National Night Out August 7th and Funeral for The Wicked Witch of Countryside

I found a UTube clip titled "Funeral at Countryside". It gave me the idea to have a ceremony after putting the feed on Tuesday evening. The winner of the naming contest will be announced. The "noname" wicked witch will be present at the ceremony to accept her name/fate. We will then have a procession in full regalia (all wearing our Save Countryside T-Shirts) carrying her with us as we walk the Ranch and Mattaponi gauntlet. We will then stop at the Save Countryside Banner for a moment of silence, stick (name here) into the ground beside the banner wearing the Countryside T-Shirt. Have her pointing at the banner and leave her there to whatever fate may befall her. Oh, the humanity!

Tallyho!

Lining up a birdie putt on the 6th hole

Tallyho!

A Commentary

“Groundbreaking for the nation's newest golf retreat will be conducted Thursday.

Guess where it's happening, folks? How about right here.”

So opens Randy King, sports reporter at The Roanoke Times, in his weekend feature piece on the new Ballyhack Golf Retreat in Roanoke County. For me, the new course sounds like heaven. Any course with the word ball and hack in the name suggest lots of lost golf balls, and I’m one who enjoys hunting for them.

The Ballyhack course, however, will not be built for hacks. It will be a true championship course, one of the best links courses in the country. While links courses were originally developed in Scotland near the seashore, they’ve evolved into a style of course which utilizes open spaces, mounds, uneven fairways, and deep pot bunkers. In other words, the course utilizes the natural lay of the land. Ballyhack will do that, too.

The new course in Roanoke County is being marketed nationally. Only about 60 local memberships are being sought while 200 national members are being hunted. The founders of the course plan to market the course as a business retreat for the high-powered rollers across the country.

Why would someone want to come out to Roanoke to play golf? Randy King suggests the reasons in his article. Corporate business people are searching for places to play that are out of the mainstream, away from the hustle of the big city. Roanoke is attractive because it’s a nestled community far from the reach of unchecked urban sprawl and it’s close to Scottish Highland-like peace. In addition, “A terrific golf course is what makes the draw,” said Roanoke native Jonathan Ireland, [Ballyhack’s] director of golf operations.

Destination: Roanoke.

Reason: Golf.

Travel: Corporate and Commercial Air.

Accommodations: Local Hotel and onsite.

Local Business Impact: Definitely

With a steady stream of high profile golfers migrating to the region to play Ballyhack, these golfers will certainly be looking around for more to do. Perhaps they will visit Mill Mountain. Certainly they’ll eat out at some local fine restaurants. They’ll shop at our city market. Maybe they’ll ride a trolley. Perhaps they’ll visit the new art museum. Very likely, however, these visitors will be looking for places to play more golf. As they arrive in our Magic City, they’ll pass over a wide swatch of green space as they are landing, a golf course. They’ll become curious. They’ll investigate and then invest. If the city favors the wise course of developing Countryside into a fine Municipal golf course (Torrey Pines) and recreation area, our visitors will spend an afternoon on a round of fine golf before they return to their world. Soon, word will spread of a golf-friendly community rich in peace, charm, and golf nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s my vision. That’s what I can see as being possible. None of that can happen if Roanoke City decides to squander its opportunity. Developing the Countryside property as a municipal golf course and recreation facility makes sense from a community, environmental, and business standpoint.

Let’s Talk Recreation

"I would love for us to be able to address a nice recreation center in the Northwest area,” Dowe said. “I'm not sure where in Northwest, but I'd certainly like to see us address that first.”

So begins Mason Adams in his July 22 edition of the Roanoke Times news piece.

I can suggest a place for Mr. Dowe’s recreation center. How about right next to William Fleming High School allowing for easy access to ½ the teenaged population in Roanoke City? How about including golf, swimming, tennis, biking, running, and walking in to the recreation center concept? How about fully utilizing the current space occupied by the Countryside pool, tennis courts and empty space between those and the high school for the recreation center hub? Why not? It just takes a vision and a will.

Having a recreation center next to William Fleming makes perfect sense for the Countryside property, much more sense than a large scale residential, high-density housing, commercial development now being contemplated.

A recreation center operated by city parks and recreation next to the high school will afford the youth of the city access to a wide variety of wholesome pursuits. Combined with open access to all city residents from all age groups, this multigenerational center could become a true anchor for the Northwest and a golden feather in the city’s cap. Why not? It just takes a vision and a will.

Golf and Potential

Golf and Potential

The City of Roanoke wants to eliminate Countryside golf course in order to build some houses and unlock some retail space within the city limits. One of their contentions is that since annexation is currently blocked by the state, the city has little opportunity to grow. I completely disagree with the city’s strategy and plan, but that argument is for another blog. In this one, I’d like to share what I see as a great, untapped potential that’s waiting to be unlocked, Countryside Golf Course.

