grccl_newsletter 2011-05

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May 2011 The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League www.grccl.org Raleigh Court — A HistorICAL NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKING FORWARD Inside This Issue President’s Message .................................................... 3 Planning Commission, Why It’s Important ................. 4 Of Art and Bicycles ................................................... 5 Growing Pains .......................................................... 5 Raleigh Court History ............................................... 6 Coummunity Bulletin Board ..................................... 6 Things You Need to Know ....................................... 10 Calendar ................................................................ 10 —continued on page 7 May Meeting Announcement Want to go on a “staycation” this summer? …Looking for something cool to do with the kids on a hot day or wondering about how to entertain out-of-town guests? Try visiting one of our local museums. David Mickenburg, Executive Director of the Taubman Museum of Art, and Jeanne Bollendorf, Executive Director of the History Museum of Western Virginia and the O. Winston Link Museum, will both be speaking at our next meeting. Join us at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 12 for an interesting program. Remember our new location…Raleigh Court Child Development Center (formerly Raleigh Court Elementary School) off Grandin Road. Hope to see you there! By Christina Nifong Last spring, Wasena Elementary School had a big, sloping lawn that people mostly walked by on their way to somewhere else. Today, the hill and the grass look the same, but beyond the bend of a sidewalk, toward the back of the school, is something that makes you stop and look: eight wooden squares, filled with dirt and flecked with leaves and stalks and sprouts… the Wasena Seedlings School Garden. A year ago, a group of Wasena students and parents broke ground, fitted frames and sowed seeds. My husband Scott Murphy and I, parents of a first grader, took the lead in this project. This spring we doubled our beds and planted lettuce, arugula, spinach, strawberries, carrots, radishes, potatoes, beans, marigolds, basil and tomatoes. We harvested spring onions put in last fall, and tripled the number of kids who call themselves Seedlings. It’s still a small operation. We meet for seven Saturdays from March to June. Parents and siblings often join in the fun. All bring gloves and tools and share seeds from their gardens or the store. Everybody works hard. Finding those wriggly worms is the best….or maybe spying tiny sprouts as they poke through the soil. …or maybe taking home an onion straight from the ground, dirt clinging to it. “My favorite part,” says fourth-grader Mackenzie Gilliam, “is making the beds and planting. I like how we all work together. We help each other put the dirt down and the seeds.” SCHOOL GARDENS BLOOM Wasena’s is not the City’s only school garden. Other schools have started gardens. Fishburn Park and Garden City elementary schools have put in gardens in the last year. Patrick Henry High School has Watching School Gardens Grow long had a greenhouse used by its special education students. Last spring, for the first time, they planted tomato, cucumber, radish and squash seedlings outside the greenhouse. Still in the planning stages is an ambitious garden program for the middle schools. Called Food for Thought, the project is a partnership of the school system, the city, and the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation. Also, since fall 2009, six city schools have had much of their cafeteria waste picked up by a local company and composted. At Fishburn Park, the compost comes back to the school for use in its garden. Fishburn Park Elementary, with its environmental focus, has the largest gardening program in the City schools. There, each grade has its own raised bed, each with a theme to guide its plantings. Parent volunteer Scott Murphy and daughter, 1 st grader Fiona Murphy, dig Wasena Elementary’s grass to make room for a garden bed.

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Page 1: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

May 2011

The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League www.grccl.org

Raleigh Court — A HistorICAL NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKING FORWARD

Inside This IssuePresident’s Message .................................................... 3Planning Commission, Why It’s Important ................. 4Of Art and Bicycles ................................................... 5Growing Pains .......................................................... 5Raleigh Court History ............................................... 6Coummunity Bulletin Board ..................................... 6Things You Need to Know ....................................... 10Calendar ................................................................ 10

—continued on page 7

May Meeting AnnouncementWant to go on a “staycation” this summer? …Looking for something cool to do with the kids on a hot day or wondering about how to entertain out-of-town guests? Try visiting one of our local museums. David Mickenburg, Executive Director of the Taubman Museum of Art, and Jeanne Bollendorf, Executive Director of the History Museum of Western Virginia and the O. Winston Link Museum, will both be speaking at our next meeting. Join us at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 12 for an interesting program. Remember our new location…Raleigh Court Child Development Center (formerly Raleigh Court Elementary School) off Grandin Road. Hope to see you there!

