Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 10, 1990 TAG: 9007100450
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Vice Mayor Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying City Council initially did not really know what a "conference center" was. Perhaps therein lies the major issue. The term certainly means different things to different people.
The valley already has two civic centers for large conferences for up to several thousand people, numerous hotel facilities for conferences to accommodate up to several hundred, and smaller meeting rooms for fewer people.
As a management-education consultant, I've had 30 years' experience planning and conducting conferences throughout the United States for major corporations and government groups. That doesn't make me famous, but it has provided lots of experience with conference facilities.
The best-known and most successful of them, e.g., Tarrytown House, Arden House, Airlie House, etc., are typically located away from downtown city distractions, parking problems and so on. They are situated in peaceful settings with lots of acreage, fresh air, and opportunities to relax and reflect on the topics being presented at the conference.
If it's going to cost $6 million just to remove asbestos and many more millions to establish a "conference center," perhaps Tech should indeed exercise its option to return the property to the railroad. Let it go ahead and have a major hotel organization renovate that great old landmark into business again! Then a more rurally located conference center could be erected, financed in part at least by Tech, Roanoke College, Hollins, and the University of Virginia.
\ C.R. GRINDLE\ ROANOKE
by CNB