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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 19, 1995                   TAG: 9503210029
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PEMBROKE                                LENGTH: Medium

PEMBROKE PARKS WORKSHOP

The town of Pembroke, working with seven students from Virginia Tech, will hold a public workshop Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the community room of Town Hall. The workshop will bring together residents of the town, as well as the eastern district, to establish plans for developing more than 20 acres of park land in Pembroke. The park acreage includes the town ball field area, a children's playground, the American Legion picnic shelter, the Boy Scout hut and Doe Creek woodland area.

A map depicting the town park area is being prepared by Van Anderson, a Christiansburg landscape architect. The map will be available at the public workshop.

Recently, the town secured an option on an additional 1.1 acre site abutting Doe Creek, the New River and the new Route 623 bridge with plans for eventually providing river access. This site may be acquired by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries if a grant proposal by the town is successful. The state will lease the site to Pembroke to use as boat and fishing access area and for picnicking. The site overlooks Castle Rock and is one of the busiest canoe access areas in Giles County.

Pembroke has one of the largest, most attractive recreational sites in Giles County. The purpose of Thursday's public workshop is to identify needed improvements for the park to better develop and utilize its resources. The workshop also will help identify where the improvements should go, how individuals and organizations may "adopt" portions of the park and how the project will be funded.

Local residents will have an opportunity to rank their needs and wants for the park area. Using the most popular ideas, citizens will be able to help design a master plan.

For more information on the project, residents may call Pembroke Town Manager Randi Lemmon at 626-7191.

by CNB