ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050078
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
BETTY FIELD, who knows and loves her mountain as well as anyone, should have a seat on the Mill Mountain Development Committee.
City Councilman Jim Trout mistakenly followed questionable, possibly illegal, procedure to propose Field's appointment. To name her, council would have to expand the nine-member committee by one seat, a suggestion Trout made during an executive session, which is closed to the public.
The timing was improper, the merits of the idea itself open to debate: The terms of everyone on the committee expire at the end of June. Council might want to keep the size of the group the same, and change some members at that time.
But Trout's purpose is a good one. One way or another, the voice of this passionate hiker and nature-lover should be among those heard when the future of the mountain is being considered.
Yes, she is a strong advocate for one point of view: preservation. As such, she has been an unofficial spokeswoman for many like-minded people in and around the valley whose connections to Mill Mountain may be as active as hiking it regularly or as passive as looking at it every day from the back porch. Either way, the mountain is an intimate part of their lives that they don't want changed.
Some current committee members have expressed similar sentiments, notably Trout himself and Scott Shackelford, grandson of J.B. Fishburn, who bequeathed most of the mountain to the city. It's a view that needs to be considered, especially on a panel named the Mill Mountain Development Committee.
From our vantage, it's fine to regard the mountain as an economic-development asset. We believe it will be more of an asset with trails than with concrete, more valuable as a largely green mountain in an urban setting than as a platform for parking.
But all of the committee members bring concern for Mill Mountain and for their community to their work. They have varied backgrounds that bring different strengths to planning for the mountain's future. Some are knowledgeable about certain features on the mountain: the Mill Mountain Zoo, the wildflower garden.
It would be wrong to imply that only someone favoring absolute preservation cares about the mountain or its impact on the region.
Fortunately, Field could help the committee's deliberations with more than her advocacy. As invaluable a contribution would be her special knowledge of the mountain: the contours of the land, the wild plants and animals that live on it, its visitors, its trails.
Any visioning about Mill Mountain's future should include her - now or later. But soon.
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