By Christina Nifong

Last spring, Wasena Elementary School had a big, sloping lawn that people mostly walked by on their way to somewhere else. Today, the hill and the grass look the same, but beyond the bend of a sidewalk, toward the back of the school, is something that makes you stop and look: eight wooden squares, filled with dirt and flecked with leaves and stalks and sprouts… the Wasena Seedlings School Garden.

A year ago, a group of Wasena students and parents broke ground, fitted frames and sowed seeds. My husband Scott Murphy and I, parents of a first grader, took the lead in this project. This spring we doubled our beds and planted lettuce, arugula, spinach, strawberries, carrots, radishes, potatoes, beans, marigolds, basil and tomatoes. We harvested spring onions put in last fall, and tripled the number of kids who call themselves Seedlings.

It’s still a small operation. We meet for seven Saturdays from March to June. Parents and siblings often join in the fun. All bring gloves and tools and share seeds from their gardens or the store. Everybody works hard. Finding those wriggly worms is the best….or maybe spying tiny sprouts as they poke through the soil. …or maybe taking home an onion straight from the ground, dirt clinging to it. “My favorite part,” says fourth-grader Mackenzie Gilliam, “is making the beds and planting. I like how we all work together. We help each other put the dirt down and the seeds.”

SCHOOL GARDENS BLOOMWasena’s is not the City’s only school garden. Other schools have started gardens. Fishburn Park and Garden City elementary schools have put in gardens in the last year. Patrick Henry High School has

Watching School Gardens Grow long had a greenhouse used by its special education students. Last spring, for the first time, they planted tomato, cucumber, radish and squash seedlings outside the greenhouse.

Still in the planning stages is an ambitious garden program for the middle schools. Called Food for Thought, the project is a partnership of the school system, the city, and the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation. Also, since fall 2009, six city schools have had much of their cafeteria waste picked up by a local company and composted.

At Fishburn Park, the compost comes back to the school for use in its garden. Fishburn Park Elementary, with its environmental focus, has the largest gardening program in the City schools. There, each grade has its own raised bed, each with a theme to guide its plantings.

Parent volunteer Scott Murphy and daughter, 1st grader Fiona Murphy, dig Wasena Elementary’s grass to make

room for a garden bed.

Page 2: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

page 2

Greater Raleigh Court Civic League Officers 2010-2011OFFICERSPresident: Chad [email protected]

Vice-President: Vacant

Treasurer: Ruth [email protected]

Recording Secretary: Keith [email protected]

Corresponding Secretary: Cassandra Van [email protected]

Directors at Large: Greg [email protected]

Melissa [email protected]

Jake [email protected]

Matt [email protected]

Martha [email protected]

Immediate Past President:Susan [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS:Membership: Greg Brock

Adopt-a-Highway:Kurt [email protected]

Brook [email protected]

Neighborhood Affairs Committee: Vacant

Program:Melissa MorganMary Dykstra

Dawn [email protected]

Newsletter: Ellen [email protected]

Special Projects: Tony [email protected]

Greenways:Mike [email protected]

Building Management: Bobby [email protected]

Grandin Road Merchants Liaison: Kurt Navratil

Web & Social Media: Jake Gilmer

The Court Reporter is published by the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League fives times a year on or about the first week of September, November, January, March, and May.