I believe that Countryside could serve two great purposes as a golf facility. It could provide the citizens of Roanoke affordable access to a top-flight golf course, and it could provide Roanoke City an extremely high quality and accessible destination for travelers.

In order to understand its potential as a destination, I believe you have to appreciate fully what Countryside once was. When the course was first designed and built in 1967 by Ellis Maples, it was a championship course with many distinguishing features.

The course was defined by water. Lakes or streams impacted play on nine of the eighteen holes. The second, sixth, seventh, and sixteenth holes all had lakes that directly impacted play. In addition, Ike’s Creek meandered through many holes on the front nine. Almost forgotten these days was a small stream that flowed from Ranch Road near the twelfth green across Mattiponi and below the tenth tee box. Taken as a package, Countryside boasted more hazard water than any other course in the area.

Unfortunately over time, many of these water features have been altered or completely erased. The pond next to the second green has slowly filled with silt to the point that it is now a mud flat, instead of picturesquely framing one of the most tempting holes on the course. The lake that guarded the sixth green and stretched to foot the seventh tee was filled in. The resulting affect was to make the sixth hole a lot less challenging. The small seasonal stream on the tenth and twelfth holes was rerouted through drainage pipes under the fairways.

In addition to water features, Maples was a master at utilizing the fairway bunker in his designs. Some of those original bunks survive in the course to this day. The classic bunker twins on the twelfth fairway are typical of Maples’ design. His bunkers were all beautifully shaped and positioned like spider webs in a garden. Over the years, many of the bunkers have been filled in.

Various other changes have happened to Countryside over the years. Most notably was the removal of key trees on the seventh and fourteenth holes. Also, the third hole was radically altered when Frontage Road was extended to Hershberger Road. The tee box was shifted and the hole was effectively shortened as a result.

I believe that if Countryside can be restored to near its original design, it can become an attractive stop for golf tourists and business travelers. With the airport nearby and many outstanding hotels within just a couple of miles, Countryside is poised to be a destination that can demand premium fees. Since Countryside is owned by the city, it would also offer the city the great opportunity to allow its citizens affordable access to the course. There is no doubt that Countryside as a golf facility, with people talking about its impending closure and with the course not being fully maintained, is still attracting huge crowds of golfers and making money.

I know this much, if Countryside is razed in favor of development, it can never easily unpaved. So much that was and could be would be lost forever in favor of ill-conceived and thoughtless notions, but that’s a blog for another day.

Green Trails vs Paving Trials

Green Trails vs Paving Trials

Countryside is a very special piece of property. As a child, I remember the old farmhouse located in the tall oak trees next to what is now Ranch Road. Behind the farmhouse, there was rolling pastureland extending all the way to Woodrum Field and small streams bubbling from springs near what is now Laurel Ridge Road.

When the golf course was opened in 1967, much of the original openness and integrity of the land remained intact. Ellis Maples, course designer, worked with the natural lay of the land to craft his beautiful course.

When the City of Roanoke bought the 127-acre Countryside tract, it bought one of the largest if not the largest piece of green space within the city. Now, that green space is threatened. Within that space are an amazingly diverse animal and plant population. I personally have stopped to watch deer, red foxes, and gray foxes slinking around the course. A variety of snakes, lizards, and frogs abound. All kinds of birds can be found, most notably red-tailed hawks and the scissor-tailed flycatcher. This bird is fascinating to watch with its abnormally long tail.

I fully understand the city’s belief that the land should be developed; however, I believe that in a valley where air pollution is an increasing problem, where water quality is always a concern, where increased pavement has caused storm water drainage problems; the Countryside tract should be preserved as a largely open space. I would like to see it kept as a golf course.

Since 1995 the Roanoke Valley has been involved in developing greenways across the valley. Much progress has been made. While not addressed in the conceptual plan directly, I believe that Countryside and especially the Frontage Road area offer some unique opportunities for greenway development. I envision a network of roadside bike and walking paths winding through the existing road network. Utilizing Frontage Road, a fitness trail could easily be laid out between Hershberger and Peter’s Creek Roads.

As the property stands now, people are already using the network of roads as running trails. What’s lacking now is a safety factor. Dedicated lanes would add a degree of safety.

A low environmental impact series of trails utilizing the existing road network would go far to providing a much needed recreation outlet. Preserving the existing green spaces in and around Countryside may be a difficult concept for some to consider, but I believe that it is vital to helping preserve the overall health and beauty of our valley, our home.

