ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060008
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on February 7, 1997.
On the Feb. 6 Opinion page, letter-writer Elizabeth P. Stephenson was
misidentified. James C. Sears, not Stephenson, is president of Center in
the Square.
Kids' vision is worth the look
ROANOKE City Council has undertaken a visioning process, holding the first of four public sessions on Feb. 1 at the Jefferson Center. More than 100 citizens were there to consider the first topic, ``Quality of Life.'' Participants divided into 12 discussion groups. The room filled with excitement, creativity and ideas.
After about two hours, groups reported their findings. Greenways, support of cultural facilities, attention to youth, preserving Mill Mountain and government cooperation were some of the hot topics.
Participants in the 12th group waited patiently. When called upon, three children, ages 3, 9 and 12, walked confidently, yet shyly, to the front and presented their ideas. I found the ideas so compelling and insightful that I thought we might all benefit by reviewing what they think can help us achieve a better future. In their own words and in no particular order, I offer for your consideration:
* More bike trails and more swimming pools.
* More plants, especially red, green and pink ones; more flowers; more space for wildflowers.
* Take care of each other better; take care of your family.
* Fix up churches.
* More computers in school - they're fun.
* Don't waste things; don't throw away recyclables; use things over again.
* Protect mountains.
* Keep people safe.
* Keep the environment clean; don't litter.
* Protect God's creatures.
* Keep us safe from the bad guys.
I think if we listen to our children, we might truly achieve a preferred vision.
JAMES C. SEARS
ROANOKE
Our duty to pass on the mountain
THE CLOSING paragraph of Liza Field's commentary (Jan. 27, ``A view of the mountain as a living thing'') says all that should be said about the future development of Mill Mountain:
``Mill Mountain - a man's beloved gift to the city - does not really belong to any committee or individual. Rather, it belongs to the children of centuries to come. Surely it is our duty to pass on - unspoiled and unbroken - the gift we loved so well in our own lives.''
A society's progress isn't measured only by what it builds, but also by what it chooses to preserve.
ELIZABETH P. STEPHENSON
President, Center in the Square
ROANOKE
Letters spread ignorance, bigotry
SINCE MOVING to Blacksburg from New Jersey three months ago, I have been disturbed by the selection of letters to the editor in The Roanoke Times, particularly on race issues. Your Jan. 27 issue was the last inflammatory straw.
Martin Luther King Jr. was described (``King's communist leanings recalled'' by Donald R. Johnson) as a ``communist and racial agitator.'' Another letter (``Keep the state's traditional song'' by Donna Garrett) heralded ``our black heritage's natural love of home in Virginia.''
Your newspaper does a disservice to its readers by printing gross distortions of worldwide-accepted, historical facts regarding slavery and desegregation. Responsible letter selection reduces the spread of ignorance and bigotry.
MARY ELLEN STIGLIANO
BLACKSBURG
Forest Service isn't due the last word
THE NEED for American Electric Power Co.'s proposed 765-kilovolt power line through Southwest Virginia has been agreed to by Virginia's State Corporation Commission. As charged by law, the SCC considered both the need and suggested routing of that line before issuing its interim order, finding a compelling public need for the construction.
Now, however, due to opposition from those whose views tend to be extremely narrow, the U.S. Forest Service has ruled preliminarily that the power line cannot be built on any federal properties. This decision was made without consulting the Department of Energy or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - both of which have more energy expertise and responsibility for the energy needs of our economy and the people.
The SCC staff has concluded that the Forest Service's rationale is ``incomplete and possibly misleading'' and ``does not acknowledge that the [SCC's] Interim Order addressed energy need in detail as well as alternatives to the transmission line.''
The Forest Service disingenuously states that it doesn't intend to foreclose state responsibility for determining the need and routing for the power line. Yet the effect of its decision does just that - it has tried to kill the project.
It's important to balance the economic and public need for enhanced electrical capacity with legitimate concerns for the environment. Cooperation between federal and state agencies is mandated by the gravity of this situation. The Forest Service alone must not be allowed to carry the day by its surrendering to special-interest groups.
JOHN R. LAREW
ROANOKE
LENGTH: Long : 106 linesby CNB