Green Up Lawns & Landscapes

389-2208www.guysinpurple.com

Page 3: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

back to the original question: once they’re on the path to success, how well are Roanoke City Public Schools doing in keeping them there? RCPS has its own difficulties with budget cuts, and this pressure doesn’t look to abate anytime soon. Schools have to do more with less. Fewer teachers. More students in classrooms. Are students getting the education they need in our schools?

Honestly, my answer to a lot of these questions is a blank look and a shoulder shrug. I just don’t know. I’d like to think the recent shift in school starting times, the re-drawing of attendance zones, the emphasis on successful athletic programs, and a multitude of other measures in recent years are making a difference.

I have a daughter in kindergarten at Grandin Court Elementary, and another in one of our neighborhood’s private pre-schools. Like many of you, I’m very interested in getting answers to these questions. The answers don’t just affect those with children. The health of our neighborhood is at stake.

To that end, the Civic League will host RCPS Superintendent Rita Bishop and School Board Chairman David Carson at our November meeting. Please mark November 10 on your calendars for this important conversation. In advance, we’ll do some digging and questioning of our own, and publish what we find here. We’ve identified this as one of the important topics on which we’ll focus in the coming year. I’d like to hear from you as well. How are the schools doing? Are they serving your children adequately? Where can they improve? I look forward to the conversation. See you around the neighborhood.

page 3

Few things are as important to the vitality of a neighborhood as the health of its schools. Most folks understand this on some level. As any real estate agent will tell you, the first question a prospective homebuyer often asks is, “How are the schools in the area?” Roanoke and Raleigh Court are no different. In the past few years, we’ve seen our share of upheaval, whether caused by fiscal woes, aging infrastructure, or just the struggle for

constant improvement. So how are we doing? What is the state of our schools? More on that in a moment.

While it’s easy to grasp the importance of primary and secondary education, the role of early childhood development is often less emphasized. This is a mistake, as the years before a child hits kindergarten are irreplaceable. Recent studies show that 90% of a child’s physical brain development occurs before the sixth birthday. And how are we doing in this area? There’s good news and bad.

The good: while Virginia has long lagged behind other states in support of early childhood development, our leaders in Richmond have taken some steps forward. Virginia’s Star Quality Initiative is a new attempt to provide ratings for pre-schools. Facilities can earn one to five stars, arming prospective paying clients (i.e. parents) with crucial information about which pre-school to attend or which to avoid. The state-funded program also pays for mentors to advise pre-school staffs on ways to improve their programs, and, by extension, their star rating. It’s a strategy that our neighbors in North Carolina and other states adopted decades ago, but, hey…better late than never.

The bad: as with many things, budget cuts threaten to undo progress. Funding for Head Start programs is on the chopping block, but it would be wrongheaded to use early childhood development funds as a fix for budgetary woes. As stated in a recent Roanoke Times op-ed, “for every dollar spent on Head Start, communities can save up to $7 down the road – in reduced crime rates, special education and Medicaid costs, and in increased educational and occupational attainment of Head Start graduates.”

Clearly, early childhood development plays an important role in getting children on the right social and educational track. This leads

From the President

President’s Message

Page 4: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

page 4

By Chad Van Hyning

If you are like I was a couple of years ago, you probably don’t know much about the Planning Commission. Perhaps you’ve never heard of it. As a member of the Commission, I’d like to share our mission and how it affects you.

The Planning Commission is a seven member advisory group appointed for four-year terms by City Council. The members are all city residents. “The primary mission of the Planning Commission is to advise and assist City Council in promoting the orderly development of the city. Under the State Code of Virginia, the commission has primary responsibility for developing the plans and ordinances to guide future growth. The Planning Commission serves as a sounding board for City Council in matters related to development issues. Its primary duties are to review and make recommendations to City Council on proposed amendments to the city's land development regulations (rezonings, zoning text amendments), street and alley closure requests and short- and long-range plans,” says the city’s website.

