ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Roanoke County Supervisors met Saturday to consider some of the biggest projects tax dollars will pay for in the coming year. Among those are the Explore Park and the potential for money to be set aside for transportation.
The price tag for the Explore Park has actually dropped down from the original estimate of $10 million to about $6.5 million, but the park is still clearly the county's biggest upcoming capital project. It's already invested $800 thousand in the hope the park will soon be it's biggest tourist destination.
"What we have recommended to the Board of Supervisors in next year's CIP is to invest 4 point 4 million that would cover the additional infrastructure necessary for water and sewer in the park, additional roads, and then renovations to some of the structures on the site to prepare for private use," said Parks and Rec Director Doug Blount.
Blount says the master plan also calls for private companies to invest more than $30 million in the park. He says, they already have some takers.
"We've been able to identify several different companies, both on a local level and national level, that are interested in investing in the park," said Blount.
Supervisors also heard good news Saturday that several road improvement projects, funded by the state, are coming to the area.
"The two most significant ones in terms of dollar value were two projects on Interstate 81, between exits 140 and 141, which would essentially interconnect the ramps, much like the work that VDOT recently completed on 581 in the Valley View area," said Assistant County Administrator Richard Caywood.
But the bad news? Most of the money for road improvements isn't coming to Southwest Virginia.
"We do see a fair amount of the funding being sent to the more urban areas of the state, particularly Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads," said Caywood.
Caywood says to fight for more of a share, the county needs to use taxpayer money.
"If you put money into the project that's from a non-VDOT source, or from a local source, it increases the score that your project gets," said Caywood.
Caywood hasn't yet put a dollar amount on what that contribution might look like in the future. Caywood did say Roanoke County would try to work with other localities like the cities of Roanoke and Salem to put money toward road improvement projects.
As for the Explore Park, Blount says the goal during construction is to complete it in phases, giving visitors something new to enjoy every few years.