Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Downtown Christiansburg.

That includes pursuing green initiatives, enhancing the system of walking trails and multiuse paths, focusing on public information and community relations, reviewing and revising the zoning ordinance and promoting the new aquatics center.

Those are some of the 20 goals listed in "Vision 2020," a long-range plan the Christiansburg Town Council recently developed.

"I've always felt we needed to have a long-range plan for Christiansburg," Mayor Richard Ballengee said. "All of council embraced this plan."

Councilman Brad Stipes said officials discovered through the planning process they had several common goals for the town and areas of mutual agreement.

Councilman Henry Showalter also said the plan outlines some specific objectives for the town.

"I think the town will be very pleased when they see it," Showalter said.

A next step is to print brochures with information about the plan for residents to read. The brochures are expected in a couple of weeks and will be available in the town hall, at council meetings and at the recreation center, Ballengee said.

The mayor also said he and the council members are willing to make presentations to civic organizations and to any group interested in the plan.

"We hope our community will embrace this plan," Ballengee said.

Ballengee said the plan was developed during a three-day retreat in August at the New River Community College, with a follow-up meeting earlier this month.

The retreat was led by consultant Tyler St. Clair of Lynchburg. The cost of the consultant was $8,526, Town Manager Lance Terpenny said.

Ballengee said St. Clair has had extensive experience working with city and town officials on similar projects. She assisted Christiansburg officials in targeting such areas as communications, leadership styles and openness and transparency of town government, the mayor said.

Some of the objectives of "Vision 2020" are short term, while others will have some budget implications, Ballengee said.

One goal is to create a public relations position for the town.

"We would like to get someone on board by the first of the year," Ballengee said. "We may have to wait on monies available."

A salary for the position has not been established yet.

The mayor said an objective is for the town to be more open and transparent to the public.

The vision for the town's future states that in 2020, the goal is for Christiansburg to be known as a retail, commerce and tourist destination, a town of well-informed and engaged citizens, a recreational, cultural and entertainment Mecca, a green community, a clean, healthy and safe place to live, a model for effective land use, a sound financial entity and an interconnected community.

The long-range plan also touts the town's downtown; the new Montgomery County courthouse; the national retailers, restaurants and hotels in the community; the aquatics center; the mix of residential, commercial and recreational land uses; and walking trails, multiuse paths and mass transit.

Stipes said the next stage for the plan is for council members to focus diligently on the goals outlined in the plan.

Councilman Ernie Wade added, "We need to set up action plans for each of the goals and try to get there."

"Hopefully, we're taking a step in the right direction," Wade said about the long-range planning.

Terpenny said he will also schedule a work session with "my key staff and go over each one of the vision items that council identified and how we can implement them."

"We've got a pretty good idea now of what the council expects from us," he said.

Terpenny said the session will likely take place in October.

Officials said some of the goals may take time to reach and additional goals may be developed as the town moves forward.

"It's a goal for us to take the steps along the way to get us closer to that vision," Stipes said.