The Planning Commission is guided by neighborhood plans authored by Planning, Building, and Development staff. City Council

The Planning Commission – Why Is It Important?adopted the Greater Raleigh Court Neighborhood Plan in 2007 after neighborhood input from public workshops and direct coordination with the Civic League. City staff worked very hard to gauge the wishes of our residents and capture those sentiments. Adopted by City Council, the plan provides the vision of what Raleigh Court will look like in the future.

T h e Pa t r i c k He n r y stadium rezoning provides a good illustration of how the Planning Commission affects you. Before it could be built, the property had to be re-zoned. The Planning Commission made a recommendation to City Council, which ultimately made the final decision.

If you participated in the 2007 update to the Neighborhood Plan, we hope your input was included. If you weren’t at the meetings, you may wonder what the vision is that the Plan provides. If you’re not familiar with the Plan, you can only guess whether the Planning Commission and City Council are upholding the neighborhood’s wishes. Without knowing, you are not in a position to hold these bodies accountable for their decisions. The Patrick Henry stadium is proof positive that these decisions have very real impacts on our neighborhood.

Page 5: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

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On any weekday afternoon, activity near Patrick Henry High School is brisk. Traffic on Grandin Road is heavy with school buses and cars as classes end. Students and other pedestrians are everywhere. In the middle of it all is a small, easily overlooked brick building. Despite its modest appearance, the Raleigh Court Library is the city’s busiest branch, and that is both a boon and a challenge.

The Raleigh Court Library has always enjoyed a key role in the area’s history. It was the first branch built after the construction of the Main Library on Elm Avenue when it opened in 1931 in the building now occupied by Pop’s Ice Cream and Soda Bar. There it thrived until 1966 when a bigger branch was built at the present site on Grandin Road. A small addition in 1984 was the building’s last structural improvement.

With a struggling economy and print media in decline, people often think that libraries are dying. “Absolutely not!” exclaims Susan Koch, president of the Roanoke Public Library Advisory Board. She emphasized that, “Today’s libraries actually show increased circulation and more diverse programming than ever,” and they are increasingly seen as essential community resources.

The Raleigh Court branch is no exception. Branch Manager Diane McGuire, along with her small staff and a number of volunteers, works hard to meet the needs of patrons, though they are challenged by space constraints daily. McGuire estimates that the library’s widely circulated collection of books, DVD’s, and other media occupies approximately 60% of the building’s 4200 square footage. The remainder houses space for ten computers, a small conference

Growing Pains – Raleigh Court Branch Library by Ellen Aiken

room, a young adult and children’s section, and other work/reading areas. Behind the circulation desk, the staff shares three tiny rooms that serve as a combination of office space, storage area, and a make-shift kitchenette for preparing refreshments served at library functions.

The interior is not the library’s only space limitation. Finding a parking space can be challenging. There are 20 spaces, including one handicapped space. It’s not uncommon for cars to pull in, sit in the lot’s only entrance and wait for a space, preventing access by others. In the past, PH students and parents often used the spaces as well, though McGuire says that is less of a problem now. But the heavy traffic at the busy intersection does impede usage. “Crossing the street can be an issue, and we’ve had a few minor accidents, mostly people being hit from behind as they wait to turn in,” she adds.

The building’s small size is hardly representative of its role in the community. Despite the limitations within and around the

Grandin Village in a TangleIn May our neighborhood will be the recipient of another piece of fun and functional public art. As with the Trojan Dog in front of the firehouse and the purple and gold bus shelter at Patrick Henry High School, the new piece is sure to turn your head and put a smile on your face.

Called In a Tangle, the latest addition to Raleigh Court is an imaginatively designed bike rack. It’s almost twelve feet long, and can store up to ten bikes at a time. You’ll see it in front of the old CVS building that has also housed Coda Coffee and Valley Bank.

The bike rack is part of Roanoke’s Percent for Art program, and, unlike the big dog, will be a permanent fixture of Grandin Village. A citizen’s panel selected it from many entries received from across the country.

