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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 8, 1994                   TAG: 9406080071
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

FRIENDS OF CHRISTIANSBURG COME BACK WITH NEW FOCUS

Three years ago, a group called Friends of Christiansburg made headlines and' maybe turned a few hairs gray in town hall by raising a cry about the town's emptying downtown. They even commissioned a downtown study by Virginia Tech.

The town, though, did not accept that study, effectively taking the wind out of the group's sails. It stopped meeting, though now it appears its down time may only have been a hiatus.

The Friends of Christiansburg are back, energized by a recent town election and on-going developments both in the town's downtown and its outlying shopping and residential areas. This time the group's focus is different: an emphasis on neighborhoods is how group leaders want to build interest and momentum.

"We're trying a different approach ... this time," said Gary Harkrader, a de facto and reluctant driving force in the group.

Thanks to fliers distributed around town, 25 people showed up at a two-hour meeting Monday night in the library, four times as many as have attended recent living room brainstorming sessions.

Monday's meeting at times was nothing more than a gripe session about the town's perceived single-minded, pro-development stance. No one from the town leadership attended, and apparently no one from the town was invited.

Harkrader kept trying to navigate the discussion back to neighborhoods. He asked for volunteers from each area of town to attend subsequent meetings and report back to their neighbors. Finally a few people stepped forward.

The group heard from Ann Hess, former Montgomery County supervisor, who has put together a "Route 114 Citizens Network." Her group will meet June 21 with Dan Brugh, the Virginia Department of Transportation's resident engineer, who will talk about a proposed widening of Peppers Ferry Road, she said.

West Main Street and East Main Street networks also have formed.

Ted Alexander, director of Virginia's Main Street Program, spoke briefly. He was in the area for meetings in Blacksburg and Galax on Tuesday.

The state does not plan to add to the 18 towns and cities already recognized as Main Street communities, he said, but that does not mean Christiansburg can't adopt some of the program's strategies.

Downtown design, organization, promotion, and economic restructuring are the program's buzzwords, Alexander said.

The group presented certificates of recognition for landscaping and beautification to four town businesses, groups and residents, including Mildred Gerberich, whose 200 rose plants grace her home on South Franklin Street.

by CNB