Welcome to Roanoke Valley Field Notes, a collection of news and miscellaneous notes from the past week in the valley and a look ahead at what’s happening next week. Here’s my latest edition if you missed it.
In the past week, the city told residents not to follow in the footsteps of a man who scaled the Mill Mountain Star last Thursday morning — which he had permission from the city to do.
Also, the city wrapped up a study on parking, and was advised by a consultant to prioritize patrons and visitors when considering changes to parking.
As always, email me at samantha@cardinalnews.org to share your thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns.
Not just anyone can scale Star, city says
Those near the Mill Mountain Star on the morning of July 30 may have spotted a man scaling the structure, with a film crew watching closely.
It was Chad Heddleston, a local professional climber and filmmaker.
Heddleston climbed Roanoke’s star as part of a film he’s producing. The release did not include any details on that film.
The city, in a press release Monday, urged residents not to follow in Heddleston’s footsteps. The star is not open for recreational climbing, but an exception was made due to Heddleston’s experience.
”Heddleston’s extensive experience as a climber and filmmaker makes him uniquely suited to safely climb the Star while promoting Roanoke as a premier outdoor adventure destination,” Roanoke’s economic director, Marc Nelson, said in the release.
Heddleston will be a guest on Alex Honnold’s podcast, Climbing Gold, scheduled for Aug. 21, according to the city’s press release. Honnold is the only human who has ever free soloed — climbed without assistance of a rope or other climbers — Yosemite’s El Capitan, a 3,000-foot rock monolith, according to Honnold’s website.
The city’s release did not include any details on the film Heddleston is producing.
Roanoke leaders must now make choices after parking recommendations offered
The city of Roanoke wrapped up a yearlong review of its parking situations in the downtown and River’s Edge districts, and infrastructure consulting firm, Fishbeck, is recommending potential changes.
The study involved on-site observations, an online survey and parking occupancy counts, John Forester, principal at Fishbeck, said during a briefing at Monday’s city council meeting.
Forester said 71% of people who park in the city are visitors or customers, rather than residents or employees.
The role of municipal parking, Forester said, is to support economic development. The city isn’t required to provide all parking for the community, he said. Private parking companies are encouraged to supplement the city’s parking options.The city has 65 acres of land downtown dedicated to parking and roadways.
A total of 25% of people who work downtown park on-street instead of garages, and 65% of employees don’t have any kind of parking permit, Forester said.
The study also found that most people say the one-hour time limit on some free street spaces is not adequate.
One option presented was to scrap all free street parking altogether, replacing free parking with paid meters to encourage quicker turnover of spots.
Another option is to maximize free parking with longer time limits, which could create potential revenue shortfalls and increase competition for spots, Forester said.
A third option involves allowing free on-street parking with longer time limits and slight changes — such as increasing enforcement and eliminating the warning tickets for first-time violators — in hopes of freeing up more parking for the city’s visitors and shoppers.
At River’s Edge, Forester said, there is a shortage of parking during peak recreation hours, but he cautioned against increasing infrastructure for a short number of peak hours.
Forester said that the city is in the process of hiring a parking manager position.
The council was not asked to take any steps on Monday, and Forester said that any changes made will be a monthslong process. The city also held a public forum at the Berglund Center on Monday night to share recommendations and findings.
Roanoke and Roanoke County police to use grant money for different needs
Virginia’s U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, on Tuesday, announced over $1.7 million in federal funding through the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which was distributed throughout the state.
The program funds law enforcement personnel, equipment, training, forensic tools, information systems and other public safety needs, according to a press release.
The Roanoke Police Department will receive over $65,000 to purchase equipment that will “improve real-time intelligence sharing” between the Roanoke Operations and Crime Control Center and officers in the field.
The Roanoke County Police Department will receive about $25,700 to modernize its patrol rifles with “advanced optical and lighting systems.”
Other departments in Southwest and Southside Virginia that received funding include Danville, Henry County, Campbell County and Montgomery County.
Meetings next week:
Salem City Council will meet on Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m. for a regular session. Agenda items will be posted here.
In case you missed it:
First-time candidates Moore and Clawson top Roanoke City Council Democratic primary
