I was just staring at the wall because I honestly cannot believe they actually listened but the town officially made the purchase so the high school site is staying public. My coffee is cold and my brain is still spinning but this is a massive win for everyone who showed …
February 26, 2017
Final supporters
Note: Public Meeting Monday 1/30 at 7:00 pm, 755 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, Multipurpose Room 2: joint public session between the County Board of Supervisors and the School Board
This is a petition from the residents of Montgomery County to the Board of Supervisors. We urge our Supervisors to fulfill their duty in accurately representing their constituents. We, your constituents, oppose the residential development of the old Blacksburg High School property.
We urge instead that the county accepts the Town of Blacksburg's offer to purchase the property to ensure that 1) the recreational facilities of the property are maintained and revived for our residents after the demolition of the building, and 2) the property is preserved for the future elementary school that will be needed as our population increases.
We hold this stance for the following reasons:
- Montgomery County holds a population of 94,392 people (and growing), a thriving university, and claims of being the #1 place to raise children...yet 60% of the population lacks access to our embarrassingly underfunded public recreation facilities. If we are genuine about wanting to bring in and maintain young, bright, professionals and their families, we have to be able to compete with places like Charlottesville and Roanoke in "Quality of Life" indicators, especially recreational and educational facilities. A high quality of life is imperative to effective and equitable economic development in the county.
- Our population is rapidly outgrowing our existing elementary schools. Ironically, by promoting residential development on this property, the county is only increasing the need for another school. When (not if) the county needs school land in the future, they will 1. face huge challenges acquiring property, as our remaining open land dwindles, and 2. face monumental cost, as we did with the new Blacksburg High School, new Blacksburg Middle School, and new Prices Fork projects. We should learn from our very recent history and this time hold the land as an asset for the future school.
- The old Blacksburg High School property already contains the recreational facilities we need for our community (track, softball fields, soccer fields, etc.). It makes very little sense financially for the county to allow a housing developer to build over these assets and gain personal profit, leaving the county and taxpayers to find, purchase, and create identical recreational facilities elsewhere in the county.
- The sale of the property is unlikely to bring in more than the town's offer of $2.75 million, which, in the grand scheme of things, is less than 2% of the county's $150 million budget anyway. Further, the argument that residential development will generate tax revenue is a flawed argument in light of the costs. Typically, residential development costs more than the tax revenue it generates (costs for the county in Blacksburg include social services, courts, health services, and schools).
Our Board of Supervisors are obligated to represent us. Let's ensure that they make the smart choice.
Contact Your County Supervisors:
District A: Annette Perkins.(540) 552-4706 [email protected]
District B: Chris Tuck. (540) 633-2354 [email protected]
District C: Gary Creed. (540) 577-9082 [email protected]
District D: Todd King. (540) 315-2302 [email protected]
District E: Darrell Sheppard. (540) 577-0813 [email protected]
District F: Mary Biggs. (540) 951-2906 [email protected]
District G: April DeMotts. (540) 577-0928 [email protected]
Contact your Town of Blacksburg Council Members:
Mayor Ron Rordam, 540-961-1148, [email protected]
Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, 540-961-0698, [email protected]
Council Member, Susan Anderson, 540-231-8041, [email protected]
Council Member, John Bush, 540-558-8087, [email protected]
Council Member Krishna Chachra, 540-818-6452, [email protected]
Council Member Cecile Newcomb, 540-267-6358 [email protected]
Council Member Michael Sutphin, 540-231-6716, [email protected]
From the county website: "Public meetings are the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Montgomery County Government Center, 755 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg. Closed sessions begin at 6 p.m. if needed. Open sessions begin at 7:15 p.m. Citizens are invited to attend and allowed to speak at each meeting. All regular meetings of the Board of Supervisors are rebroadcast on Montgomery County Comcast and Shentel Channels 190 at 8 a.m. and 9 p.m"
Our Mayor Ron Rordam supports this stance. Please read his commentary here: http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/commentary/rordam-t...
Updates
January 28, 2017
I just blinked and we hit 250 signatures and I am honestly blinking back tears because I really did not think this would catch fire so quickly. My phone has been vibrating non-stop and it feels like everyone in town finally realized that we all actually want the exact same thing for the old high school property.
Reached 250 supporters
January 27, 2017
Reached 100 supporters
January 26, 2017
86 Comments
I went to that high school (before it collapsed) and have lived in this county since the 80s. I'm signing to support the kind of development thinking Blacksburg will appreciate in thirty more years-preservation of community resources as open spaces!
Please accept the Town of Blacksburg's offer to purchase the old Blacksburg High School property. Montgomery County is on its way towards being a place of strip malls and housing/apartment developments. We need more green space. The beauty is what has attracted people and kept them here.
This property should be used for Parcs & Rec purposes. It is currently well used throughout the year, which shows there is a need for it. We already have enough new residential/commercial construction in Blacksburg.
As a young professional settling in Blacksburg, I support retaining this land for recreational and educational purposes as our town grows. This would prioritize smart long term planning over short term gains.
Four of my five daughters WALKED to this high school. When young families look for great towns to move to, they want their children to walk to school. The old BHS will make a wonderful park for all ages in the mean time. And it's a great place for July 4th fireworks!
The Town of Blacksburg's proposed uses for this property are definitely the "highest and best use" for the site, and what better entity to manage this land than the town in which it is located?
