ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 26, 1997 TAG: 9703260020
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PATRICIA MANKIN
I BELIEVE a number of the residents in Botetourt County, especially those who fought the Greenfield Industrial Park, know how the citizens of Glenvar are feeling now with the proposed industrial park.
First, you feel sold out and betrayed, especially when the purchase is done behind closed doors and then presented to you as a done deal. Of course, you are told it was done in secret to consummate the deal and prevent other, inappropriate bids on the property.
You feel everything you have strived for (the so-called American dream), your home and property, is in jeopardy. People have a strong emotional tie to their homes and property. They have sacrificed for this in many ways.
You begin to view the land they have targeted for industrial development, and your eyes aren't really seeing the subtle beauty of the landscape anymore. You begin to visualize it as you know it will become with lighting, parking lots, roads and huge structures.
You begin to wonder if the deer that wander into your front pastures at dusk and dawn will grace you with their presence anymore. You even begin to wonder if the hundreds of birds that dramatically swoop into your numerous feeders will return. You wonder if the lovely dark brooding sky in the very late evening will be compromised by all the lighting that has to accommodate such a huge industrial complex.
You simply don't see the overwhelming beauty anymore. In your own mind, it already has been taken from you, and they haven't even brought the bulldozers in yet. I can tell you, the feelings of sadness are profound.
You feel offended by a county administrator who thinks he does not have to answer a citizen's concerns about his property that will be affected by a project, but tells the citizen he has to answer only to the Board of Supervisors and will not meet with him.
You feel offended by your district supervisor, who tells a citizen upset by the project that affects his property: "You are just uneducated." And another supervisor who tells an individual: "If you want privacy, why don't you buy some property up on the side of a mountain somewhere?"
Then, of course, there are the public meetings to answer your questions. I can tell you from experience that these meetings are just for show. They view you with expressions of feigned interest and do not seem inclined to answer any of your concerns. You just receive this glazed-over stare. They appear totally moved by some touching, eloquent pleas from citizens who have moved
here from northeastern states and have focused on economic development and described how it changed their area for the worse. They felt they had found a haven here, and were almost desperate in their attempt to convince them.
Next, a parade of builders and other businessmen, some of whom do not even live in Botetourt County, are there to tell you how fine this is for the community.
Then on the agenda is the political jargon. First, it is compatible with your area. You drop a huge project like this in citizens' community, and then assure them it is compatible. I wonder if compatible would mean the same if it were over their back fence?
Then you hear about the protective covenants. I have thought, "If it is as good for you as they say, why do you have to be protected?" Somehow, I do not feel reassured by 100-foot borders and 20-foot greenways. And don't forget the term "vision" - politicians love that one! For, you see, they possess this all-encompassing picture that the average citizen simply does not possess.
The real tragedy in this economic-development craze that most officials seem obsessed with is that they continue to leap-frog into areas and bulldoze virgin lands, stripping them of their unique qualities. Then they change their Comprehensive Land Plan to accommodate their so-called vision. Instead of utilizing land that has been left by industries who have moved out, they continue using up more land.
I simply am not interested in what they say anymore. I am concerned only with the undeniable view of what they have done and continue to do.
To exploit the kind of beauty that exists in this valley for economic gain is a sacrilege. No amount of money will ever replace it once it is gone. I find the ultimate irony to be, they will name it Greenfield.
PATRICIA MANKIN of Fincastle hikes all over the world.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB