Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504130086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SCRUGGS LENGTH: Medium
People spend less time than this naming their children.
Tuesday morning, about 50 Smith Mountain Lake residents gathered to continue the debate of what to name the intersection of Virginia 122 and 616.
The two routes, which meet just down the road from the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Franklin County, form an intersection that has become the hub of commercial growth at the lake.
But while the roads meet, the opinions of those who would name the intersection do not.
Comments and suggestions were batted back and forth like beach balls Tuesday during a meeting at the Waterfront Country Club.
It was a repeat of a March 29 meeting at Chestnut Creek Country Club, when ballots distributed among businesses and residents from within a two-mile radius around the intersection were counted to determine the most popular name.
``Lakewood'' - the name of an existing professional center at the lake - won out over ``Fairway,'' ``Duncan's Corner'' and ``Halesford.''
County Supervisor Charles Ellis, whose district includes the intersection, was to take the recommendation back to the Board of Supervisors.
But well-known lake developer Ron Willard, whose new office facility recently was built at the intersection, objected. He and several others wanted another name, and wanted it to be attached to a broader area.
Willard left the Chestnut Creek meeting, drove over to one of his lake developments, The Waterfront, and explained what had just happened to a group of lake property owners taking a break after a round of golf.
George Barrow was one of them. He lives in Waverly, another subdivision at the lake. Barrow and others felt they were left out of the process. They met last week and decided to call Tuesday's meeting.
Several matters were debated, but two took up most of the time: the name itself and the area the name should cover.
Name ideas flowed like water: ``Lakewood,'' ``Lakeville,'' ``Lakecenter,'' ``Lakefront,'' ``Smith Mountain Lake,'' ``Smith Mountain Lake Corner,'' ``Smith Mountain Lake-West,'' ``Smith Mountain Lake Village,'' ``Duncan's Corner,'' ``Halesford'' and ``Fairway.''
Even religion made its way into the discussion.
``Maybe we should just name it ``Stillwaters,'' after the 123rd Psalm,'' said Jerry Johnson of Union Hall, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run against state Sen. Virgil Goode, D-Rocky Mount.
But while all the names had support, they also had opposition.
One of the names discussed most was just plain ol' ``Smith Mountain Lake.''
Hardy-area resident Bill Leary said using the name will give the lake immediate identification across the country.
``I live in Franklin County, I've got a Bedford County post office box, and I've got a Roanoke phone number,'' he said. ``I've been searching for an identity for years.''
But Nancy Steffen, who owns a business not far from the intersection, said choosing ``Smith Mountain Lake'' is sure to bring response from Bedford and Pittsylvania counties, which also border the lake.
``Are we usurping the name so no one else can use it?'' she asked. ``Is that the attitude we want to be known for?''
And so it went, with no compromise in sight.
Eyes then turned to Ellis.
But this is an election year.
The intersection issue - the same one the county supervisor had hoped could somehow be solved at the March 29 meeting - is hanging all over him like a cheap suit.
Ellis didn't blink Tuesday.
He stood and spoke.
``If you want me to make a decision, then I'll make a decision,'' he said. ``I'm going to form a committee.''
With that and a few parting shots, the meeting dispersed.
Afterward, Ellis said he'll fill the committee with a wide range of people.
And he said he knows one thing for sure.
Taking an unlit cigar from his mouth, Ellis said the committee definitely will have an odd number of members.
``No way there's going to be a tie vote,'' he said. ``I don't want to be called in to have to decide it.''
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