Sunday’s column: A cloudy future for Mill Mountain panel?
Shot by Dan
A minor dust-up occurred at Roanoke City Council’s meeting Monday afternoon that you probably didn’t notice. It was about the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee.
That panel, which dates to 1965, is charged with advising council about Roanoke’s highest-profile park.
Dr. Nancy Dye chairs it. She asked council about its intentions for the group’s future.
Dye was concerned because at the MMAC’s Sept. 27 meeting, Mayor David Bowers unexpectedly showed up and informed members that council was considering disbanding the panel.
It was the first time most of the committee’s members had seen a council member at one of their meetings. The other shocking thing was the mayor’s statement. So Dye, who is no shrinking violet, went to Monday’s meeting in an attempt to get some answers.
The advisory panel has nine members, and among them are representatives of the Mill Mountain Zoo, the Mill Mountain Garden Club and the Fishburn family, which donated the mountain to the city. One of its current focuses is pushing the city to repair an eroded rock wall along Prospect Road, which is a Roanoke greenway.
“Members of this committee walk the mountains, clear the trails and devote countless volunteer hours to keeping Mill Mountain accessible to those who enjoy it. Committee members have spearheaded the effort to restore the historic toll booth by forming a public-private partnership with the city,” Dye said.
“Should this committee be disbanded, I would be saddened and shocked by this sudden and unexpected action.”
Following her remarks there was a lot of hemming and hawing.
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
October 7, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Dan, I read your take on this, but I wonder if you have all of the facts. Partial truths are fairly dangerous and unfortunately thats what most of us get through government channels of communication…tiny bits here, tiny bits there. Seems that the panel does little except ponder this and that and duplicate the efforts of what the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s mission is. The panel doesn’t actually “do” anything regarding trails, for it is the volunteer trail volunteers that actually do the work. While there are one or two members of the panel that use the trails, pick up trash here and there, but the yoman’s protion of actual work is done by the Pathfinders. True, a member of the group did do an excellent job in raising funds for the toll booth,; however, it was a single effort to coordinate the process with a considerable amount of assistance from the Greenway Commission and staff coordination. In other words, all of these processes can easily go through the overall Parks Advisory Group. Why not have a special, appointed advisory panel for Carvins Cove, the Roanoke River, or what about Rivers Edge Park? The more “adisory” steps and obstacles a local government has, the more red tape you have, the slower actions takes, and the more unproductive work we assign to our public staff.
I scratch my head every time the topic of Mill Mtn. preservation is raised. “Mill Mtn. As It Is” is the motto. I ask why has it been decided to freeze Mill Mtn. as it is now? And why is it some ideas for it are deemed “cockamamie” when others are not and have not? For some reason a garish 100 ft. tall, multi colored tourist attraction is deemed sacred and worthy of protection. As is a zoo. But a coffee shop is “cockamamie”? Why is it okay to build a new (relatively speaking) road to the mountain allowing more cars to access it easier and faster and then limit the attractions to the view, the aforementioned neon monstrosity and the zoo? How many trees were sacrificed, tons of dirt removed and animals displaced for this road to allow us to access this road to the neon sign? How many hiking and biking trails are on this mountain that culminate in not one gathering area for those who use them to sit and enjoy say a cup of coffee while enjoying that view? Why is it the Mill Mtn. Theater was placed there and revered until it burned to the ground? And let’s face it, the theater was not moved to preserve the mountain, economics dictated that.
I use this Mountain and love that it can take me and my guests to “another place” only minutes from downtown. The view can be breath taking. We recently took my Granddaughter to the Mill Mtn. Zoo and we had a great time. I am no longer much of a hiker and have only hiked the mountain twice but I am a biker and bike it on average of 20 times a year. I guess that is far more than the most city residents who bring their out of town guests there maybe once a year. I believe that by limiting the options of this beautiful City park we are not fully integrating into our lifestyles. Too often it is a place we go only when we have guests or nothing else to do. The new Greenway has done much to improve the views and the reputation of the previously maligned Roanoke River. People go there, they enjoy the views and recreate and it is a wonderful asset. The same could be said about Mill Mtn. if only we used it more, allowed it to become a more regular destination.
I am totally aware the fear is over-development. When most folks envision Mill Mtn. development I am sure they think hotels, restaurants and beer joints. I’ll throw out an idea (which I know WILL be thrown out!). Tear down the brightly lit, multi colored neon sign. In its place build a modest sized restaurant. No fancy food, good but just the basics. Tastefully incorporate the natural setting in the design of the building. Provide plenty of glass for viewing while eating as well as a spacious, open deck for dining and viewing, weather permitting. This can be done successfully while not tainting (in my opinion actually improving) the setting. It is done in many places and done well. And it will be used.
Having served on more than my share of Boards and Committees over the years, I think the Mill Mtn. one is one worth having. However, the city in general has some serious problems with its boards, committees and commission. I served out full terms on boards and commission in Alexandria, prior to moving back to Roanoke and never had any problems getting along with anyone or council. We had a much higher level of sophistication and intelligence in No. Va.
Here in Roanoke, more often than not, it appears city administration simply wants “Yes” men on its boards and commissions…..and are intimidated when someone like myself speaks out with a difference of opinion. I resigned from the Parks Board because its meeting date conflicted with our neighborhood association meeting night.
I believe the Parks and Rec. Advisory Board does little advising and more rubber stamping for simply what the city wants. I was an outspoken critic of the Elmwood Park Plan and signed a letter to the Editor simply as a member of the board. City council wanted to kick me off the board and the Mayor called me in and said I had to be a good little boy and play along and get along.
The Mill Mtn. Committee should answer to City Council and not the Parks & Rec. Board in the best interest of the over all citizens and interest of Roanoke.
Oh, I forgot to point out one of the more serious problems between city council and boards. They have attendance requirements, if you miss a percentage number of meetings you are replaced. City Council often ignores or does not bother to check these records and re appoints people who have far exceeded and failed to meet attendance requirements….Why? Then that should be followed by Why do people join these committees if they can’t attend most of the meetings?
A committee should be created to see if the other committee should be disbanded.
Scott Whitacre, as garish and tacky as the neon star is, it is a welcoming sight to me. I have no problem with a little coffee shop or restaurant being built up there, but I see no reason why the star woould need to come down. I enjoy looking up and seeing the star on the mountain and hope it will always remain there.
#6 Debbie I agree with you. I know the star will never come down other than by an act of God and I really don’t advocate it. I was just trying to make a point. I agree a tastefully done eatery of some sort on the mountain could be built in concert with the natural setting and enhance the “Mill Mtn. experience”.
The star stays.
One night, a little before 10pm and maybe 10 years ago, I pulled into the Star’s parking lot and had the glorious night-time view of illuminated Roanoke all to myself. I was truly in the moment, when about 5 minutes later, a policeman walked up and told me I had to leave… What?
He explained that ever since 9/11, the park had closing times and no one was allowed in the area afterwards. When I regained my power of speech, I politely asked if he knew that such a response had to have originated from people who had lost their minds. He nodded, but pointed out there wasn’t much he could do about it.
He then followed me down the road in his cruiser to the gated entry (which I had never even noticed before), then parked and locked it as I drove away.
Roanoke City Council… paranoid jackasses.
Simply unfathomable, how anyone would want to tear down an almost 64 yr old icon, for a coffee shop…..We have something that no one else in the world has, no matter how insignificant it is to some. And more people would enjoy its awesome view up there if it were not closed at 11 PM. Now the Zoo is a totally different story. Top of a small mountain is no place for a Zoo. Tear it down and put in a coffee house and rotating restaurant….What City could match that?
Ernie’s right. We should put money towards a study on this. Make sure they’re from out if town.
ScottW, I’m in line with you, except that I’d like to see the zoo axed and a nice little restaurant/club put in to take advantage of the view. There’s already a huge radio tower, zoo, and star up there and I completely don’t get why Valley Forward’s plan was thrown out so uncermoniously as though a restaurant with a view was so outlandish.
Kristen, my understanding is, VF’s plan No. 2 wasn’t thrown out unceremoniously. It’s just that no serious businessman cam forward to say he wanted to open a restaurant/nightclub up there.
Dan, I don’t think its surprising that no restaurateurs made a play for the spot when the general tone in Roanoke was that putting something so commercial as a bar on hallowed Mill Mountain was akin to spitting on the cross. If the plan were approved, I have no doubt at all that either a local or someone from out of town (the skatey-eighth iteration of Beamers is owned by a guy from Richmond) would step up and execute. Don’t forget, VF is made up of high end young finance and development people here. Architects,bankers and attorneys spent hours of time – free – putting the plan together. It wasn’t some amateurish nonsense.
To: Dave Gresham, I never heard that and I think the officer was simply not up to date on why it was closed. Interesting that 9/11 was brought into it. If that is true, then the public was lied to when they decided to close it due to local terrorism. Meaning, to the best of my recollection, we were told that the porta potties had been set on fire. This might have been when the Nature center was being built. So rather make the area safer for visitors and more secure from vandalism, the good law biding citizen are punished in no longer being able to visit the star 24/7 as it was when I moved back here in ’96. Plus, then Mayor, now Senator Ralph Smith live in what is now Dr. Dye’s house. In walking the greenway through Smith Park, over that controversial issue, we talked at length about the park and the star and its closing. He told me he was often bothered by the noise coming from the Star overlook. So, I expect there was an additional, undisclosed goings on to its subsequent closing at 11 PM.
Kristen,
I met the VF leader (a term I use loosely) years ago when they first introduced their plan. His business plan was basically that the restaurant, coffee shop and conference room made up a “three legged stool” so that if one entity was not economically sustainable the other two legs would hold up the stool. I swear to God I am not making this up. I also asked him if he had done a SWAT analysis on the project and was informed that it was a “build it and they will come” sort of affair with absolutely no case made that people would drive up Mill Mountain for dinner. He did say that VF had secured a loan for the project but in my experience banks would never finance a project with so little planning. I personally think it was one of the dopiest initiatives I’ve ever ran across. They may have had good attorneys and architects but I assure you there where no competent bankers on this project. They actually did have a banker in the organization but she did compliance, not lending.
In my opinion it was a poorly conceived and executed project that deserved an early death.
Typical of what happens when one elects solely democrats to Roanoke City Council. Of course, don’t expect Dan to mention that they are all democrats or to criticize the democrat mother ship.
If this was all republicans that is all Dan would be writing about. But since they are democrats he omits that little fact.
“Typical of what happens when one elects solely democrats to Roanoke City Council. Of course, don’t expect Dan to mention that they are all democrats or to criticize the democrat mother ship.
If this was all republicans that is all Dan would be writing about. But since they are democrats he omits that little fact.”
Typical of what happens when I write a column that’s devoid of politics. BobH complains about that and desperately tries to inject politics into it.
I guess this is the new fallback whine for whenever he can’t complain something’s not “metro.”
Dan, I think in Bob H’s world the city would sell the Park to a commercial entity. A 10 story hotel would be built and the star would be hoisted atop it. An admission fee to the Park would be charged which would include the water park but not the bumper cars and the miniature golf…
Kristen,
VF’s Mill Mountain restaurant project was dominated by, according their own web page, realtors and/or people in the property development business, not “..architects, bankers and attorneys…”.