The selection committee particularly wanted to install the bike rack in Grandin Village. Susan Jennings, Roanoke’s Public Art Coordinator, says “We chose the Grandin Village for this piece for several reasons. The newly extended greenway through Vic Thomas Park and the bike lanes on Memorial Avenue allow easy access for bikers to Grandin Village. We needed a space with sidewalks wide enough to accommodate the art and a location with a lot of activity

Of Art and Bicycles… so we could encourage people to use alternative transportation (bicycles) to shop, eat out, and attend events. Grandin Village offers all of this in a compact area.”

In a Tangle was designed and built by Popup Design, a collaboration of three Los Angeles artists. It’s handmade of sustainable hardwood with traditional shaping and joinery techniques. “Just as clouds can become faces or animals with a little imagination, this rack injects a fresh sense of imagination into the everyday,” say the creators.

So what does In a Tangle look like? Come to the dedication Saturday morning, May 21 to see it. Check our website grccl.org for details.

Recognition as a Bike Friendly CommunityAfter a year of hard work by a number of citizens, planners, advocates, neighbors, and public officials, the City won recognition, in 2010, as a Bike Friendly Community by the League of

American Cyclists. Designated a Bronze Level Community, this puts Roanoke in great company. Burlington, Vermont; Charlotte, North Carolina; Salem, Oregon; and New York City are among the cities

that have been similarly recognized. The designation represents a dedication to improving facilities for cyclists, including bike lanes and racks, signage, alternative routes, and greenway connections.

—continued on page 6

—continued on page 8

Original Raleigh Court Library - from The Virginia Room Collection

Page 6: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

page 6

Community Bulletin Board• Newspapers for compost! Diane McGuire, at

the Raleigh Court Branch Library, has a large amount of newspapers that need to be recycled. If you use newspaper as mulch in your garden, please feel free to stop by and pick up what you need. They are loose, so you may consider bringing boxes or bags to hold the papers. First come… first served. Just ask anyone at the front desk.

• Writer/Researcher for hire! Betsy Biesenbach, a free-lance writer and title examiner, offers to create a personalized history of your house for $75. She can research houses back to the mid-nineteenth century, and usually can provide a date when a house was first built. Raleigh Court is her specialty! For more information, contact her at [email protected]

• Bike Month in the Roanoke Valley… Now is the time to get out and ride. May is Bike Month in the Roanoke Valley, and a number of local organizations have teamed up to host a series of events celebrating bicycles. You can start by taking the Clean Commute Challenge with RIDE Solutions at www.ridesolutions.org/cleancommute. Break out the bike at least one Friday in May and get a chance to win great prizes, or make the streets bicycle-friendlier by taking your car off the road and joining a carpool or hopping on the bus. You can check out the complete calendar of events at www.bikeroanoke.com/events. In addition, bicycle enthusiasts are encouraged to create their own events and submit them to event organizers. Selected events will be promoted through the RIDE Solutions and Bike Roanoke website, our Facebook Pages, Twitter updates, and other outlets.

• 6th Annual Run With Grace 5K run, to raise money for a scholarship in memory of Grace Lovegrove and for Patrick Henry running teams…will be June 11, 2010, on the PH cross country course. The women’s 5K will start at 8:30am and the men’s 5K at 9:15 am. The 1-mile fun run/walk will start at 10am. There will also be open and middle school challenges. The race also serves as a neighborhood community event and attracts spectators from near and far. Early registration forms and further information available on the website www.runwithgrace.com.

Raleigh Court History

McVey’s Hardware By Nelson HarrisFor any boy (or girl) who grew up near the Grandin Village, visiting McVey’s Hardware at 1320 Grandin Road was memorable. Its

proprietor, James “Jake” McVey, was a model airplane enthusiast – the remote-control kind. Suspended from the ceiling of his hardware were twenty some planes he had built, and visitors roamed the store with heads bent, looking up.

