Look of downtown Strasburg in hands of current residents

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By Preston Knight -- pknight@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- Downtown's future beauty is in the eyes of the current beholders.

Hometown Strasburg Inc. and architects Gay and Neel Inc., of Christiansburg, hosted a public kickoff meeting Tuesday for the downtown enhancement project, which will lead to various aesthetic improvements along King Street from Capon Street to the railroad tracks near the Strasburg Museum. There are no confirmed plans yet, and that was the purpose of the meeting -- to tell community members that now is their chance to offer suggestions.

"Everyone here is going to provide input," said Kevin Conner, the project manager from Gay and Neel. "It's not about me. This is your project."

Federal transportation grants will pay for 80 percent of the enhancement project and the town is responsible for the rest, which can be money or in-kind contributions. Hometown Strasburg, the grant applicant, has received $366,000 in Virginia Department of Transportation grants, with applications for more funding yet to come. The Town Council approved a resolution to pursue more funding Tuesday night, Mayor Tim Taylor said Wednesday.

Gay and Neel's ongoing streetscape for Christiansburg cost around $3 million, and the town has received about $250,000 a year for the last eight to 10 years, Conner said.

"Once you're in the [VDOT] system and you show progress, you keep getting money," he said.

Strasburg's project will remain in the planning stages until about December 2010, and then selecting a contractor for construction will take another three or four months. That could put construction on line to start during the town's 250th anniversary in 2011, but any celebrations will be kept in mind as the streetscape begins, engineering director Trevor Kimzey said.

A survey is available at the town office and will be posted online for residents to give their opinions for what they want downtown's appearance to become. The surveys will be due back by Nov. 20.

The basic framework of King Street is not at stake, Kimzey said.

"It's not a free-for-all," he said.

Rather, sidewalks, trees, parking, crosswalks, street lamps and more are all up for debate. One issue discussed Tuesday was "bump-outs" -- places in the road where the sidewalk juts into the street.

In Christiansburg, a bump-out was created at an intersection where there was "dead space," allowing more room to walk and add trees and benches, Conner said. Another advantage is they shrink the appearance of the road, getting drivers to slow down, he said.

The idea, however, does not always receive high praises from the public. If put in mid-block, bump-outs can take away parking, Conner said. New Market residents, when they attended their own streetscape kickoff meeting last year, were adamantly against them, citing their displeasure with the use of them in Broadway.

"People have strong opinions about these," Kimzey said.

If the same goes for more issues, the enhancement project will be better off, Conner said. Another public meeting will be held after schematic designs are made.

"It's an evolving process," Conner said. "We're not going to get it right the first time."

To see a survey, visit the town office or check www.strasburgva.com.