ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
The New Century Council's effort to improve the quality of life in Western Virginia could bloom this spring with several new initiatives.
On March 14, Radford University will announce the formation of a business assistance center, an outgrowth of the work of the 21/2-year-old regional planning organization.
And look for a proposal to turn Roanoke's Mill Mountain Star into a symbol of the fight against alcohol and drug abuse.
Other projects will identify the region with a catchy name, possibly by June 1; establish new discussion forums on government, schools, technology and business-related legislation; and launch an effort to evaluate the current quality of life, said Beverly Fitzpatrick, the council's executive director.
These are among 150 proposed initiatives identified last year by residents to improve the quality of life in the Roanoke and New River valleys and the Alleghany Highlands.
But money will be needed to keep the New Century Council running after October, when its state grant will run out.
The council's 15-person board of directors has not discussed the funding question, but Tom Brock, the council's chairman, said one option is to ask - for the first time - for funding from the nine counties and five cities in the region.
Or the council could try to increase the private donations it receives, which currently go toward paying Fitzpatrick's salary but no other council expenses.
A third option would be to ask the General Assembly in 1997 to provide operating funds again, as it has done the last three years, Brock said.
The council is depleting its third $200,000 state grant for administrative costs, which pays the salary of Fitzpatrick's chief assistant, Edwin Whitmore III, who is based at Virginia Tech; a secretary; and expenses related to marketing, travel and offices.
Seven committees, which will be the workhorses of the effort, will be formed in coming months. The members will be nominated by government agencies, community organizations and the council's board of directors.
Progress has been slower than expected, Fitzpatrick said, and that is why more than 100 people who helped write the vision and wanted to help with implementation still do not have the assignments they were promised last fall.
Here's what Fitzpatrick said is coming up:
* On March 6, an organizational meeting is set to form a new body called the New Century Technology Council to attract and foster the growth of technology-related businesses. Ray Pelletier, who directs the Northern Virginia Technology Council, will speak.
* Later in March or in April, Virginia Tech President Paul Torgersen will hold the first meeting of another new group, the New Century President's Council. It is envisioned as a forum to enhance cooperation among university officials.
* In April, Roanoke City Council will receive a request backed by the Roanoke Valley chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups to change the color of the Mill Mountain Star when an alcohol- or drug-related traffic fatality occurs.
* In May, a regional coalition of governments is scheduled to hold an organizational meeting.
* By June 1, Fitzpatrick hopes the region can choose a name by which it will be known to the world. Public relations and advertising firms in the area are reviewing more than 200 ideas and offering their own.
* A committee that was active in the original visioning process is working to "measure" the quality of life in the area as a check against its being compromised by future development proposals.
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