There were bi-planes, modern planes, and war planes. In fact, it was said that McVey’s Hardware was the only place west

of Richmond that carried remote-control models and parts. (This was before the era of on-line ordering.) The planes were but one aspect of the hardware, as it contained all one could really need to keep an old home in Raleigh Court maintained. Paint, nails, tools, fertilizers, garden equipment, light bulbs. You name it, McVey had it. And there was the smell—that hardware store smell—and the small bell, attached on the door frame, which rang every time the door opened and hit against it.

Jake McVey worked with his father, William, who opened the hardware on Grandin Road, in 1946. Jake ran McVey’s Hardware until he retired in 1984, selling the business. For some years thereafter, the hardware retained the name, then changed to become another hardware, and then succumbed to the big box and chain stores. Today, it is the location of Urban Gypsy, a dress shop.

McVey passed away on March 25th, survived by his wife of 53 years, Kathryn “Kitty.” McVey was raised in the 2100 block of Westover Avenue, graduated from Jefferson High School, and served in the Army Air Corps during World War 2. His love of airplanes was shared with his customers. My father recalls a model airplane contest Jake had for the boys in Raleigh Court using Speedi-Built model kits. All planes entered were prominently displayed in the front window of McVey’s Hardware, causing the boys to drop by every afternoon to assess any new entrants. Jake gave prizes to the top twenty planes. (Yes, top twenty.) McVey’s Hardware was a mainstay in the Grandin Village for four decades in an era of mom-and-pop hardware stores that delivered!

It also represents a community that encourages employees and customers to arrive on bicycle and take advantage of the valley’s friendly streets and paths.

If you’ve been thinking about getting out on a bicycle more, there are lots of good reasons to give it a shot. It’s the single greenest transportation mode available – a zero-emission powerhouse of a vehicle that takes up less space on the road, is easier to park, and zips right through traffic jams that keep other cars trapped. It’s also great exercise, using an energy source that most of us have in abundance – the excess calories that we carry around with us every day. It can save you a ton of money, cutting your fuel expenses and possibly even your insurance rates by reducing the total number of miles you drive each year.

Bicycles—continued from page 5

Page 7: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

Wasena 3rd grader Spenser Duval and 4th grader Mackenzie Gilliam work together to construct a raised garden bed.

page 7

Fifth graders, for example, are growing herbs inspired by colonial Jamestown. Fourth graders are planting crops, such as sunflowers and corn, to attract birds. In the school’s greenhouse, students plant seeds, watch them grow, then move them outside to the raised beds. Fishburn Park’s garden is integrated into the curriculum, so the teachers take the lead, using the gardening lessons to illuminate science and history as well as horticulture.

“Our teachers are learning along with the kids,” explains Judy Lackey, Fishburn Park’s principal. “We get really excited when we see things actually growing. Now is such a neat time to be here. There is so much going on.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHTJames Madison Middle School has been chosen as the site of the first Food For Thought garden. While much is still in the planning stages, Madison hopes to begin fencing off a planting area and installing walkways soon. They may offer a horticultural class in the fall and look forward to gardening by next spring. In the future, the school hopes to build an outdoor amphitheater and a greenhouse, plant fruit trees, and tend a large annually rotated garden.

“We have not finalized all the details about layout and who’ll be running it,” says Suzanne Moore, Roanoke City School Board member and liaison for Food for Thought, but “the goal is for every middle school to have a garden.”

Imagine a garden for every middle school, growing space for many elementary schools, and maybe plant-raising for high schoolers too. How many green thumbs would Roanoke be growing then? How many vegetable lovers? When you ask Wasena 1st grader Ava Roche her favorite part of participating in the Seedlings garden, is it building or digging or planting, weeding or watering or eating? She takes a moment to consider, then breaks into a smile big enough to crinkle her freckled nose: “I’m going to have to say… all of it!”

Me too, Ava. Me too.