A Place to Gather

This is part two of a blogoseries that looks at my views of how the Countryside property in Roanoke City should be developed. These are strictly my views and not those of any organization; however, if any organization would like to use any of these ideas in efforts to save the Countryside parcel from hideous development, you certainly have my wholehearted permission.

A Place to Gather

Abingdon already has it. Roanoke County is catching on. What is it? It is a community/recreation center. In many circles, such facilities are called multi-generational centers. Such a center would be an excellent fit for the Countryside property both esthetically and functionally.

Creating a community/recreation center would go hand-in-hand with the revitalization of the aquatics and tennis facility. The site of the old pool, club house, and tennis structure would be an excellent location for this new structure. It could even expand down to the corner of Ferncliff Ave. across from the new William Fleming High School.

Recently, the Roanoke Valley YMCA has greatly expanded its indoor recreation facilities in the valley. The new Kirk family YMCA is an excellent resource for the community. The same holds true for the new Salem YMCA. Each of these has managed to intertwine exercise rooms, pools, meeting rooms, child watch rooms, gymnasium, and walking track inside a physical plant that carries a relatively small footprint. The land space between the existing first fairway and club parking lot at Countryside is ideal for a similar facility.

The Salem and Downtown YMCA’s have proven that there is a true need for such facilities in the valley. Each center is heavily utilized by the public. Yet there is no such facility anywhere in the northwest city quadrant.

Having a community/recreation facility across the street from William Fleming will offer lots of positive, supervised opportunities for youth. That alone should be reason enough to develop this center at that location. Programs could be developed to attract all ages of participants making this center truly an anchor for the community.

A smartly planned community/recreation center need not compromise the integrity of the surrounding neighborhoods. In fact, it may be viewed as a positive, low impact development of property that has been long neglected. Couple that with the fact that the neighboring community would be able to access the buildings for community meetings of clubs and civic organizations.

Roanoke City, able to boast of such a facility along with the tract revitalizations and low-impact development suggested here, would be well-positioned to attract businesses and home buyers into the city core. It simply makes logical sense. It simply would be a wise investment in human capital.

Learn to Swim

Learn to Swim

Swimming is one of the finest forms of exercise and one of the greatest means to build character. A friend of mine once said, “Swimming builds good citizens.” I have found that to be true. Also, swimming is one of the few recreational activities that can be pursued by young and old alike. A swimming facility is an excellent investment and is one way I would like to see Countryside used.

In March of 2007, an update to the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Master Plan was presented to the city. In the presentation, key issues relating to parks and recreation were highlighted. One of the issues brought forth was the need for a regional competition swim facility.

Currently, the city operates two community swim pools, Washington Park and Fallon Park. Both pools are fine facilities and serve the local communities very well. However, neither pool is designed with the broader goal of hosting local swim teams or regional swim competitions.

Right now in the Roanoke Valley, competitive swimming is becoming extremely popular. The valley is home to four year round competitive swim teams (Gators, Marlins, Salem Y, and Roanoke Y). The Gators and Marlins have well established programs that routinely train national caliber swimmers. Many of their alumni go on to attain full scholarships to universities all over America.

Within the past five years, high school swim teams have sprung up all across the valley. Patrick Henry and Cave Spring have long had successful programs, but they have recently been joined by Hidden Valley, Salem, Northside, William Byrd, Lord Botetourt, and William Fleming. These programs are all growing and becoming more and more successful on a regional and state level each year. Patrick Henry had excellent success at the state swim meet this year as did Hidden Valley.

The city also operates a “learn to swim” program through the elementary schools. Several weeks a year, students are bused to the Gator Aquatic Center for basic water safety lessons.

With all of this aquatic activity going on around the valley, the one thing that all of the programs need the most is the one thing that is in very short supply, a competition indoor and outdoor swimming facility. Right now, year round and high school teams have limited options for practice. They can rent the Gator Aquatic Center, The Carter Center at North Cross, The Kirk Family Y, The Salem Y, or Hollins University. With such large year round teams using the Carter Center and the Gator Center, the drain of the facilities is extreme. In addition, renting space is costly and inconvenient.

Soon after Countryside opened in the late 1960’s, the club finished a truly remarkable swimming pool. The original pool was the only 50 meter 8 lane competition pool in the region. Later, an inflatable bubble was designed to cover 25 meters of the pool in the winter. Countryside truly had a most amazing facility.

Perhaps it was a facility ahead of its time. It was built before the Gators and Marlins were in existence. The pool was ready to serve the community before there were any competitive high school teams. Times have changed. Swimming has exploded in popularity. The time for such a facility has come, and it would fit in perfectly with my vision for Countryside.

