More than 100 citizens turned out to meet with county officials, visiting various tables to offer their opinions on what Explore Park should become. The Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority will hand over control of the park to Roanoke County once the lease is in place.
“We wanted to do something and do it quick,” said former VRFA chairman Fred Anderson, who was told by the state that it would have been at least 15 years before Explore could have become a state park. In the meantime, said Anderson, it would have been “mothballed and destroyed.”
Jason Peters, who will assume the Vinton District seat on the Board of Supervisors in January (no one is challenging him for the seat now held by the retiring Mike Altizer) said he was excited about the lease agreement: “there’s so much to be done with this property.”
Before attendees split up to visit various information stations, Altizer, the current supervisor’s chairman, asked for “your vision of what you would like to see Explore Park turn in to.” It won’t happen overnight; indeed an initial master plan may take several years to develop and budget constraints in Roanoke County means “small steps,” according to Altizer.
The information gathered last week at the community meeting would be used as a “jumping off point,” said Parks & Rec executive director Doug Blount. A consultant will be employed to help assemble the master plan for Explore Park. Among its goals: “figure out a way to generate revenue,” said Blount. Developing a strong base of volunteers will also be essential and Blount noted that groups have already reached out to him on that subject.
County officials took citizen’s ideas and recorded them on large sheets of paper. Among the suggestions: rustic cabins, keeping the park open year round (that will happen), a mountain bike skills park, more trails and a resurrection of historical programs. “What you had before was world class,” said attendee Bob Peckman of the now-shuttered living history exhibits. Other written comments about that subject however contended that the old Explore Park concept “was never financially viable and probably never could be. [It] doesn’t blend with other recreation.”
Explore Park might be ideal for Boy Scout Jamborees and juried craft shows others suggested. Keeping the park open year round would require access on Rutrough Road, something that concerns some of the residents that live there. A boat access ramp was installed in Explore Park and is accessed from Rutrough now.
Connect Explore Park to the greenway system some implored (already part of the plan). Picnic shelters, campgrounds, a farmer’s market and an Oktoberfest celebration were requested. Some asked that development be kept away from the Roanoke River. Others wanted to see a winery on site or horseback riding.
Acting economic development director Jill Loope called the plan a “state park on steroids,” one that will produce a “signature attraction” capable of luring visitors from outside the Roanoke Valley and from the adjacent Blue Ridge Parkway. Loope is hoping that some federal grant money can be found to help kick start marketing efforts. Small improvements, like picnic tables and better signage for trails already on the property, could be among the first improvements made.
By Gene Marrano