School Gardens—continued from page 1

Photos taken Saturday, March 26, 2011, by Ken Scoville, Wasena Seedlings Volunteer

Fitting a raised bed in place…

1st grader Ford Beasley finds a squirmy worm…

Wasena Seedlings fill a garden bed with dirt…

Members of the new gardening club, the Wasena Seedlings, move a just-built raised bed into place…

Markers show where spinach and strawberries are planted…

Page 8: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

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building, the library is very popular. “This neighborhood loves its library,” said McGuire with a smile. City Library Director Sheila Umberger agrees. “The interest and support we receive from this community isn’t matching up well with an inadequate facility,” she remarked. Both in terms of circulation and visits, only the downtown Main library records greater numbers.

Umberger described a master plan developed in 2004, which expands the scope and diversity of programs the library can offer. The Raleigh Court branch is next on the list for improvements, but there is no firm time table and without more space, the current location has little chance of capitalizing on the master plan recommendations.

Several options have been considered, including renovating the current building. That is problematic, however, since it is land locked with no room to expand outward, nor is it structurally sound enough to add more floors. One idea that has recently caught on is the possibility of moving the branch to the empty building vacated by Valley Bank and other retail businesses. The space has appeal for

a number of reasons, such as more than twice the square footage, increased parking, and a highly visible and popular location. Additionally, it would draw more business to Grandin Village.

GRCCL president Chad Braby also shares concerns about the library. “The current facility is undersized and outdated, especially given the size of the area it serves,” he stated, emphasizing that Raleigh Court is the City’s largest neighborhood, yet it has one of the smallest branch buildings. Braby and the GRCCL board sent a letter to the City Manager last fall describing the library’s needs generally and the advantages specifically of a Grandin Village location to the library, the area’s businesses, and the community at large. The reply was polite but non-committal.

Umberger, Koch, Braby and others have begun to take their concerns to the community by visiting neighborhood and business groups to introduce the idea of a possible relocation. Though almost all comments have been positive, some patrons are skeptical. Their concerns tend to center around the fate of the present building and a preference for the current location.

On one point, however, there seems universal agreement: The Raleigh Court branch is well-loved but woefully inadequate to meet the current--much less expanding--needs of its patrons. Umberger feels strongly that this library can and should become an even more dynamic part of the entire community. With no end of creative ideas just waiting to be implemented, she is hopeful of moving forward with the master plan in the near future. “Raleigh Court needs and deserves the best library services we can offer,” she says. She would be hard pressed to find many residents who disagree with that.

Growing Pains—continued from page 5

Not much elbow room.

Page 9: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

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540 .343 .5652

visit us at:roanokenaturalfoods.coop

Natural Foods Grocery � Happy Belly Deli

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Page 10: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

CalendarGRCCL Membership Meeting ............................May 12, 7pm(TAP Community Room - former RC school)

Art Unveiling ...................................................... May 21, 10amIn a Tangle (Grandin Village)

Block Party & Street Fair................................. May 22, 2-5pm

Run With Grace 5K ....................June 11, 8:30; 9:15; 10:00am(P.H. Cross Country course)

Va. Heights Summer Concerts ... 2nd Sundays Jun-Sept, 7:30pm

Summer Cartoons at the Grandin .......................... June 24, 25 July, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 August 5, 6, 19, 20

Summer Concert Series in the VillageAn outdoor concert series will once again be sponsored by Virginia Heights Baptist Church. The concerts will be from 6:30-7:30 pm on the second Sundays in June, July, August, and September and held on the corner of Grandin and Memorial in their amphitheater. All concerts are free and concessions will be available. Watch their sign board for bands or visit their website at www.virginiaheights.org for a complete concert schedule. Bands will offer a variety of music during the summer including swing, pop, bluegrass, patriotic and big band. For more information, please call the church office at 344-7748.

