Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404220021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL ABRAHAM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In his Jan. 23 commentary, "Growth has cost Christiansburg its soul," Dwayne Flinchum wrote of change gone amok: of wholesale selling-out to the almighty dollar, of placing value on the banal, of complete disregard for the notion that communities are made of people and that people have needs beyond the strictly commercial.
I, too, have seen the character of this town steadily driven to ruin over the past two decades. Born, raised, and schooled in Christiansburg, I lived elsewhere for 20 years before returning to this area to work in our family business two-and-a-half years ago. I have seen how other communities have done much better, and how Christiansburg has done poorly.
For many of my years away, I lived in Seattle, Washington. Seattle promoters dubbed it "The most livable city in America." Admittedly, the moniker was as much a statement of aspiration as of fact. But aspiring toward livability is vitally important.
I saw firsthand the excitement, diversity and soul fostered by an effort where, at least in theory, livability was an up-front issue. Upon my return, I found in Christiansburg a lost sense of community, a town with more pride in what it's near than in what it has itself.
I found a ruined, nearly vacant downtown. I found horrible traffic on patchwork roadways, with hordes of drivers clamoring for access to an impersonal series of malls, strip development and generic fast-food restaurants. As a Roanoke Times & World-News editorial once proclaimed, "When parking lots become a major tourist attraction, Christiansburg will be ready."
In fact, Christiansburg mirrors a national phenomenon. Towns and cities across the country have failed to nurture and protect their unique identity. What makes Christiansburg's situation even more deplorable is that many nearby towns and cities provide excellent role models.
Blacksburg (which, as Christiansburg's closest neighbor, is the town it always seems to be compared to, much less favorably as a rule) brings major events to town, including the Motor Coach convention and the Tour DuPont. It builds an aquatic center, and a renowned Hand-In-Hand playground, and plans an electronic village and a fine arts center.
Radford and Pulaski are actively and eagerly revitalizing their downtowns. Tiny Narrows has a vibrant arts scene. Wytheville has beautiful parks right downtown, plus the enormously popular week-long Chatauqua festival. Last year, it was the favorite stop for riders on the Bike Virginia route, which brought 1,200 people to town. This year, they host their first Tour DuPont start.
Why does Christiansburg languish? In my mind, it is the total insensitivity of town leadership to cultural and livability issues, and the resultant civic apathy that that insensitivity breeds.
I attended a council meeting last year in which every citizen who spoke opposed a proposed road-construction project which they deemed too large, too expensive, and out of character with the community.
Once public input was closed, a pall of collusion descended upon the room as the town manager read carefully worded letters from the fire chief, the rescue squad commander and the school board superintendent, all in complete support. In a display of monumental callousness toward the wishes of townspeople, the measure passed 6 to 1.
It seems as though the town management never met a road, development or sewer project it didn't like, regardless of the scheme's unpopularity, odiousness or lack of fit with the character of the town. This paternalistic "We know what's good for you" attitude effectively stymies any civic involvement or opposition. What interested citizen would subject himself or herself more than once to such ridicule and futility?
However, the path to greater livability is before the town, should town leaders choose to pursue it. The following four-point plan, if implemented, would restore Christiansburg to past prominence:
The town must be made more pedestrian. While cars are noisy, dangerous and impersonal, members of peripatetic societies are much more conscious of one another. Random conversations are more frequent and more enlightening. Part of the town's downtroddenness and tiredness results, I believe, from the fact that residents aren't getting their exercise and aren't socializing on sidewalks or in the parks.
Walking and bicycling are among the most popular participation sports in the country, yet Christiansburg makes it very difficult to do either. I don't know of a single pedestrian path or trail in the entire town. There is nary a protected instant for a walker at any intersection equipped with a traffic light. While crosswalks should be a fixture at every intersection, there are painfully few. And drivers give them no heed, as laws protecting pedestrians are not enforced. Even the newly funded Huckleberry Trail will be paved to the very doorstep of Christiansburg, traversing from the heart of Blacksburg to an abrupt end at the New River Valley Mall.
To fix this situation, Christiansburg must complete the Huckleberry Trail at least into old Cambria, then into downtown. It must build bike and walking trails throughout, then pave and designate shoulders of streets for bicycles. It must paint crosswalks at every intersection, then ticket drivers who refuse to stop. It must make our sidewalks and streets safe for children, adults and the elderly to visit schools, churches and each other safely, without their cars.
The town needs an architectural style of its own. The Appalachians are rich with heritage, yet no predominant style has emerged in Christiansburg. The loss of the old Gothic courthouse was the beginning of the end of Christiansburg's character. A better choice when the courthouse was razed would have been to rebuild it in the same style, as Pulaski did when theirs was destroyed. Ah, hindsight!
Christiansburg must hire design consultants who can adapt an appropriate architectural style which would be used on all new and refurbished structures. Low-interest loans and inexpensive architectural plans could be made available to building owners. Downtown must be made once again a place of character, of style, a place where someone would want to go. Old-timers tell me that much planning and study were done on this type of concept a decade ago. Implementation hit a dead end as soon as it reached the town council.
If such a plan were implemented, the retail businesses and shoppers would return. Decades ago in the Washington mountain town of Leavenworth, merchants faced the demise of their downtown as the railroad ceased operation. They converted their shops' facades to mimic an Alpine village. Notoriety, character and financial success followed. Christiansburg could copy this idea.
Christiansburg must actively encourage and recruit small, independently run businesses which bond with the community. Large, national chain stores and similar operations have no interest in supporting civic groups, chambers of commerce or other community activities. Every town seems to want the next Wal-Mart, but national chains are only here when there's money to be made, and leave as soon as the opportunity is gone. Soulless national organizations add nothing of interest to a local community.
Finally, Christiansburg must begin to attract and devise events that would spur interest. For instance: There is great interest in music and dance. Why not promote a music festival, a dance marathon or dance weekend? Our historic churches are renowned. How about a recital series at regularly scheduled open-houses at the churches?
There are many new restaurants. Why not a festival of food, featuring booths vending offerings from local eating places? The area is still largely agricultural. Why not have a regular farmer's market? Or how about a theater festival? Ashland, Oregon, has a Shakespearean theater festival which is enormously popular.
Surrounding communities have highly successful festivals and events, such as the Highland Games, foot races, horse shows and the like. With the notable exception of the one-day Wilderness Trail Festival, Christiansburg again lags behind.
Like any situation that cries out for new directions, one must first accept that new directions are necessary. Like the alcoholic's first meeting at Alcoholics Anonymous, Christiansburg leaders must first say, "Livability is important and our community has a problem."
Commerce is not the only thing a town needs. If we all can realize that, there is much work ahead in building a better community and a more desirable and interesting place to live and work.
Michael Abraham of Blacksburg is general manager of a manufacturing company in Christiansburg.
by CNB