Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 16, 1995 TAG: 9505160116
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A group seeking to establish a network of greenways in the Roanoke Valley on Monday decided to find an experienced greenway planner and visit cities in North Carolina and Tennessee to view greenway efforts there.
The Roanoke Valley Greenways/Open Space Steering Committee hopes to gather a total of $30,000 from Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem and Vinton for the planning project.
The group, an arm of the Fifth Planning District Commission, has been meeting since late last year and hopes to have a conceptual plan by September. Each jurisdiction is represented on the 12-member panel.
Greenways are narrow, paved hiker-biker paths, unpaved trails and open spaces that serve as a network linking parks and other public facilities.
They've been viewed for years as a quality-of-life element in communities. More recently, cities and counties have used them as selling points when trying to lure businesses and industry.
Ultimately, a Roanoke Valley greenway plan would help the committee apply for federal transportation funding for the network, which could take years to develop and cost millions of dollars.
Roanoke, which has promised $14,400 toward the effort, is the only government that has committed funding for planning so far.
Roanoke County is to take up a request for a $10,800 share during budget deliberations Wednesday.
Salem, which is facing millions in cost overruns on its new baseball stadium, has turned down a request for $3,600 for the consultant. But committee members say they'll renew the request during a public hearing on the city's budget next month.
Vinton has remained noncommittal on funding for the consultant.
"If our meetings about greenways last fall are any indication, people are very interested," said Lucy Ellett, a Roanoke representative who heads the group. "We're hoping [the other governments] will respond positively. They've been helpful. We'll move along one way or another."
The steering committee is looking for a planner who has experience in designing and implementing community greenway systems. The deadline for proposals is June 9.
The planner would also play a role in drumming up community support at public workshops tentatively scheduled for July and August. In those meetings, residents would also help decide generally where the greenways should go.
In June, members of the committee will visit Raleigh and Durham, N.C., and Knoxville and Kingsport, Tenn., four cities with established greenway networks.
by CNB