Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991 TAG: 9102170165
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: FLOYD LENGTH: Medium
Virginia Tech researchers have sent a proposal to Floyd and Patrick county officials on how to use the parkway to bring economic benefits to the two counties.
And the Bi-County Commission probably will meet in early March. The meeting would be its first since July, when members toured the area. The commission includes representatives from Floyd and Patrick counties who are studying development at Rocky Knob, which is near the two counties' border.
"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. This would be accomplished by using volunteers to staff the center and provide the public with information about local attractions.
This is on a much smaller scale than previous ideas, which included a hotel, restaurant, convention center, theater, museum and 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.
"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 in Mitchell County, N.C.
The parkway would retain oversight of the center, said Michael Chandler, an extension specialist in community development in the Community Resource Development office at Tech.
After the July tour, 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 been sent to the county officials.
Johnson had agreed to help with the project, but his involvement on a large project with Appalachian Power Co. delayed his work on the Rocky Knob proposal.
The lengthy delay led 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 Asheville, N.C.
That report, from the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College, did not deter the commission or county officials, however.
"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 an 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