In order for Roanoke to continue it's "Magic City" growth, several goals need to be reached. Some are tangible, others are merely ideological. But all are of the utmost importance.
First, it is my belief that Roanoke allready has more to offer than most large cities do. The Times, current City Council, and several others do not see this. They are more than happy to point out the reasons Roanoke does not have things, the things it does not have, and how detrimental to the city it is not to have these things.
We cannot land a 747 at Roanoke Regional. There are plenty of other common sized planes we can land at Roanoke Regional. DC-10s for example. But the key core issue behind the lack of decent transportation at Roanoke Regional continues to be the cost of flying. All airlines are "suffering", hurting for cash. I have been to Roanoke Regional when you could not find a spot to stand for crowds, and times when I have been one of 10 passengers on the incoming flight. Until the cost of airfare becomes more competitive, Roanoke Regional will not see increased traffic.
However, that being said - there are things we can do to create competition. Fully backing the TransDominion Express is a good start. We need, on a local level, to get with the planners and begin work on proper stations. By starting now, rather than after the coming test runs of the TDX, we will be in a better position to launch when any type of commuter rail even looks in our direction -be it the TDX or Amtrak.
We have a vast wealth of natural resources at our command. Mill Mountain, the Greenways, Explore Park - and we are a jumping off point for places like the Peaks of Otter and other natural wonders.
Roanoke sits in a highly desireable climate, sure it gets humid during the summer, but we are sheilded from the very worst storms (usually) and actually have 4 identifiable seasons.
There are those who complain that Roanoke's schools are not up to snuff. To those, I ask them to find schools which are better in a city, with the same circumstances as Roanoke. Pull a comparison - and you will find Roanoke schools are no worse off than other comparable schools. A large part of the success of any school is parental involvement. Through-out America parental involvement is slipping, if not nearly extinguished. Most parents are happy to sit back and wait till the school does something they do not like, then complain to the hills. An active, aggressive citizenry would be a benefit to the educational system here in Roanoke.
There are those who complain that Roanoke's City Council does not act in the best interests of the citizens. It is my claim that they do not act in anyones best interest, including their own.
With blinders on to any problem other than Victory Stadium or the 2 high school stadiums, the City Council is actively failing the citizens of the city. Its greatest advancement to date is the new zoning regulations - which were laid out in the adoption of the Vision 2020 plan. It's not like it took alot of work to ratify something that has been sitting on the side burner for years.
Rather than focus on building upon the good in Roanoke, the city council hires planners and consultants to figure out what the citizens could have told it all along. It brings in groups from outside Roanoke, rather than working with the local firms we do have to build the city past greatness, and towards the future.
That is not to say everything they do is wrong, but they do maintain a status quo standing for the city, immobilized till forcibly motivated.
Roanoke needs leadership who can recognize the value of what we allready have, the wisdom to get what we do need, and the common sense to act when needed.
The Star City of the South should be the City that Sells Itself, with vast natural and physical resources, and yet the focus has been shifted from that which we have, to a laundry list of pop-culture wants and needs. There is much to lose in all this, and little to gain. And if you think businesses and families want to move to a place better served by casual dining franchises, you might want to take another look at that equation.
2 comments:
Until we can land a 747 here, major corporations will continue to head elsewhere like Greensboro. That is a major problem, DC-10's will not cut it. If we ever want to compete with other cities, besides lower airfares, we need non-stop direct flights to major cities. Period. Also, it just boggles the mind that this railroad town does not have a passenger station. Unacceptable also. Know anyone who's had to ride the Greyhound service to get here? I do, not a pretty picture. Schools? Compare Roanoke city with Roanoke County and Salem's. No excuses. Study after study will not solve anything, Roanoke needs to take off its blinders. The city's got potential, that's why we moved here, but after a decade, it's absolutely not living up to it and has gotten much worse and that's why I want to get the heck out of here as soon as we can. So if you plan to become Overlord better get moving. 'Nuff said.
Actually neither 747's or DC-10s will bring much of anything here. Regional airflight is a failing proposition - the cost far outweighs the benefit. Direct flights to major cities are meaningless now. We have direct flights to LaGuardia now, and its not adding to our businesses.
I myself have rode greyhound from NYC to ROA once. And depending on how you ride it - and what your expectations are. It is Greyhound after all.
Now, the question is - have you, a citizen of the county, whose taxes go to the county, done anything to better the city? One of the reasons why I am not interested in living in the county - you get a better ROI in the city.
The county provides nearly no services as it is, so all that extra money they have can be dumped into the schools. There are reasons for the disparity, and they are quite obvious if you look for them.
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