ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 16, 1996 TAG: 9609160099
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
IN GREENWAY planning and development, Roanoke lags behind a lot of cities. Yet Roanoke's government continues to proceed like a slow-motion motorist, staring straight ahead, only grudgingly aware both of greenway opportunities all around and of impatient drivers caught in the rear, trying to get more quickly to work.
While fixated on caution and control, city officials may put Roanoke at risk - not just of failing to catch up with competitor metropolitan areas that have recognized the value of greenways, but also of getting hit from behind by failed chances to enhance our region's quality of life.
To be sure, the city has not stood still. In concert with other municipalities, it helped form a greenways steering committee that produced a blueprint for biking and walking paths criss-crossing the region. The committee identified an initial project - a trail linking the City Market with Mill Mountain - for which the city has been awarded federal funding. Roanoke has contributed funding, too, for a regional greenway coordinator's position, newly filled by Elizabeth Hawk Belcher. All good.
What's worrisome is city officials' reluctance now to quicken the pace, to expand efforts and seize leadership in beginning to fulfill the region's greenways potential. Bureaucratic reticence is evident on at least two fronts:
The Roanoke River.
The administration did consult greenway advocates about engineering plans for a new sewer line along the river - a natural opportunity for coordinating trail development. City officials may look into short, separate stretches of trails that would be relatively easy and inexpensive to install.
But the Roanoke River ought to be the main attraction in valley greenway development. It's the obvious trunk for connecting other trails in the region, and the city already owns or controls most of the riverbank through Roanoke. If there are parts where a trail has to stray a bit, so be it. The administration should be planning a greenway along the entire corridor - for flood abatement as well as recreation and preservation.
The Appalachian Trail.
The National Park Service for more than a decade has wanted to buy, or obtain an easement for, land along the Appalachian Trail by Carvins Cove. It's the longest unprotected section of the trail left in Virginia. The city has an interest in protection, too, because Carvins Cove stores drinking water.
Mayor David Bowers has suggested that proceeds from a deal go into a greenways fund. That, along with moneys from a bond issue next year, could help jump-start trail development. The city might also gain, when it seeks easements for greenways, by not having to explain why it refused a right-of-way for the Appalachian Trail.
The city itself seems reluctant to own recreational easements for greenways, presumably in fear of potential liabilities such as hazardous waste deposits along the river or the threat of crime along a trail. Other cities, such as Raleigh, N.C., and Knoxville, Tenn., have seen the real benefits of greenways bury imagined risks.
They have seen property values raised, new businesses attracted, bicycling and walking encouraged, families drawn outdoors, neighborhoods connected, greenery preserved, flooding reduced, volunteers inspired, regional partnerships formed.
In tandem with neighboring municipalities, which lately have been showing more interest in greenways, Roanoke needs to shift into higher gear.
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