Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993 TAG: 9301130373
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MONEY TOWERS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR INDUSTRIAL BASE
A HEADLINE in the Dec. 19 Roanoke Times & World-News posed this question: "How did it happen?" It was referring to the merger of Dominion Bank. Asking this question is hard for me to justify, because the answer is so simple: Roanoke's economic base, when compared to similar cities', is too small to support a megastructure like the Dominion Tower.The sad part is that the bank almost went broke trying to push for an upscale image. Had the bank settled for modest growth and built a building according to its pocketbook, it may not have had to let anyone go.
I wonder why the bank was the last to understand the consequences of this. For not having the needed foresight, it destroyed the lives of workers, not necessarily in a monetary way, but morally. In other professions, greed such as this is chastised; strangely, in big business, it is common practice.
It sounds like the bank didn't ask the right questions, which must be painful ones. When is the bank going to look at Roanoke's industrial base and ask the questions that look after the future of this city? The making of things is what will make us useful again.
Some think money is the only thing to make a city. It helps - but make something everyone can be proud of, and watch the city grow. We did it once. At this point, all I see is big business after all it can get. Sooner or later, this attitude will catch up to those involved. I hope the city doesn't suffer because of the greedy insight of only a few.
The Dominion merger is certainly questionable. This especially is true when the Dominion Tower hasn't peaked in use, and the facility is barely more than a year old. I really have to question what good came out of all this. DARREN E. HANNABASS ROANOKE