Over-Occupancy & the I-Thou

For many years, “Neighborhood Protection” was a topic of political debate and public dialogue in Blacksburg. The term acutely expresses the threat that many fulltime residents have experienced as their valued neighborhoods have become home to a burgeoning student population, ever transient; sometimes uncivil; occasionally even criminal.

Yes, it’s true that tension between students and “townies” is a problem common to all college towns.  It’s equally true that students bring with them such countervailing qualities as talent, vitality and youthful good will. And, there can be no institutional surrogate for well-developed I-Thou relations among neighbors.  Truisms aside, however, the hard work of establishing and maintaining public order and civility is a task that falls to every successive generation.

As a member of Town Council since 2008, my efforts have been directed toward securing neighborhood “Civility,” rather more than neighborhood “Protection.”   The emphasis on neighborliness remains constant, but I think it effective to focus more on behaviors  than geographic boundaries, enrollment status, residency or property ownership, per se. In other words, I want to cultivate civility among visiting football fans as much as the undergraduates across the street from me.

To this end, Blacksburg Town Council has directed staff to review recommendations and best practices for code enforcement of Over-Occupancy & related issues.  A report out by the Town Manager is slated for August, 2011.

Huckleberry Tale

Here is a letter that came to members of council today; its contents should concern the entire community: Dear Mayor and Members of Council: I attended the Blacksburg Corridor Committee this morning to get anupdate on the planned rerouting of the Huckleberry Trail for the VT airport runway expansion.  Matt Gart, with the Virginia Tech Architect’s ...Read more.

 

What has local government come to?

What has local government come to in Blacksburg?  Well, in my view, each member of council brings something different to the table, but all of us work well together. We have award-winning Town staff in finance, public works, engineering and public safety . . . Three years into economic recession, town taxes remain level . ...Read more.

 

The Real Cost of a New High School

“You only have one chance to get it right,” a parent said to me recently.  I could hear the intensity in his voice and the tightness in his throat. He is a dad, a husband, a fulltime worker, and a community volunteer. He earnestly hopes that his daughter can attend high school in a permanent ...Read more.

 

“Mother, may I?” in the schools

The list of woes presently facing the Montgomery County schools is long enough to fill an entire blog entry, so I’ll just hit the highlights: A collapsed gym in an unsafe high school building which cannot be re-occupied; 2,000 displaced students with all the attendant teaching, transportation and logistical problems; a compelling need for at least ...Read more.

 

Why “Up on the Roof?”

In a few short years, Up on the Roof has grown from a modest proposal to a social phenomenon.  This is the young professionals’ mixer that meets monthly from May through October on the top floor of Kent Square, in downtown Blacksburg. The event is billed as “Blacksburg’s Premier Creative Professional’s Mixer.”  I have to ...Read more.

 

The 411 on North Main

Many people in Blacksburg have expressed concern and surprise at the scope of the road project that will transform North Main Street and create a traffic circle near the terminus of Prices Fork Road. Construction got underway this summer (2010), but planning for the project began more than 10 years ago.  Here is some information ...Read more.

 

Buildings Lost, Nothing Gained

With the tension surrounding the loss of Blacksburg High School and concern for the future of its student body, there is a building & construction story that went largely unremarked this year. That was when the local office of an international company was found to be conducting a major expansion project right on Main Street.  ...Read more.

 

It’s a Fairness Issue

When you or I dine out in Blacksburg we pay 11% in taxes:  Six percent in town meals tax, five in state sales tax. The town meals tax in nearby Christiansburg has just gone up to seven percent, for a total of 12% on every restaurant tab. Both towns charge more than most other localities ...Read more.

 

The Blacksburg Historic District

In the afterglow of celebrating its bicentennial anniversary, the town established a 1999 “Blacksburg Historic Overlay District.” The district consists of the original 1798 plat, formed by the “sixteen squares” that are a defining feature of our town, as well as another 38 acres of surrounding land and properties. The goal was to protect from ...Read more.