ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 28, 1997 TAG: 9703280056
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER THE ROANOKE TIMES
The long-awaited restoration of an overlook and wayside atop Draper Mountain could start in the next few months.
The project has qualified for a $120,000 grant under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, with Pulaski and Pulaski County each putting up $15,000 more in cash or in labor as the required 20 percent match.
Nineteen representatives of the town, county, law enforcement agencies and residents met Thursday afternoon to plan the first phase of reopening the Draper Mountain Wayside and Overlook.
"There's a lot of interest in opening this overlook. There's a lot of skepticism about us opening this overlook," said Draper District Supervisor Charles Cook. The skepticism stems mainly from concerns about security and keeping people from trashing the mountaintop, which is what caused it to be closed several years ago.
Cook said most of the Board of Supervisors believe that the majority of county residents who want the overlook open again should not be thwarted by a minority that might abuse the site. He said everyone in the room had probably asked at some time when the facility might reopen.
County Administrator Joe Morgan estimated that could be "as early as June or as late as September," depending on how long engineering, contracts, paving and other work take.
That first phase would include building separate entrances and exits on either side of U.S. 11 that could be closed at night behind locked gates. Parking facilities would be built, and a barrier would be added to keep vehicles from backing up to the edge of the overlook and dumping trash. Sidewalks, pedestrian crossing signs and accommodations for the handicapped would also be part of this initial phase.
Nick Glenn, one of the citizen representatives, said he would prefer to find a way to keep it open 24 hours a day so people could enjoy its scenic view in the evenings, too. He wondered whether a closed-circuit television unit would be practical to monitor dumpers.
Morgan noted that the county has a mandatory garbage collection system administered by a public service authority, and that arrangements can be made to haul off large junked items or deliver them to pickup areas on Dora Highway or the county garage on Bagging Plant Road in Dublin. "So there really shouldn't be any reason for any residents of Pulaski County to take trash to the top of the mountain," he said.
A second phase, still unscheduled, would include a walking trail from the town's Train Station museum and county Chamber of Commerce information center up to the overlook. Morgan said that could be as simple as putting a trail along the shoulder of U.S. 11 or as complex as a new trail system.
Supporters of the project are hoping that various civic groups will then take on other activities in the 20-acre wayside, such as restoring its old picnic shelters, amphitheater, rest rooms and other facilities.
Cook said Assistant County Administrator Peter Huber and town Economic Development Director Barry Matherly were the key workers in securing the federal grant.
"A hundred and twenty thousand dollars just didn't happen. These guys made it happen," Cook said.
The property was originally developed for the National Park Service by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s. It first belonged to the town, then was transferred to the Park Service in 1936 and the state in 1942 for use as a wayside.
Dumping and vandalism turned it into an eyesore in recent years, and the Board of Supervisors asked the state Department of Transportation to close it in 1994. Later, the board secured help from the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center in drawing up a plan to rehabilitate it.
More than 30 local governments, businesses, civic organizations, schools and other groups have formally endorsed its restoration.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB