Transcript for Mary Holliman--Incumbent

1. Please take 3-5 minutes to give an opening statement about your candidacy and your vision for Blacksburg.
I have lived in Blacksburg longer than any of the candidates. I moved here in 1962. When I went to my first council meeting more than 40 years ago, one of first problems was drainage underneath buildings in downtown. I started being interested in what was going on. I would like it to see Blacksburg stay as it was 46 years ago. Some of the best things are still here. I was able to do shopping in Blacksburg. Over the years, I taught at Tech and Radford, worked on campus in various jobs, started Pocahontas Press in 1984 and that made its first profit last year. Over those years I’ve seen a lot of changes, some not what I want to see.

2. There is a tension among the competing values of those who value the unique character of Blacksburg. How do we balance the necessity of smart growth and infill while preserving green and public spaces? What is your general vision for growth, and what specific measures would you champion to manage our Town's future growth?
We have a comprehensive plan that we worked hard to create and to implement. Staff checks the plan to see if agrees. The plan gives the tools that we need. Infill –talking about replacing a rundown building with another that is up to date, either homes or businesses. We have a lot of old buildings in town. Some deserve to be remolded and fixed up, some deserve to be torn down. We can manage growth. Growth doesn’t just mean adding buildings and people. It means adding services. Someone has to pay for everything we do. We have to keep that in mind before we make the plans. I support community block grant funds for community things. One proposal is to improve downtown building facades. The City of Danville negotiated a 20 year lease with owners, fixed up the buildings and rented them at reasonable rates. After 20 years, the owner gets the building back and the city has reinvigorated its downtown.

3. What do you see as the three major problems facing downtown Blacksburg, how would you prioritize them and what specific measures would you champion to help solve these problems?
There are 4 problems:
Empty retail spaces, recycling and trash collections, rundown properties, perception of a parking problem. Sometimes it is hard to find parking spaces, but they are there.

Retail spaces are the top priority. We can recruit business downtown. We can try smaller national chains like LL Bean and Winter Silks that do catalog sales in the area.

I don’t know the answer to glass recycling. Sustainable Blacksburg is working on recycling and we can work with them.

The town has in its new budget 2 full time maintenance workers for downtown and equipment dedicated to downtown to keep sidewalks clean. The housing board will decide if they can use money for downtown facades.

Sidewalks need improving. The farmers market has plans to give us a little park.

Parking had a problem with towing from Progress Street by the rescue squad building. For special events like Steppin’ Out we need arrangements like we do for football games so that visitors to town can find places where they won’t be towed.

4. Council was blindsided by the big box proposal. In response, Ordinance 1450 was passed to require that future commercial buildings in excess of 80,000 sq. ft. receive special review. How can we make sure we don’t get blindsided again? What criteria other than size might be useful in evaluating a proposed development?
Get it in writing. We were blindsided, just plain lied to. Developers said they had to have a decision before they went to a meeting. Any time people say “you have to do it now, we can’t wait” – you should wait. I’ll be less trusting from now on and the rest of the council should be too and the public.

Not just size should be considered, but materials should be considered, the layout of the building, height of structure, number of windows, address storm runoff.

5. There is a process underway to develop the old Blacksburg Middle School site. Can you discuss specifically how this process will ensure the development of the site in accordance with the community’s wishes and reassure a skeptical public that this development will become a proud reflection of Blacksburg’s unique character?
Mr. Lancaster updated council last week. There will be at least 3 public meetings. Advertizing for concept plans –the top 5 plans will be judged – with more public input. There will be community conversations over several months. We need to work with the county and school board. It is not just a council decision. It behooves us to keep aware of the stages and to speak out frequently and loudly and to the county board of supervisors.

6. In these times of economic and racial challenges for large segments of our nation’s population, what do you think the Town and the Council’s roles should be to assure that Blacksburg recognizes and addresses the local manifestation of these national issues and promote and monitor progress toward greater inclusion of members from racially/ ethnically different groups into Town affairs and the broader community?
Economically we are doing a few things. We have qualified for community block development grants for Kabrich, Lee, Prospect streets. All projects now are lived in by long-time residents. We get $50,000 per year for childcare for working families that can’t afford childcare. We contribute to social service agencies – Agency on Aging, Boys and Girls Clubs./We provide funds for economic development programs – small loans to current companies $50,000 or less. These allow a company to expand or develop new products. We support the Chamber of Commerce which is working on developing tourism. We work with Blacksburg Partnership, Business Technology Center at CRC which helps startup companies or expansion for present companies.

Racial problems – I am not personally aware of problems that can’t be addressed in regular social intercourse except young professionals who say there is nobody to date or meet. I don’t know how the town can address that except by welcoming all groups.

Follow-up:
What strategies would you suggest the Town pursue to increase the amounts of affordable housing and public transportation, particularly for those who want to live where they work, and/or who could benefit from easier access to their place of work?
The town is working hard to increase transportation and increase greenways and sidewalks. There is a plan to connect up sidewalks – connect sidewalks on Airport Road so people can walk or bicycle to downtown, school, and campus. The high school civics class asked for this 2 years ago.

Affordable housing – There is a new project on Harding Avenue of 100 homes of various income levels, a child care center and a daycare for older people. Town working hard to provide affordable housing – help with down payment if people qualify for a loan. The cost of the infrastructure is offset by a lien against the property which continues as lien if another community block grant person buys it.

I want to see neighborhood vans, mini-buses, to go into residential neighborhoods – scheduled to downtown or campus. All of the funding for BT is federal funds run through Tech. At this point the plan isn’t viable. Smith’s Landing has BT working out a way to provide bus transit to campus. We should be proud of BT of how well it does and how it serves the community.

Smart growth - Growth means adding housing or businesses to town. Smiths Landing is an example of smart growth and mixed growth. The small hotel downtown will be useful and attractive./An example of poorly planned growth is First & Main. It is not what we thought it would be which was a mix of pedestrian paths, housing, and stores.

7. Given the Town's decreasing net operating revenues and increasing long-term debt, what is your position on the $.01 increase in the meals tax, currently proposed to address Blacksburg’s immediate need for more police officers and additional staff to maintain downtown cleanliness?
I am for it. The meals tax increase just gets Blacksburg up to what Christiansburg and the county already has. It applies to alcohol as well as food, alcohol downtown is the main reason we need more police. Also I am for having Tech pay meals and hotel tax for those services provided on campus. Tech is the only university in state that does not do that. I think legal reasons could be overcome.

8. The new Arts Initiative is often cited as an indication of positive Town/Gown relations. What are the opportunities and obstacles to improving mutual support? What are some ideas you’d like to bring to Town/Gown discussions?
Arts initiative is an example of town-gown cooperation. The original idea of Tech’s Fine Arts Center – we persuaded Tech to move it downtown. The Blackbox Theater, Shanks Hall and parking lot including the art museum, computer technology arts section, restaurants – all will be downtown. There will be a redesign of College Avenue so that it all works in together.

South main traffic –There is a south end traffic committee to look at all issues and changes to campus and the airport. We need a Huckleberry Trail crossing of the drive. Trying to revive the Hubbard St. extension and resolve the problems with Southgate Drive.

9. Recently stakeholders—including citizens, small business owners, and entrepreneurs—have expressed concerns about the responsiveness and transparency of town staff. How can Council address this problem?
That perception isn’t valid. Most of the staff is made of permanent employees and council is not. Staff got promotions when the focus was very different than the current focus. They are following council’s lead. First thing staff does is look at the comprehensive plan. If a proposal seems to fit the plan, they go ahead. Lights on Ramble Road is an example and within a week, the problem was solved. I am sorry when there is a perception of something else, because it is not happening.

10. Which issues will be the focus of your time and energy on Council? If you could only accomplish three things on Council, what might they be and why?
Downtown, neighborhoods, and recreation-Some neighborhoods are cohesive and involved – Miller and Strubles Mill are organized and make their voices heard.

The main thing is recreation. We need an outdoor pool, more ball fields, expanded senior center and a teen center. We can have them all. We need a senior center downtown close to transportation. We could turn the present senior center over to teens. It is near the high school and skateboard park where they like to be.

There are 20 acres available for ball fields, just waiting funding. I would like to see the old middle school property used for civic uses – outdoor pool, have the tennis courts fixed up. Council meetings could meet in that auditorium; police could use a room or two. Some of that property can be used for a rescue squad building. We have funding for buying land for the rescue squad.

11. What skills, experiences and personal characteristics do you possess that would make you a more effective Council member than other contenders in achieving cooperation with the public, with fellow council members, with the business community, and with Virginia Tech?
Probably none. I am older than most of the people so they have to be polite to me. I’ve run my own business and know some of the problems of the business community. I’ve been in town long enough and worked in enough different areas: teacher, sales clerk, babysitter, all of those experiences helped me know what people need and are experiencing. I took care of parents in their last years. Mother was demented and we need to be conscious of that as our community attracts retirees and they don’t stay active and independent. I have rapport with people in those circumstances. I’ve raised a family here, various employment experiences, involved in community affairs for over 40 years.

For Incumbents: (Mary, Paul, Don)

12. How did you vote on the rezoning of First & Main and on the stadium and why did you vote that way?
I was not on council for the First & Main vote. I was on the planning commission and voted yes, reluctantly. We discussed the misgivings and the developer agreed to cut the number of bedrooms, but then had none. I thought we were getting a mixed used project and I was misled.

The stadium was difficult. Everyone running for mayor that year was against it. My objection was there was only one road in and out. The proposal changed, we got second road in. I voted for stadium.

13. Are there votes or other actions that you've taken that you would change? What did you learn from this experience and how will you apply the lessons in the future?
Not sure where I would change my vote now.

Questions from audience

1. At one time downtown had a variety of retail spaces. I could get everything I needed downtown. How could the town make that happen?

Some of the things I have suggested: reducing the feeling of no parking when there is parking. We are trying hard. Town investing in some of the buildings so they are available to people at lower rents. The more stores we get, the more traffic everyone will get.

Expansion of farmer’s market space. A collector’s corner to trade or sell or show it off your collections on days when farmers are not there. Art Association could use it to display their work. Anything to bring people downtown is going to help shopping.

First Wednesdays, use of farmers market. Other than that I don’t know. We have to continue not to reinforce the idea that you can’t buy things downtown.

2. Heritage Park and Cedar Run – natural preservation. What is the role of council and staff to manage and the role of citizens?

The recreation dept. plans are due any time now. A nature center is proposed at Heritage Park. Sustainable Blacksburg or other groups can organize cleanup of the parks or park patrol. We need to keep reminding council and staff that we want a green Blacksburg. Public works dept. all of vehicles will be biodiesel shortly. Working on used oil as a part of it. Citizens need to keep it up and give ideas.

3. Promote small chain businesses - why is that better than locally owned unique businesses?

It would not be better. Locally owned stores would be much better, but a chain would have local clerks and perhaps a local manager. Chain stores would move into building a building that is already here.

4. How would chain stores not make Blacksburg look like every other town?

Back in the 80s we had a business development group. It got people to invest locally – businesses made proposals of business plans. Some of the businesses 30 years ago were chains -- Leggetts, Roses, Sydneys, Hieronomous were all chains. LL bean has customers here.

5. How would you encourage people to fill the empty spots downtown?

Town or investor fixes up building, charge no rent until building is productive – like the Danville model. The new antique store – Business Technology Center got that here. Town puts in $5,000 per year and 20 jobs are created. We need to expand that service.

6. Concern of bicycles lane rather than bike paths. Concern about North Main. It is underused by cars. The bike lanes in San Diego are far superior. Roads weren’t different from North Main except a lot more traffic. Why can’t we have lanes on thoroughfare? Bicycling is a disaster here.

I agree. The corridor committee is working on that. Bicycle lanes are essential. We don’t allow bicycles on sidewalks downtown and we don’t have lanes. You need to go to the corridor committee and make a fuss.

7. What are the limits of downtown?

Prices Fork to old middle school.

8. Where is bike parking downtown?

I haven’t got that passed yet. It is supposed to be in the new parks and recreation plan.

9. Is there parks and recreation territory downtown?

It’s a transportation issue. It is also a cool city issue. If we don’t have safe bicycle lanes, people can’t ride their bicycles. One of the problems with bicycle signs is that they disappear as fast as they appear.

10. People say not there is enough parking and downtown section is not wide enough for bicycles, yet we want more businesses – what is in comp plan so downtown is accessible yet we reduce pollution?

Neighborhood vans. If we could have scheduled service for Wyatt Farms, McBryde, Highland Park, we could get people downtown without their cars and parking their bicycles. We do have parking, but there is no space to add parking unless churches would share their space, but you would need monitors for that. When town moves into Doc Roberts, it will free up some space.

11. Storm water management – First & Main decision. You have faith in your staff that we don’t share. We ask staff on regular occasions and are denied information. How does a citizen get involved other than council when we attempt to get information? These things have happened and they get dismissed.

In 2006 there was a different council and we have to keep pushing until we get it taken care of. I am for following the law and seeing First & Main doesn’t add to the storm water problem. Rules when site plan was approved were different than the rules now. I don’t think we can legally make them comply with something that happened in the past.

12. Should town citizens be allowed to vote on things like First & Main?

It is a good idea, but Virginia has the Dillon Rule. Local government can only do what the state legislature tells them they can do. I don’t know if zoning issues can be put to a referendum or not. Virginia is one of the few that has to follow the Dillon Rule. Corporations are individuals and have the same rights as any individual. You follow the decisions of the court until it is changed.

13. Town staff responds to you, but regular citizens get the run-around or questions are ignored. How can citizen get more information?

They should supply you with same information that they supply us. I am sorry to hear that people are getting the runaround. People are people and may have 15 calls in one day. If you get that treatment, go to a council person and say something and let us be the trouble shooters.

14. Years ago we voted on city status once. Blacksburg is one of the largest towns part of a county in US. When will we feel we can be a city?

I don’t have a firm answer to that. There is no population level. It has to do with economic questions. Brush Mt. and Prices Fork aren’t in Blacksburg, but they consider themselves Blacksburg even if they are not. We have to look at economic issues and need to provide our own schools. We have to provide other services that we now pay the county. Sometimes I feel the county doesn’t recognize we are a part of the county. It might be wiser to have a Montgomery city.