Coomes Recreation Center in Abingdon, VA

The new pool facility at Countryside should be a competitive 50 meter 8 lane outdoor pool coupled with an 8 lane 25 meter pool inside the community center/recreation facility next door. It could be built on the existing location of the original pool and clubhouse. The outdoor pool could be used by the community in the summer months. It could support a community swim team in the RVAA. The outdoor pool could support long course meets in the region for youth year round swimmers. Currently, such long course pools are rare. Abingdon, VA has one, and it hosts a huge outdoor competitive swim meet each summer for the tri-cities area. Competitive master’s swimmers could host regional meets, too.

An indoor pool would be an excellent benefit to the entire community and surrounding neighborhoods. The Salem YMCA’s new indoor pool is an excellent facility from which to model. It has a lap pool and a recreation pool joining a central bathhouse. Both pool segments receive heavy use. The “learn to swim” program could be regionalized with part of the city students going to the Gator Center and part coming to the Countryside pool. William Fleming’s swim team would have a place to practice and that program would then have the opportunity to grow as Patrick Henry’s has grown. All citizens of all ages would have the opportunity to utilize the pool for recreation and exercise purposes.

A well-rounded swim facility at Countryside makes such logical sense to me. While there has been some talk that Roanoke County will add a competition pool to their plans for a multi-generational recreation facility at Valley Pointe, there is still no strong support, yet alone whispers of consensus for that idea on the County Board of Supervisors. That paves the way for such a facility to be built at Countryside.

I have heard children here in Roanoke express to me that “there’s nothing to do around here.” Now I don’t buy in to that notion completely; however, I do feel that there is some validity to those claims. Developing Countryside as an attractive place for teens as well as older citizens to spend in productive pursuits will serve the community at large well. Teens that are occupied with wholesome activities are less likely to become involved in less wholesome activities. Also, a facility that caters to and cherishes all citizens will become a community focal point, a place where all generations can meet, learn, and grow. Countryside could become that stabilizing force in the community.

The Coomes Recreation Center in Abingdon offers the residents of that community the kind of services that a revitalized Countryside could offer. Developing Countryside as a fine golf destination, a regional swim complex, a regional tennis center, a cherished green space rich with walking and biking trails, and a community meeting and recreation center would be a fine investment for the future, both for monetary return and quality of Roanoke City citizens’ lives..

Next time, I’ll address the community center…but before I go, here’s a blast from the past.

Wading In To the Debate

Wading In To the Debate

For those of you from across the world who read this blog, I want to apologize in advance for the series of entries that you will read in the upcoming days. I have been absorbed into a community issue in my hometown that excites and frustrates me all at once.

As you may have read in these virtual pages, there is a golf course in Roanoke, Virginia named Countryside. It’s very special to me because I was seven years old when it was first opened, and I grew up on the course and at the club. Happenstance moved me away from the Roanoke area for twenty years and happenstance moved me back in to town. When my wife and kids resettled in Roanoke, we found ourselves only a mile away from the golf course.

In Roanoke, a mile sometimes might just as well be a hundred miles. My home is located in Roanoke County while Countryside is located barely within the Roanoke City boundary. This means that whenever in the past I have tried to weigh in on important issues in Roanoke City that affect people all across the Roanoke Valley, I’m ignored or told to butt out by officials.

At the end of the year, Countryside golf course, which was bought by Roanoke City two years ago, will be closed and the city plans to build high density housing as well as retail spaces in the open green spaces now used by the course. I’m extremely upset about this move mainly because I know that once green spaces are developed, they can’t easily be undeveloped. Countryside offers the largest expanse of green space left in the city. If they get their way, that space will be gone forever.

I feel I have the right to speak out on the issue because I care deeply about my hometown. Artificial boundaries don’t throw up a wall against my feelings. Imagine how residents of the city might feel if the county decided to allow development of wind farms on the lovely mountaintops that ring our beautiful valley? I suspect they would have a strong opinions about that. The same goes for my feelings about Countryside.

Rather than get in to all of the reasons why I dislike the city’s development plans. I would instead like to write clearly about what my vision is for Countryside. First and foremost, I believe Countryside should remain a golfing community. I believe the original Olympic-sized swim pool should be rebuilt. I believe the tennis facility should be rebuilt and expanded. I believe the original clubhouse should be rebuilt and made in to a community center for local residents and community groups. I believe the city should develop a network of bike and walking paths around the course. I believe play space should be set aside for children. If all of these things were accomplished, Countryside could be marketed to city residents as a facility for the citizens, a place to safely gather to socialize and build stronger community bonds.

In my next entry on this topic, I plan to begin looking at each individual component of my vision for Countryside. I’ll be starting with the swimming facility.