Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 20, 1990 TAG: 9007200401
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARGIE FISHER RICHMOND BUREAU
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
A spokeswoman for Wilder said Thursday that the conference could draw as many as 600 people, including state legislators, officials of local governments and community and business leaders from rural areas.
Rural development was one of the themes Wilder stressed during his gubernatorial campaign. Shortly after taking office, he said he would call a conference to gather ideas for helping rural areas - many of which are in an economic slump - catch up with other sections of Virginia that have experienced robust growth.
The conference in Roanoke will open with a reception and dinner on Sept. 20, a Thursday.
On Friday morning, Sept. 21, Wilder will give the meeting's keynote address.
It is anticipated that conference attendants will divide into "task force" groups to discuss various topics of special interest to rural communities.
One group will look at such issues as transportation, medical care, education and work-force training, housing, water, sewage and waste management, community planning, industrial sites, family support, recreation and use of natural and historic resources.
Another task force group will focus on expanding rural enterprises, including farmers' markets, bed-and-breakfast inns and general agriculture production.
Other groups will look at options for financing rural economic development and such growth management issues as protection of wetlands, preservation and use of other types of land, water and air quality and other environmental concerns.
Unlike Wilder's drug conference in Richmond earlier this year, all of the group discussions at the rural economic development conference will be open to the media.
Laura Dillard, Wilder's press secretary, said it is expected that the ideas generated at the conference will be the basis for the governor's long-range strategy for dealing with rural economic development.
She said he hopes to announce that strategy and his plans for implementing it by Dec. 1.
by CNB