Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508160103
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KIMBERLY N. MARTIN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Or at least that's the impression Tuesday night's Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meeting would give.
That meeting was a work session for the 200 residents involved in the county's ``visioning'' process - an effort to get residents to chart the county's future by sharing their dreams with supervisors.
There were 10 groups, each working on different topics ranging from tourism to technology. Yet recent hot topics such as greenways, regional cooperation, natural resource preservation and public participation were themes woven throughout most of the reports.
Regional cooperation is needed to attract businesses, the government relations committee's report said. Cooperation can lead to compatible building codes, permits and zoning among localities.
Greenways, parks and natural resources can attract those businesses and improve the quality of life, other groups chimed in.
But the road to producing those neat documents with clearly articulated goals wasn't easy, said resource preservation chairman Robert Egbert. In fact, he said, at times he was afraid his group might never produce such a report.
``Our group had a diverse membership. We had developers, representatives from Apco and environmentalists. During our first couple of meetings, it was kind of like cats and dogs circling each other,'' Egbert said.
``We've come out with a mission statement that is moderate and is a compromise.''
But not all the groups had the same concerns.
Winton Shelor, chairman of the agriculture and forestry group, said Back Creek and Catawba farmers feel they are the forgotten members of the county.
So the farmers are coming up with their own vision statement. It will be an appendix to the report submitted to the Board of Supervisors for its approval in November or December.
The recreation and culture group, of which Explore Park Director Rupert Cutler was a member, recommended continued funding and growth of Explore Park and a valley aquatic center and two indoor recreation centers.
``Of course I have no idea where the ideas concerning Explore Park came from,'' Cutler said.
After hearing more than two hours of reports and complimenting the residents for their efforts, board members had little to say.
However, Supervisors Bob Johnson and Lee Eddy did echo a concern expressed by some: How does the county make this dream a reality?
``This doesn't include the details of how to develop the strategies to achieve the vision,'' Eddy said.
Some groups did begin to map those out in their reports. The resource and preservation group recommended tax incentives, a private trust fund to buy scenic easements from landowners and educational programs on preservation.
The growth and development group proposed clusters of housing to maintain open space. Not only did the technology committee come up with a game plan, but it also had specific timetables for implementation.
But most of the groups left the more concrete plans for the final phase of the three-part process - updating the county's comprehensive plan. A comprehensive plan outlines future land uses and development policies. The process began with a resident survey in February.
``The strategies to accomplish these guiding pictures'' will come from that plan, said Jim Sears, chairman of the visioning steering committee.
Starting next week, county staff and focus group participants will take their report to the public and solicit more input. The meetings will be in each of the 12 planning districts.
``We're trying to reach the person who is not normally involved, but is normally interested. The process is still open to them,'' Sears said.
by CNB