Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 22, 1995 TAG: 9505230049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They meet just about every day. They finish one another's sentences. They use the same phrases as they talk about disclosure, the importance of responsible planning and the dangers of having a four-lane concrete highway rip through their community.
It's hard to believe that the core members of PAC 221 barely knew one another three months ago. And it's even more amazing how far they've come.
The Back Creek activist group was formed in February by nine residents and landowners who were concerned that citizens did not have adequate information about the Virginia Department of Transportation's proposed project for U.S. 221.
"VDOT calls the project `improvements to 221.' To me, that meant making improvements to the existing road. We thought it was somewhat of a benign road project," Grant Clatterbuck said. "But then it came to light that it was not just an improvement project. It was going to be a brand-new highway."
So Clatterbuck, Brent Riley, Scott Barrier and the others began to study the possible corridors. They read through the engineering reports, interviewed VDOT staff and walked the proposed routes, knocking on the doors of homes along the way to speak with residents.
"We figured if we didn't know what was happening, other people probably didn't know either," Clatterbuck said.
After the initial research, they settled on their recommendation: Straighten out the dangerous S-curves alongside the Harris property and make improvements within 221's existing roadbed.
Many factors went into the decision. A new four-lane highway could result in "hodge-podge" commercial development in Back Creek, more truck traffic, a strain on schools and devastation to the environment, the activists say. It also would disrupt the charm and beauty of the close-knit rural community.
"The current road lies in a natural valley, so it is basically out of sight from the Blue Ridge Parkway," Barrier said. "The other alignments would have to run along the ridgetops. A new highway would look like a landing strip that's at least five miles long."
The members of PAC 221 aren't in favor of telling VDOT to take its money elsewhere, because they acknowledge that some improvements are necessary and inevitable. They would like to see a "sensitive and thoughtful approach," buzzwords for an even simpler concept: restraint.
"We're promoting a compromise that can work," Riley said. "We think it is important to take advantage of the opportunity to have a good road, but we are also aware that this area could be raped by a road that was based on bad decisions."
Early indicators suggest the group is having an effect.
At the April 27 public information session, PAC 221 gathered 126 signatures from supporters. They have convinced the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to hold an unprecedented public hearing on the road project after VDOT issues its recommendations. And they have managed to recruit followers from at least 14 neighborhoods.
``We realized early on that you can't ever take the position of `not in my back yard,''' Clatterbuck said. ``That's not it. All we're saying is we have an existing two-lane row of pavement. Let's use what we've already got.''
As VDOT engineers continue through their process, PAC 221 members plan to be right alongside them, and they hope their efforts promote an important lesson about civic participation.
"Too many people think since they are government, they've made up their minds and you can't make them change them," Barrier said. "But I really want to believe there is still that flicker of a flame that says, `I can make a difference if we get enough people involved.'"
PAC 221's members say they are in for the long haul and, if need be, they'll roll up their shirtsleeves. They have had an independent engineer do some preliminary consulting work, there is talk of hiring an attorney, and they have no qualms about pointing out contradictory VDOT statements.
"When the issues seem to get even more confused, that makes me all the more passionate," Barrier said. "I say to myself, `Hey, you can't get away with that. I don't know who you think you're dealing with, but we aren't a bunch of yahoos.'''
by CNB