Economic Benefits: What are the long-term economic benefits of investing in our greenway system and reopening the campground, and how would you communicate these benefits to constituents who may be skeptical of the costs?

Trails and greenways are often not seen with their full benefits.  People tend to focus only on the recreational aspects of trails and greenways.  The bigger picture of the effects of trails and greenways are often not thought of.  From my research trails and greenways create healthy recreation and transportation opportunities.  Greenways provide people of all ages safe, accessible, and low cost (or in our cases with our greenway no cost) places to walk, bike, or jog.  Some people even use it for forms of safe transportation should you live in the area of the greenway and can get to your workplace.  I think the City takes every opportunity to discuss the benefits of how our greenway promotes health benefits. However, we can always work with the healthcare facilities here in the area to provide brochures on the health benefits of getting out and just getting 30 minutes of exercise each day.  Communities that encourage physical activity and invest in providing these outdoor facilities see a significant effect on public health and wellness.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, which is equivalent to 30 minutes a day, five days a week. If we can continue to encourage people the benefits of investing in our outdoor activities, and the benefits it could have on the economy where people are out making communities safer, supporting social cohesion, reducing air pollution, and benefiting local economies we could have a healthier City.  These things could bring down the cost of health insurance, and limit the trips people have to go to a doctor. Insurance cost is a huge cost to all of our government localities as we provide health insurance benefits to employees.

Community Engagement: How do you plan to engage with environmental groups and local residents to address concerns about expanding the greenway and reopening the Roanoke Mountain Campground? What strategies will you use to ensure transparency and public involvement in the decision-making process?

As with any of these kinds of decision that will have an impact on the communities there needs to be open public discussions.  Let the citizens be involved in research studies, if consultants are hired then there needs to be citizens involved to be part of meetings, discussions, and the planning process.  If I am on the Council, I would recommend that the City adopt a policy of how the community will be engaged and have those community engagement meetings be reported to the City Council before decision are voted on.  Citizens need to have the opportunity to come before the Council and have the time to discuss their concerns in an open and respectful manner.  Let us also remind our communities that when they are involved and participate in outdoor activities with their children they are teaching them how to better their health.  The children will continue to carry these practices into their adulthood. 

Resource Allocation: How would you work with adjoining localities to secure additional resources for the region's outdoor recreation initiatives, including the greenway and campground projects? Can you support increasing the recreation budget to a specific target (e.g., from 2% to 3%)?

As I have mentioned above in the other questions, we need to build collaboration between Roanoke County and the City of Salem.  We need to work with the healthcare facilities in Roanoke to show how having outdoor recreation creates a healthy environment for all of us.  We learned this during the pandemic.  People not being cooped up in their homes helped them stay well.  We can show the localities that people move to areas where they have access to greenways, trails, campgrounds, and water activities.  We can promote to the localities that small businesses can open a business near the greenway where people can walk to and have lunch, dinner, etc.  

I think we need to continue to invest in our Parks and Recreation.  If the City budget can support the increase from 2% to 3% without the City having to raise taxes or cutting our services to our citizens, then yes I could support that.  As I mentioned, we should look at the year-end surplus and see if any of those funds can be shared to provide additional resources for the recreational activities.

I don't have all the answers, but I am committed to finding them with you.  I believe in the power of collaboration and the strength or our collective wisdom.  Together we can tackle the issues that matter most and create a community where everyone can flourish, be successful, and be happy with our lives.  

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Valley Outdoor Infrastructure Committee (VOICe) questions to the candidates for Roanoke City Council.