Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 16, 1991 TAG: 9102160106
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Tech researchers sent a proposal to Floyd and Patrick county officials last week on how to use the parkway to bring economic benefits to the two counties.
And the Bi-County Commission probably will meet sometime in early March. It will be the first meeting for the commission since last July when members toured the Rocky Knob area. The commission includes representatives from Floyd and Patrick counties who are stuyding development at Rocky Knob.
"We're moving with it," said Floyd County Administrator Randy Arno. "Things should become more clear by the end of the month."
The Tech proposal calls for the counties to use the existing Rocky Knob Information Center to increase economic development opportunities in the region. This would be accomplished by using volunteers from Floyd and Patrick counties to staff the center and provide the public with information on local attractions.
This is on a much smaller scale than previous ideas expressed by the commission, including a hotel, a restaurant, a convention center, a theater, a museum and a crafts exhibit.
"They could operate the visitors center and establish a need" for other development, said Ben Johnson, a landscape architecture professor at Tech who helped develop the proposal for Rocky Knob.
"They could understand what the need would be through talking to people at the visitors' center," he said. "And then they could refer them to other cultural attractions in the Bi-County region."
The National Park Service, which operates the Blue Ridge Parkway, has similar cooperative agreements for facilities in Waynesboro and Mitchell County, N.C.
The parkway would retain oversight over the center, said Michael Chandler, an extension specialist in community development in the Community Resource Development office at Tech.
After the tour last July, officials of Floyd and Patrick counties, the National Park Service and Tech met Aug. 8. This and other meetings led to the proposal that has just been sent to the county officials.
Johnson had agreed to help with the project, but his involvement on a large project with Appalachian Power delayed his work on the Rocky Knob proposal.
The lengthy delay led to the park service to believe the proposed project had fallen through.
"The way I understood it, ever since they got a negative report, things kind of fell away," said Harry Baker, a landscape architect at the parkway headquarters in Ashville, N.C.
The negative report came from the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College. However, that report did not deter the commission or county officials.
"There's still a lot of interest in Patrick County and Floyd County," said Patrick County Administrator David Hoback.
Nor has the commission given up on the idea of doing more than operating a parkway information booth, even if it means having to hire private consultants.
"If we can get some money collected, we'll be able to get the feasibility study done," Bi-County Commission Chairman John "Mac" Deekens said about plans for the hotel-convention center plan. "We'll see if it's still realistic, if we still want to pursue it."
by CNB