COLLEGIATETIMES
June 5, 2008
what’s inside News.............2 Features ........3 0pinions........5 Sports ...........7 Classifieds ...11 Sudoku........11 105th year issue 61 blacksburg, va.
Huckleberry Trail to change TRAIL TO POSSIBLY EXTEND FROM 460 BYPASS TO HETHWOOD APARTMENT COMPLEX ON BLACKSBURG END AND FROM NEW RIVER VALLEY MALL TO DOWNTOWN IN CHRISTIANSBURG GABRIEL MCVEY
ct staff writer Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Director Dean Crane calls it a “linear park” connecting “islands of green space.” Whether you would rather walk, run or bike, Montgomery County’s Huckleberry Trail cuts a picturesque path from the public library in downtown Blacksburg to the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg. The total distance between the two is 5.76 miles and the path is marked every half mile . The trail links green spaces in both towns and Montgomery County and sees foot and bicycle traffic in all seasons for recreation, sightseeing and exercise. Built in part along disused railroad tracks, the Huckleberry Trail was set up in the ‘90s as a way to link several county and municipal parks and connect Blacksburg and Christiansburg with a foot- and bicycle-friendly path. The trail also connects to several notable historical sites such as Merrimac Mine and the Mile-Long Tunnel. As Blacksburg grows, however, changes are coming that will affect the trail. This popular place for residents to run, jog, bicycle or commute between Blacksburg and Christiansburg will undergo construction on both ends. Friends of the Huckleberry is a local nonprofit that advocates for
the trail. Friends uses local contributions as matching funds for state and federal grants to make repairs, upgrades and additions to the trail. The organization is now planning an extension from the trail’s intersection with the US 460 bypass to the Hethwood apartment complex that would allow an alternate bicycle and foot commuter route from Hethwood to Virginia Tech’s campus. The trail spur begins at a gravel road where the current Huckleberry Trail passes under US 460. There, the trail turns south and heads toward Christiansburg. The spur will loop north through some of Tech’s research facilities to the east side of Stroubles Creek, eventually ending in Hethwood. Half of the funds raised for
“When the students are back, I’d like to see some groups like the Sierra Club get involved in this.” - PAUL SMEAL CORRIDOR COMMITTEE MEMBER the addition went to Blacksburg engineering firm Andersen & Associates, which is designing the trail. The other half will go toward construction. Andersen & Associates is the same engineering firm involved in the controversial 1st and Main development project on Blacksburg’s South
Rolls-Royce to partner with Tech
Main Street. Friends also wants the Huckleberry to eventually connect to Blacksburg’s Gateway Trail into the national forest, as far as Pandapas Pond — a popular destination for bicyclists, according to plans. On the Christiansburg end, plans are in motion to extend the trail from the New River Valley Mall over Route 114 to downtown Christiansburg, and off-grade crossing (a bridge or underpass tunnel) will be built to safely cross 114. A further change coming to the Huckleberry Trail has some supporters and residents feeling uneasy. The Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport plans to extend its runway, which at present ends at Tech Center Drive near some dairy sciences facilities and a power substation. Because of FAA safety regulations, these buildings will have to be moved, along with the Huckleberry Trail. “I don’t understand why we need to move these buildings for this dinky little airport while in Roanoke the planes shake the buildings of the shopping center they fly over taking off and landing,” said Blacksburg Corridor Committee member Paul Smeal. The Blacksburg Corridor
KYLE EDWARDS
ct staff writer Rolls-Royce has committed to build a new manufacturing facility in Prince George’s County in collaboration between Virginia, Rolls-Royce, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The initiative developed the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing and the
see FUNDS, page two
Downtown Blacksburg Virginia Tech Campus
Montgomery County Public Library
Hethwood
Virginia Tech Airport
The Huckleberry Trail Planning Phase Construction Phase Design Phase Current Huckleberry Trail
Montgomery Regional Hospital
New River Valley Mall
KELLY JAMIESON/COLLEGIATE TIMES
Above is a diagram containing some of the proposed changes. Plans
see TRAIL, page two adapted from huckleberrytrail.org
Tech plans to reduce emissions JOANNE SNOW
ct staff writer Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems. Both centers will have a director who will work as a liaison between Rolls-Royce, UVa and Tech. Rolls-Royce’s commitments to Virginia Tech include three endowed chairs of $1 million each, $2 million in funds for lab renovations and support for graduate students and international
Connection to National Forest Trail Network
President Charles Steger and Virginia Tech have recently announced a plan to reduce campus global warming emissions. Student environmental groups have twice called for Steger to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. These commitments are focused on getting colleges around the country more involved in reducing their levels of carbon. Steger did not sign
these agreements. However, Tech, as Steger recently stated, will soon be on its way to developing its very own campus sustainability plan. A board for the overall planning and designing, within the Energy and Sustainability committee, has been formed. It is chaired by John Randolph, professor and director of the School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. “There is no silver bullet,” Randolph said. “Not one thing that will move us toward a sustainable campus.” He
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said the university needs to focus on three things. First, “the campus physical facilities including buildings, steam plant, chiller systems ... There are huge opportunities for efficiency improvements that will reduce emissions and save money that can be invested in further improvements,” Randolph said. Second, “The academic programs: especially instruction, curriculum, research and outreach,” Randolph said. And third, “Campus and
see CLIMATE, page two