Block Party and Street FairJugglers, magicians, face painters, bouncing to the moon, music bands, friends and neighbors… Fun for kids, hot dogs, lemonade and martial arts… It’s all part of the greater Raleigh Court Black Party and Street Fair. And it’s all FREE, thanks to the Grandin Village Business Association and the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League.

Join us at this year’s Block Party on Sunday, May 22 from 2:00 until 5:00 in Grandin Village. Rain or shine. Bring your family and friends – everyone’s welcome!

New this year will be a car show staged by the Pure Gas Station, the folks who have kept so many of our cars running all these years.

To help out for an hour and show off your grilling skills, contact Susan Koch at 345-9977 or [email protected]

Car Show…Our Newest Block Party FeatureWhen you come to this year’s block party on Sunday, May 22, be sure to wander a block up Grandin to check out a new feature of the Block Party. Bill Millner of Grandin Automotive is organizing a car show at his service station.

Although plans are still fluid, Bill hopes to assemble as many as 30 cars; he’s looking for a variety of interesting vehicles, both old and new. He is looking for owners who

page 10

Things you need to know… have interesting cars and would like to show them off in an informal, neighborhood setting.

Not long ago when Bill was at Old Salem Days, he realized that the collection of cars on display was what made the show worthwhile to some people. This gave birth to the idea to have his own car show as part of the annual block party.

What will you see at the car show? Bill is recruiting entries from his customers, employees, other acquaintances, and even himself. Bill is personally restoring a 1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, and has almost completed the chassis and drive train. He’s planning to bring it (without the body) to show the normally-hidden parts of a car. Some of the other vehicles that may make an appearance include:

• 1929 delivery van• 1975 Ford Bronco• 1972 Olds Cutlass 4-2-2• Chevy-powered boat• 1962 Ford Falcon• 1020 Dodge Charger muscle car

If you have an interesting vehicle that you’d be willing to show off on a Saturday afternoon, call Bill Millner at Grandin Automotive, 344-8121, Monday through Friday during business hours. This show will be strictly informal; no judging is involved. We’re hoping for good weather, as Bill won’t be able to put on this show in rain or threatening conditions.

Summer Cartoons at the Grandin Theater…FREE!For kids and grown-ups!!! Fridays and Saturdays (same attractions) on the following weekends: June 24-25; July 15-16; July 22-23; July 29-30; August 5-6; August 19-20. Check the Grandin Theater website for further information! www.grandintheater.com.

Page 11: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

page 11

Member FDIC

CommonSenseBankingFOR THEWAY YOU LIVE

Research all the benefits of MyLifestyle Checking byvisiting our websitewww.myvalleybank.com

OutrageousRewardsFOR THE WAY YOU BANK

Pizza • Calzones • Salad BarKid's Menu • Pasta Specials

Appetizers • desserts

Three 14" Cheese or PepperoniOnly $15.99 plus tax

Open Tuesday through Sunday981-1340

1316 Grandin Road • Roanoke, VA 24015 • www.gracesplacepizzeria.com

Also visit our new location at4321 Brambleton Ave, Roanoke VA 24015

Phone: 540-904-5424 (Carry out only)

Page 12: GRCCL_newsletter 2011-05

Greater Raleigh Court Civic LeagueP.O. Box 3092Roanoke, VA 24015

Address Service Requested

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDROANOKE, VAPERMIT NO. 78

New members are welcome to join the Civic League at any time. Your mailing label shows when it’s time to renew your membership. You may pay your dues at the next membership meeting. Multiyear or life memberships are welcome! The Civic League is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Donations may be claimed as charitable deductions for tax purposes.

Please mail your membership dues ($10 family, $15 business, or $100 life membership) or gifts to: GRCCL, P.O. Box 3092, Roanoke, VA 24015Or go to www.grccl.org and click on “JOIN US” to fill out a membership application online.

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Address

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Amount Enclosed Donation q in memory of q in honor of

I’d like to help out with:

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Membership Form q new member q renewing member

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