Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 8, 1993 TAG: 9310080122
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That change in plans doesn't sit well with the leader of the New River Valley's main economic development group.
"It sticks in my craw," says Gary Weddle, a Radford clothier and former Republican congressional candidate who is president of the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance. "Here's another new organization that takes away our volunteer support and competes with us for funding."
But the leaders of the New Century Council - the recently formed group that says the region needs a long-range plan - say the money will be well-spent on "visioning" instead of setting up a state economic development office for the Roanoke and New River valleys.
"We'll set the stage and paint a picture of where our region needs to be," says Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr., the council's director.
That way, Fitzpatrick says, all economic development groups in the Roanoke and New River valleys will have a better sense of what to do.
"I know if I had put in for money and didn't get it, I'd be upset, but if it helps me do my job better in the long run, I would be interested," Fitzpatrick said.
He said too many people remained confused about what the New Century Council will - and will not - do.
"The New Century Council is not going to be in the industrial recruitment business," Fitzpatrick said. "That's not our purpose."
Instead, he said, it's to help create an overarching strategy for the adjoining valleys. "For instance, if we can come up with a better way to look at site development, then [the alliance and the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership] have more product to sell."
The $200,000 in question was included in the state budget this spring at the urging of Del. Vic Thomas, D-Roanoke.
The budget specified only that the money be used to promote economic development in the region between Roanoke and Radford.
At the time, Thomas said, he envisioned the money being used to open a two-person regional state economic development office.
But the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance soon objected - and asked the state simply to give the money to existing groups. "We don't need to add more bureaucracy," Weddle said. "Just give it to agencies already in place and let them run with it."
State officials agreed - although the details on how this change of plans took place is unclear because the officials involved are out of the country on a trade trip with Gov. Douglas Wilder.
By some accounts, the state Department of Economic Development shared the alliance's objections to the state's opening an office in the Roanoke and New River valleys - because there's no guarantee the appropriation would be continued in the years to come.
In any event, this summer the state invited groups in the Roanoke and New River valley to apply for the funds - and both the New River alliance and the Roanoke Valley partnership did.
Both intended to use the money to step up their marketing efforts. "We were going to use it to put Franklyn [Moreno, the alliance's director] on the road, knocking on doors," Weddle said.
But by then, Virginia Tech and the Roanoke Valley Business Council, a group of the valley's largest employers, were talking about initiating a process to draw up an economic "vision" for the region.
So Virginia Tech also applied for the $200,000, with plans to apply it toward the New Century Council, which Tuesday will hold a retreat for 100 or more community leaders at Mountain Lake Hotel in Giles County to begin the process of coming up with an economic plan.
In recent weeks, Fitzpatrick said, "a multitude of people" have lobbied state Economic Development Director April Young to give the money to Tech. "Tech people have called," Fitzpatrick said. "I know Tom [Robertson, president of Carilion Health System and a New Century Council co-chairman] talked to her. I talked to her."
The lobbying apparently worked. The state hasn't formally awarded the money, but Fitzpatrick, Weddle, Thomas and others say they're under the impression Tech will get the funds.
Indeed, a spokeswoman for Young said Thursday she had been directed to prepare a news release that the state will be financially supporting the New Century Council - and was busy trying to find out what the group was and why the $200,000 was in the state budget in the first place.
Thomas said it was fine with him if the money goes to the New Century Council instead of hiring job recruiters. "I leave it up to the experts as to what to do with it," he said. "My idea was just to promote economic development."
Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership, said she didn't know enough about Tech's proposal to comment.
Earlier, the New Century Council had said it had raised about $125,000 in private funds from unspecified sources.
by CNB