AdvanceChristiansburg

Hooray for us !!  Christiansburg Parks & Recreation Director Art Price and Supervisor of Outdoor Sports Facilities and Parks Chuck Muncy were notified earlier this month of Dixie Youth Baseball's (www.dixie.org) decision to hold its 2010 World Series at Harkrader Sports Complex!  This directly on the heels of Christiansburg's own 11& 12 yr.old "O-Zone" Baseball Players winning the state title and representing Virginia at this year's 2008 World Series in Mississippi (congratulations to them!).   These wonderful announcements represent vision, perserverance, and LOTS of hard work and commitment by a wide swath of our community, and none is prouder than Chuck.  He's the former Christiansburg Supervisor of Athletics and in his new role manages the new Harkrader Sports Complex.  Chuck's goal, as expressed to the Dixie executives in Marshall, Texas is for Christiansburg to be the Youth Baseball Capital of Southwest Viginia.  Congratulations Chuck, Art, Recreation Department Staff, and to the MANY tireless coaches, parents and volunteers that support our youth programs.  Now is one of those times to say WOW!

Now, a Zoom Out to look at the bigger picture.  This is one more thing that puts us on the map and it makes good business sense.  It's estimated that this year's World Series in Mississippi resulted in $1.5M of direct revenue into the community.  And so Christiansburg stands to gain both in profile and financially.  That's in addition to the fact that Harkrader plays host to events nearly every weekend between April and October already this year. 

Another keystone is that the Harkrader Complex is but one more example of regional cooperation in action in that Montgomery County and the Town partnered together to make this whole thing happen.  And this type of cooperation is evident, and growing, throughout our town, county and in Blacksburg.  Other noteworthy symbols of this cooperation is youth football, basketball, baseball, the Huckleberry Trail, Senior Olympics.  Heck, the list goes on and on. 

So what does the future hold in working together with Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Radford and even Pulaski County on projects of mutual recreational benefit?  Who knows.  Likely candidates in my mind are more trails, parks, and facilities that pass two fundamental questions of logic --  "What can we do together that we probably couldn't - or shouldn't - do by ourselves?", and "Is it fair to all concerned?" 

I'm encouraged by the increasing cooperation on projects like this and in the growing togetherness that is evidenced by elected officials in our local governments.  A good example of this logic is the Huckleberry Trail ... of the thousands upon thousands of people who use it, I bet that there are precious few who care whether they happen to be in Christiansburg, Montgomery County, Virginia Tech, or Blacksburg.  Folks are HERE and they're just plain enjoying it.  Same goes for the other stuff.  So what are your thoughts? ...  what do you think should be next ?          

When I launched this on-line journal ten weeks ago, I did it with the goal of encouraging constructive, G-rated dialogue about issues in Christiansburg that could be viewed, interpreted, and discussed by all members of the community ... whether you happen to be age 8 or 88 (or more).  I take no offense, in fact I appreciate, opposing views and like to consider issues from as many perspectives as possible before arriving at a decision and taking action.  Over the last few days, for the first time, I've taken editorial liberty to delete two posts that I construed as inappropriate and/or beyond the constructive tenor that is desired for this journal as explained.  My hope is to avoid restricting comments prior to posting, and I appreciate (in advance) folks respect for the nature of this open forum so far.         

We visited Smithfield Plantation three weeks ago on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and afterwards took our dog on a walk around the VT Cross Country Course that meanders around and throughout the beautiful former plantation.  After taking the tour of the homeplace, the guide ushered us into the gift shop, the last room in the basement before leaving.  In there I was looking through a book of quotes by Thomas Jefferson.  There was one in there that's stuck with me since, and I thought I'd share it:  "Information is the currency of democracy."  Simple, poignant, and intuitively obvious.  I've also thought about how the world has changed since Jefferson's time -- technical advances and the billions of dollars we've invested in "information technology".  A good question for pondering is:  How has government kept pace with these explosions in capacity?  Sure, there's certainly more information, and access to information, but I wonder what  T. J. would think of our progress if were alive today.  No deep thoughts or diatribes, merely an interesting historical observation.

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On a totally unrelated subject, but one that will liven up the dog days of summer for anyone with even a passing interest in  'land use', I'm including below one of the best reference pieces that I've ever come across; I've used it numerous times since it was provided to me three or four years ago.  It's clear, concise and obviates even the most complex land use conundrums ... Enjoy!

