Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 5, 1994                   TAG: 9404080010
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GO FOR THE GREEN IN GILES COUNTY

But Giles County, like virtually all of Southwest Virginia, needs economic development. With careful planning and common sense, there's no reason why some growth can't be accommodated without spoiling the county's tranquility and distinctive natural assets.

Those assets include, of course, a 37-mile stretch of the majestic New River, said by geologists to be the second-oldest in the world, predated only by the Nile. This natural treasure, winding through the county's Appalachian Mountains, can and should be used as a resource for increased tourism and guided development, as well as for the recreation and quality of life of county residents.

A great opportunity to do just this would be a greenway, helping to protect the river while also exploiting its potential.

The proposed Giles County Greenway Project is a product of the nonprofit National Committee for the New River. The group was awarded a grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to plan what will essentially become a network of parks and biking and hiking trails that follow the river from Glen Lyn to Pembroke, linking the towns in between.

This unfurling ribbon of riverside green havens would be very much in keeping with the county's beauty and commitment to environmental conservation. But it also would enhance the county's attractiveness for visitors, and spotlight Giles as a desirable location in which to live and do business.

The project's cost has been estimated at $450,000. State funding will be sought. But to make it a reality, the county, town, county residents, businesses and civic organizations need to give it full support.

They have every reason to do so. The greenway concept is one of the most promising ways both rural and urban areas can blend their special assets and conservation interests with growth and development.

The idea reflects increasing awareness that quality-of-life amenities are one of the surest foundations for prosperity. Indeed, it would help the county not at all - greenway or no greenway - if Interstate-73 is routed through Giles, as has been proposed, without great care taken to minimize the impact.

Investing in quality of life, however, is as crucial to preserving it as is warding off potential threats. In this regard, a Giles greenway could be a model for other Southwest Virginia jurisdictions to emulate.

The Roanoke Valley certainly could benefit from a network of greenways crossing the area and linking it to the New River Valley. Foresight and leadership are the missing ingredients in making this happen.

Of course, not many places are so fortunate to have an asset as special as the old New River. With the help of good planning, Giles County's future, at least, may flow from its river of dreams.