Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411110059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The foundation favored the 20-acre Bedford site over the sole alternative, tiny Entranceway Park in downtown Roanoke, near the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.
The National D-Day Memorial Foundation has scheduled a formal announcement at Northside High School today, Veterans Day. The foundation's board voted 11-4 in Bedford's favor.
It's the culmination of a seven-year hunt for a place to put the memorial.
The decision came down to a combination of the Bedford site's size, its quiet location and enthusiasm of Bedford officials for having the monument in their 6,000-person city.
"The amount of space that was offered to us [by Bedford] was much in excess of what Roanoke had," said Roanoke City Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles, who is on the foundation's board. "It has a very serene atmosphere. ... And [Bedford officials] kept saying, 'Don't worry, don't worry, whatever you want, we're going to do.'''
Bedford's tragic distinction in World War II history also may have played a role in the selection.
Ninety-one of 200 soldiers in Bedford-based Company A of the 29th Division's 116th Infantry regiment died during the assault on Normandy beaches. Of the 109 who survived, all but 15 were wounded. No other community in America suffered so high a proportion of losses that day.
Bowles said she voted for the Roanoke site because it offered much greater visibility and easy access to travelers off Interstate 581 and Williamson Road.
She also believes educational opportunities for schoolchildren visiting the memorial would be greater in Roanoke because of Center in the Square's history and science museums.
The site Roanoke offered - a three-quarter acre, triangular parcel bordered by Williamson Road and Commonwealth and Wells avenues - is passed by nearly 134,000 cars and trucks daily, according to Virginia Department of Transportation traffic counts. It's also close to hotels, restaurants and the regional airport.
For tax purposes, the city values the land at $458,000. City officials also offered sidewalk and other infrastructure improvements worth an additional $150,000.
Although access to the park is easy, traffic noise was a major drawback cited by foundation board members during an Oct. 10 luncheon they held with Roanoke City Council.
"As attractive as this site is, there is this incursion into the serenity, the reverence, the solemnity," retired Gen. William Rosson said at the luncheon. On Thursday, he said noise was "just one of many other considerations."
Other board members questioned whether there was available parking and whether three-quarters of an acre was large enough. And Ham Flanagan called an auto-detailing business across Commonwealth Avenue "an eyesore."
The Bedford site is on a grassy hill behind the elementary school, near U.S. 460. It looks down upon the city. After leaves have fallen in the autumn, visitors will have a view of Peaks of Otter. Parking and restrooms would be available at the school.
"It's a beautiful site, a nice spot that will be quiet and meditative," said Ellen Wandrei, director of the Bedford City-County Museum.
Rosson and other members of the committee reached on Thursday declined to discuss the specific site because the panel agreed on Tuesday not to disclose the recommendation until today.
Previous cost estimates for the memorial have ranged from $2 million to $10 million. On Thursday, foundation Chairman Bob Slaughter said he doesn't know how much it will cost.
"But it's going to be first-class. It's not going to be a rinky-dink statue. It's something the world's going to want to see. The world ought to be interested. It's a pretty big deal," Slaughter said.
Slaughter also said the foundation's board will be expanded.
The foundation's next task will be to raise funds for the memorial. Bedford has offered $250,000 toward its construction, and offers have come from other places as well.
Bowles said Salem Mayor James Taliaferro has offered another $250,000.
Mayor David Bowers said he wished the foundation had chosen Roanoke, but nonetheless congratulated it on the selection. But he criticized Salem and Roanoke County officials for supporting sites either in Bedford or elsewhere in the Roanoke Valley.
"My only regret is, I wish the localities of the valley had joined with us in our attempt to get the memorial sited" at Entranceway Park, he said. "Instead they said they would support putting it anywhere."
Bowers said he believes the city still is interested in supporting the project, but he's unsure how much money or other support council is willing to give.
by CNB