A public meeting will be held Friday, August 7 at the Gowensville Community Center at 6:30 p.m. regarding the Duke Energy Modernization Project.

The purpose of the meeting is to educate those who are still in the dark in regards to Duke’s $1.1 billion project and is open to anyone.

“I have neighbors and close friends who, if this thing goes down Highway 11 in Gowensville, will have the lines go right over their houses and pastures,” said Terry Schager.

While Schager does not have property that is directly affected, he was compelled to organize the meeting.

“The whole concept of eminent domain doesn’t sit well with me,” Schager said. “Except for the sake of redundancy, they don’t really need this.”

“They’re talking about disrupting peoples lives just for a contingency plan,” he added.

Schager hopes to educate those who are looking for avenues through which to get involved, do not have access to the Internet or were unable to attend Duke Energy’s public meetings.

“We don’t have to accept this,” said Schager.

The Gowensville Community Center is located at 14186 Highway 11 in Campobello.

Information on the Western Carolina Modernization Project can be found at www.duke-energy.com/western-carolinas-modernization.