I, as many people do, regularly enjoy the use of the only public track, especially as it is right near the existing community center
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I was just staring at the wall because I honestly cannot believe they actually listened but the town officially made the purchase so the high school site is staying public. My coffee is cold and my brain is still spinning but this is a massive win for everyone who showed …
February 26, 2017
Final supporters
Note: Public Meeting Monday 1/30 at 7:00 pm, 755 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, Multipurpose Room 2: joint public session between the County Board of Supervisors and the School Board
This is a petition from the residents of Montgomery County to the Board of Supervisors. We urge our Supervisors to fulfill their duty in accurately representing their constituents. We, your constituents, oppose the residential development of the old Blacksburg High School property.
We urge instead that the county accepts the Town of Blacksburg's offer to purchase the property to ensure that 1) the recreational facilities of the property are maintained and revived for our residents after the demolition of the building, and 2) the property is preserved for the future elementary school that will be needed as our population increases.
We hold this stance for the following reasons:
- Montgomery County holds a population of 94,392 people (and growing), a thriving university, and claims of being the #1 place to raise children...yet 60% of the population lacks access to our embarrassingly underfunded public recreation facilities. If we are genuine about wanting to bring in and maintain young, bright, professionals and their families, we have to be able to compete with places like Charlottesville and Roanoke in "Quality of Life" indicators, especially recreational and educational facilities. A high quality of life is imperative to effective and equitable economic development in the county.
- Our population is rapidly outgrowing our existing elementary schools. Ironically, by promoting residential development on this property, the county is only increasing the need for another school. When (not if) the county needs school land in the future, they will 1. face huge challenges acquiring property, as our remaining open land dwindles, and 2. face monumental cost, as we did with the new Blacksburg High School, new Blacksburg Middle School, and new Prices Fork projects. We should learn from our very recent history and this time hold the land as an asset for the future school.
- The old Blacksburg High School property already contains the recreational facilities we need for our community (track, softball fields, soccer fields, etc.). It makes very little sense financially for the county to allow a housing developer to build over these assets and gain personal profit, leaving the county and taxpayers to find, purchase, and create identical recreational facilities elsewhere in the county.
- The sale of the property is unlikely to bring in more than the town's offer of $2.75 million, which, in the grand scheme of things, is less than 2% of the county's $150 million budget anyway. Further, the argument that residential development will generate tax revenue is a flawed argument in light of the costs. Typically, residential development costs more than the tax revenue it generates (costs for the county in Blacksburg include social services, courts, health services, and schools).
Our Board of Supervisors are obligated to represent us. Let's ensure that they make the smart choice.
Contact Your County Supervisors:
District A: Annette Perkins.(540) 552-4706 [email protected]
District B: Chris Tuck. (540) 633-2354 [email protected]
District C: Gary Creed. (540) 577-9082 [email protected]
District D: Todd King. (540) 315-2302 [email protected]
District E: Darrell Sheppard. (540) 577-0813 [email protected]
District F: Mary Biggs. (540) 951-2906 [email protected]
District G: April DeMotts. (540) 577-0928 [email protected]
Contact your Town of Blacksburg Council Members:
Mayor Ron Rordam, 540-961-1148, [email protected]
Vice Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, 540-961-0698, [email protected]
Council Member, Susan Anderson, 540-231-8041, [email protected]
Council Member, John Bush, 540-558-8087, [email protected]
Council Member Krishna Chachra, 540-818-6452, [email protected]
Council Member Cecile Newcomb, 540-267-6358 [email protected]
Council Member Michael Sutphin, 540-231-6716, [email protected]
From the county website: "Public meetings are the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Montgomery County Government Center, 755 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg. Closed sessions begin at 6 p.m. if needed. Open sessions begin at 7:15 p.m. Citizens are invited to attend and allowed to speak at each meeting. All regular meetings of the Board of Supervisors are rebroadcast on Montgomery County Comcast and Shentel Channels 190 at 8 a.m. and 9 p.m"
Our Mayor Ron Rordam supports this stance. Please read his commentary here: http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/commentary/rordam-t...
Updates
January 28, 2017
I just blinked and we hit 250 signatures and I am honestly blinking back tears because I really did not think this would catch fire so quickly. My phone has been vibrating non-stop and it feels like everyone in town finally realized that we all actually want the exact same thing for the old high school property.
Reached 250 supporters
January 27, 2017
Reached 100 supporters
January 26, 2017
86 Comments
Please keep this as parks and fields for the children of Blacksburg. The Blacksburg Middle School baseball team plays here and they don't have another field to play on. Removing this as an option hurts our youth sports programs in town.
I went to that high school (before it collapsed) and have lived in this county since the 80s. I'm signing to support the kind of development thinking Blacksburg will appreciate in thirty more years-preservation of community resources as open spaces!
Please accept the Town of Blacksburg's offer to purchase the old Blacksburg High School property. Montgomery County is on its way towards being a place of strip malls and housing/apartment developments. We need more green space. The beauty is what has attracted people and kept them here.
This property should be used for Parcs & Rec purposes. It is currently well used throughout the year, which shows there is a need for it. We already have enough new residential/commercial construction in Blacksburg.
As a young professional settling in Blacksburg, I support retaining this land for recreational and educational purposes as our town grows. This would prioritize smart long term planning over short term gains.
Four of my five daughters WALKED to this high school. When young families look for great towns to move to, they want their children to walk to school. The old BHS will make a wonderful park for all ages in the mean time. And it's a great place for July 4th fireworks!
The Town of Blacksburg's proposed uses for this property are definitely the "highest and best use" for the site, and what better entity to manage this land than the town in which it is located?
I, as many people do, regularly enjoy the use of the only public track, especially as it is right near the existing community center
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Please keep this as parks and fields for the children of Blacksburg. The Blacksburg Middle School baseball team plays here and they don't have another field to play on. Removing this as an option hurts our youth sports programs in town.