TEN RULES OF LAND USE - by Karen Collins of Henderson County, NC 

1.  Never assume that undeveloped land in your neighborhood will always remain so.  Unless you own it, count on something else being built there.

2.  Water runs downhill.  Unless you live at the top, you will probably experience stormwater runoff problems.

3.  Sprawl is the latest enemy of people and planners.  Unfortunately, the only thing Americans hate more than sprawl is density.

4.  Not all land is zoned.  If property near you is not zoned, then think of the most obnoxious use conceivable and picture it in your community.

5.  If you are not native to this area, whatever attracted you here will likely attract others.  This phenomenon is known as growth.

6.  Land values are driven by supply and demand.  Taxes are based on land values.  These things change.

7.  There are significant differences between public and private roads.  If you must live on a private road, be prepared to pay for it.

8.  Wells and septic tend to fail.  Make no mistake about this.

9.  If your land is so located that it is safe from annexation or incorporation, it is probably a prime candidate for a landfill, prison, utility tower, quarry or reservoir.

10.  In land use issues, the common good usually prevails.  Never assume that you know what the common good is. 

 An issue that’s shared mental shelf space in the not-too-distant past with world peace, food supply, natural disasters, etc. in the average American’s mind is fossil fuel dependency.  It’s gotten a lot of national press under the headings of global warming, sustainability, and environmental stewardship, but to get resolute national attention and local buy-in, most Americans must be affected in a material way … especially the pocketbook.  With skyrocketing fuel prices, inflation, and an increasingly uncertain economy, that time has come and nearly everyone is thinking about what this means to them; and most is looking at the future in a different way.  I realize this is a ‘macro’ observation, but there are very clear ‘micro’ – or local – implications, and this is what I’d like to share some thoughts on.

On Thursday 10 July 08, I was in Richmond representing the Town on Virginia Municipal League's (VML) Transportation Policy Steering Committee and Transportation Policy Committee.  Our charge was to craft policy statements for locality perpectives on transportation priorites for roads, bridges, rail, public transportation, etc. for the upcoming Fiscal Year.  Simply put, what we ended up saying with a bunch of fancy words was, SHOW US THE MONEY. (!)  Because Virginia is a Dillon Rule State, local governments are extremely limited in their options to raise revenue for necessary public improvements.  Ttransportation funding is historically a role that state government has shouldered.  Opinion: If the General Assembly would like localities to accept more responsibility for their trasnsportation future, then this devolution needs to be funded.  

In the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, for the 22nd straight year, the General Assembly fizzled out on a plan for adequate, sustainable, dedicated non-general funds to support Virginia's transportation network.  This, in addition to the repeal of the wildly unpopular 'Abusive Driver Fees' from last year's session, means that Christiansburg will receive about 44% less transportation funding in FY 08-09 for critical new capital projects like US Route 114 than we did in the current FY.  My opinion is that this lack of vision borders on the absurd. 

Additionally, we heard an impressive presentation from Fiscal Analytics, Ltd. on the 2008-2010 Budget Outlook for Virginia.  Foregoing the painstaking detail, the thrust was that US economy is weaker than was expected when State revenue forecast was prepared, and falling stock prices further reduce capital gains tax revenues.  Bottom Line: It's entirely possible, and perhaps even likely, that additional budget reductions on the order of $2.5B may be necessary over three years, including broader local aid cuts.  In FY09, for instance, the General Assembly is cutting $238M from local aid and the mechanism is now in place for further cuts in the future. 

The resonating disappointment from all this is that for the next two years, the Town will be looking elsewhere for ways to meet present levels of service in some areas, especially with programs that depend on annual state funding commitments, transportation and otherwise.  Of course this won't be impossible, but it does mean that we will have to be more resourceful, be alert for unique funding and/or promotional opportunities, and be willing to try new things if we are going to achieve our goals and avoid raising taxes.  An excellent example of this way of thinking at our last meeting was Police Chief Mark Sisson's report dated 20 June 08 that emphasized several measures our PD was implementing to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle maintenance costs.  I was in the Marketplace area yesterday and saw two of our officers on bike patrol, just as the chief mentioned.  Just like at home, if everyone does their part hardships can actually bring the community closer together.  This will be the case if we each adopt a servant's attitude and look for ways to pitch in.