Monday, January 28, 2008
Put Explore Park in the state's hands
Editorial commentary
Recent contributions
- What Obama didn't say
- How my education and religious training failed me
- Can we be a two-trolley town?
- Striving for civility
- Commentary archive
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Lenny LaRose
LaRose lives in Roanoke and works in customer service for a local company.
When I first heard of Bern Ewert's idea for a living history park, I didn't quite catch the idea. I must admit to being less than enthusiastic. But after taking my children there for the first time, I was convinced that this was a worthwhile endeavor.
I was impressed by the authenticity of the donated buildings and the professionalism of the interpreters in their various settings. I particularly enjoyed the old schoolhouse, and the "teacher" who explained so well what the school day was like for children of the pioneers.
The vision began in 1985 with the formation of The River Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that would be known as Virginia's Explore Park. Subsequently, the Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority to assist the River Foundation in the development and operation of the park.
According to The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot (July 2, 1994), the commonwealth "has invested $12 million in the project, mostly to buy the 1,300 acres of rugged woodlands along the Roanoke River, and private donors have added $6 million."
The federal government would later spend about $17 million to build a permanent spur from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Explore.
In 2000, the Virginia Revolving Loan Fund included in its projects a proposal for new wastewater systems for Explore Park facilities. Two new systems serving different structures were installed within the park.
There were plans to build a network of greenways connecting Franklin County with Montgomery County, and another planned trail would lead from Salem to the Explore Park.
In May 2001, Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality awarded a grant of $3,000 to The River Foundation (Virginia's Explore Park) to support recruitment and training of volunteers to expand the Save Our Streams water quality monitoring program in the Roanoke River watershed.
But somewhere along the line, the commonwealth lost interest. In a legislative update to Gov. Mark Warner's final budget, published in December 2005, the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton was allocated more than $2 million. The Art Museum of Western Virginia also got $2 million and the Science Museum of Western Virginia reaped $50,000. The Virginia Museum of Transportation received $75,000. Virginia's Explore Park is not mentioned.
When state funding was discontinued, Roanoke County generously stepped in to help keep the park operating, but we all knew this was only a temporary solution.
The beginning of the end came in March 2005 when developer Larry Vander Maten was introduced at a public hearing at Explore, and told the 200 or so in attendance that he "can't give you some specific answers on a lot of things you would probably want to know."
Vander Maten, according to The Roanoke Times (March 23, 2005), wanted to invest at least $20 million in ventures on the Explore Park site that could include a hotel, restaurants, stores, an amphitheater and a water park.
The Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority then pushed aside repeated requests to wait and voted unanimously to authorize a 50-year lease of the park to Vander Maten. In June 2005, the VRFA voted 8-1 to approve the lease. The lone dissenter, Bill Tanger, rightfully objected to "giving the public's assets to a private individual."
And yet, the fund-raising efforts continued. At a meeting of Vinton Town Council on April 4, 2006, a request was made by the VRFA board of directors that the town consider a $5,000 appropriation for operations and maintenance of Explore Park for fiscal 2006-07. A similar funding request was made at the Franklin County Board of Supervisors meeting on June 20, 2006.
Finally, last Oct. 16, the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority voted to cease regular operations of Explore Park on Nov. 30. After repeatedly failing to make a connection between Virginia's Explore Park and potential donors, they apparently decided it just wasn't worth it.
I hope the General Assembly will dissolve the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority and make the secretary of Natural Resources responsible for future land-use decisions, holding that position accountable for prudent management of our Virginia lands. What do we need the VRFA for?
