ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130097
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
THIS SHOULD be Virginia's Year of the Mountains.
That's not a prediction, but a recommendation, made by the Fifth Planning District Commission to Gov. George Allen. It's a good idea.
The PDC is suggesting that Allen work with the General Assembly to establish a Year of the Mountains Task Force to spend one year, starting July 1, exploring issues related to developing the economy, protecting the environment and preserving the cultural heritage of the mountains and valleys of Western Virginia.
With livability a prime factor in communities' long-term economic health, a yearlong study to identify priorities for Virginia's mountain region could be a help in encouraging growth where flat land is in short supply, and in planning for growth that won't despoil the land and sacrifice a style of living still scaled for human beings.
Figuring out how to better exploit and preserve the mountains as assets is more than a touchy-feely nicety. It is an economic imperative.
The Year of the Mountains initiative would mirror a similarly named commission created by the governor of North Carolina in 1995. It set up promotional and educational programs, planting seeds likely to produce benefits for the western part of that state for years to come. And it issued a set of recommendations that put the unique needs and priorities of North Carolina's mountain region on the agendas of federal, state and local agencies and private organizations.
While the commission itself had a one-year lifespan, as its name suggests, it produced goals that will challenge policy-makers well into the next century. They ranged from a call to create planning mechanisms in all of the region's 29 counties, to strategies for strengthening downtown areas, to actions to protect water and air quality and incorporate environmental education in schools.
Protecting the Blue Ridge Parkway had gratifying prominence. The commission recommended that North Carolina seek $1 million a year in federal transportation funds for the next five years to help secure scenic viewsheds, and create more incentives for individual and corporate donations of land and protective easements for the public's benefit.
Virginia's mountain-valley region faces many of the same issues as its neighbor, while differing on some of the specifics. It, too, could benefit from state attention to help develop the tools it will need to fashion the future its residents want.
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB