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About that waste, fraud and abuse

An audit is helpful in detailing a trail of municipal misspending. Tighter controls can prevent it from occurring.

The response so far by Roanoke to allegations that two top Valley Metro employees abused public finances for their own enrichment has been on target.

The employees were fired. The city and federal government will be reimbursed by their employer, First Transit, and the city will seek new proposals for private companies wanting to manage the public bus system.

All good. But is it enough?

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A grander depot's day will arrive

James G. Cosby

Cosby is the treasurer for the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and chairman of the Virginian Railway Station Restoration Committee.

In response to your editorial, "Make old depot's new life exciting" (Sept. 22) and the preceding article, "Station renovation gets nod" (Sept. 17), we appreciate the publicity and attention you have given this project. The article was generally fair and well done. It did, however, have one omission that caused your editors wrongly to conclude that the only use proposed for these buildings is for a storage facility with a few offices. If that were true, I, also, would conclude that Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society needs a grander vision.

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For tomorrow we will write about Roanoke's response to allegations that top Valley Metro employees abused public finances for their own enrichment. The employees were fired; the city and federal government will be reimbursed by First Transit; and the city will seek new proposals for running the bus system.

All good. But is it enough? The city also asked for additional accounting and reporting procedures to be put in place for the Greater Roanoke Transit Co. Council shouldn't stop at the buses.

In an upcoming editorial we'll look at Roanoke's plan for a new recycling program that will bring a new business to the city, and possibly entice other communities to go all out for recycling.

As an added bonus, the city, starting in January, will have an outlet for colored glass. This might not mean much to the average homeowner, but is huge for taverns.

As the only golfer on the ediorial board, I've also been the strongest supporter of keeping Countryside Golf Club open as a publicly owned golf facility. I think there is a place for a municipal golf course in town. The city needs to find someone who wishes to manage the course as a community good, though.

Countryside is not a spectacular course.  It is not the sort of course that will draw players from hundreds of miles away. It is, however, a solid municipal layout that is fun enough for experienced players yet forgiving enough for new players.

It has potential to serve the people of the community who cannot afford to drop a lot of money on a round of golf. That potential remains unfulfilled.

This summer, the condition of the course has deteriorated dramatically.  The city should think again before pumping millions into upgrades if the management will continue on its present course.

The staff at the course is apathetic on their better days and downright unhelpful on others. Worse, management has impleneted some inane policies.

For one, it forbids people from walking the course at nearly all times, and when it does allow walkers, it charges them the cart fee anyway.  If we are to have affordable golf, people need to be able to walk. Plus, many people like to get some exercise when they play, not just tool around on a cart. The course denies them that opportunity.  As a public facility, it should encourage healthy golf and exercise. I'm not saying it needs to mandate walking, but there are so few walkable courses around these days, that closing one off to walkers so that management can pocket more money is a disservice to the citizens of Roanoke.

Another foolish policy closes the practice range to the public when tournaments are underway. There might be no tournamant players on the range, but members of the public is denied access to the course they own.

Until the management changes, I cannot advocate for investment at the course and will no longer argue for its preservation on the editorial board. I also will not play or practice there.  There are better coursees and facilities willing to take my money and provide an enjoyable golf experience in the region.

I will continue to advocate for a municipal course as a basic recreational facility no different from ball fields and pools, but not at Countryside.

Bringing new ideas and people downtown

Douglas C. Waters

Waters is the interim president for Downtown Roanoke Inc.

In recent weeks, Downtown Roanoke has expressed to city council and the public our support for continued planning and economic analysis for the Elmwood Park amphitheater project. We believe that a well-designed and well-managed amphitheater in that location can be a powerful economic engine for the region overall, not just the downtown.

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Enough with the late buses

If you want children to learn, get them to school on time.

Perhaps this week all Roanoke schoolchildren will be delivered to school before first bell and returned home at the expected hour. One can but hope.

It is tempting to finger Mountain Valley Transportation -- and the decision by the school board to turn to a private hauler -- as the culprit in such a colossal mess. But it wouldn't be fair.

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For Tuesday: Children can't learn standing at the bus stop. Enough time has passed for Roanoke school system and its hauler to work out all the glitches in getting students to school - on time.

A gallop for the greenway

The Roanoke River Greenway is exactly the kind of project the federal stimulus was meant to spur. The benefit will be long-lasting.

When Congress agreed earlier this year to pump hundreds of billions of stimulus dollars into the economy to halt the free-fall plunge into a major recession, it was hoped that the money would create a legacy beyond debt.

A legacy like that left by the New Deal that developed a national network of parks that are still used and still loved to this day.

The New Deal thought big.

So, too, should the federal government in naming stimulus projects.

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Market commodity: solid information

Three major projects on the City Market will disrupt business. Great care must be taken.

Three major projects are planned in the coming year for Roanoke's Market Square, any one of which would be disruptive on its own. Combined, they could prove chaotic and rekindle hostility among the people who share the market.

There's one good way to stop that from happening: with coordination and communication -- and soon. City leaders need to step up now to organize the projects so as to minimize, as best they can, the hardship businesses and farmers will face. And, they must explain the plans and welcome suggestions.

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