a small railroad that takes people into the mine, a rebuilt stamp mill and smelter, a gift shop, and a restaurant that serves hearty mining camp-style food. Tourists can pan for gold, or ride mules like the forty-niners did. The project has been a great success.

The town receives profits from the operation and has purchased the old mine in full. Merchants have improved the old Victorian buildings for their shops, which cater to the tourist crowd. Midasville's year-round population is still relatively low, and most townspeople are employed at the Midasville Mine or in one of the shops. Nobody makes a lot of money, but everyone has an adequate income.

Last week, the city council was approached by MicroGold Inc., an out-of-state company that wants to extract microscopic bits of gold from old waste-rock around the mine. MicroGold would use a modern method called cyanide heap leaching. This new method makes it economical to recover gold left in the hills of Midasville when technology was not yet so advanced.

Yet if MicroGold re-opened the Midasville mines, a mining economy would replace the tourist business. The town would receive some of the mining profits, and a number of people would get high-paying jobs.

The townspeople have many different viewpoints on the issue. They and the mining company representatives will attend a city council meeting tomorrow to present their positions on how the town should answer MicroGold's offer.

Tourist Board

The tourist board is a public agency that promotes the town as a tourist attraction. They advertise the Midasville mine in national magazines and prepare brochures and other materials designed to draw visitors. They want Midasville to remain a tourist attraction. Board members' input to the city council will include the following:

Tourism provides 70 percent of the town's 450 jobs in such businesses as motels, restaurants, guide services, gas stations, souvenir shops and facility maintenance.

Tourism contributes a lot to the town's tax base, so that residents can enjoy low property taxes and have such benefits as a library and an ambulance service.

The historical aspects of the town and the mine should be preserved as a chapter of our history. A price cannot be put on their worth.

Citizens For Quality Of Life

The Citizens for Quality of Life is a new group formed with the goal of fighting MicroGold's proposal. The 30-member group is made up retirees, families supported by the tourist and timber industry, and artisans. Points the group will make the city council include the following:

Quality of life is very good in Midasville-Little pollution, uncrowded schools, and low crime. All of this could change by shifting to mining and brining in outsiders to be miners.

Midasville will be a boom town again, with a lot of short term gain for a few people. Most people won't profit from the mine, and when the gold is gone in a few years, the town will be left with nothing.

The cost of living will go up, and retired people on fixed incomes will suffer.

Chamber Of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce is made up of local merchants who promote the community's business interests. They are divided over MicroGold's proposal, yet if they can agree among themselves, the Chamber of Commerce could have a strong influence on the city council. The issue dividing the group is the fact that some business will prosper with a shift to a mining economy, while others will suffer.

Those businesses that would benefit from accepting MicroGold's offer include those that service a larger resident population, such as car dealers, department and hardware stores, real estate agencies, and medical businesses.

Those who would suffer include those that primarily service tourists, including car rental agencies, motels and guest houses, restaurants, souvenir shops, and guide services.

Friends Of Nature And History

The Friends of Nature and History Club works to preserve the natural environment and historic sites. The 75 members strongly oppose MicroGold's proposal. Their reasons include the following:

Most people in the town would want to see their historic heritage and way of life preserved, even if it means working for less money.

You cannot put a dollar value on historic and natural resources; both are very important to the health and well-being of the townspeople.

Mining will cause pollution, and an accident could cause terrible damage to the environment.

Citizens For Economic Growth

Citizens for Economic Growth is a new group that formed to help promote MicroGold's proposal. Most of the 28 members are professionals with young families. They want the opportunity to make a better income without having to leave Midasville, and they see mining as an opportunity for them to move up the economic ladder. The points they will move away from to the city include the following:

Midasville needs to improve economic opportunity for professionals, such as lawyers, doctors, and accountants, or they will move away from the area.

The town is living in the past. We need to join the modern world by having an industrial-based economy.

While it is true that tourism provides jobs, most of the jobs pay low salaries.

City Council

The city council is an elected board that must represent the townspeople and make decisions concerning the welfare of Midasville.

It must weigh the consequences of its decisions for both today and the future.

It also needs to consider the overall quality of the life for the townspeople.

Mining Company

MicroGold, Inc., is a company with an okay record on environmental matters. It has had two serious accidents with its cyanide heap-leach process in another state, but it cleaned up immediately without damaging the environment. It is known to be civic-minded. Points it will make to the city council include the following:

MicroGold will employ 200 people at higher wages than most of the town currently make, and a few people will be hired at a much higher salary.

The town will receive more money from royalties from the mine than they do from tourists.

MicroGold will build a new swimming pool and gymnasium for the town.

Supporting mining is the patriotic thing to do, since it builds our countyÕs wealth.

Jeremy M. Brodie
Environmental Education and Volunteer Programs
Last Updated: May 1, 1996