Resolved: New plans, programs
on Buena Vista’s agenda
With economic woes on the minds of most Americans, it’s easy to forget that the new year is an opportunity for setting goals and making changes.
While you may have your own goal for 2009 – lose weight, work out more often, or just relax – Buena Vista city officials have more ambitious projects on the agenda. Those initiatives could have a substantial impact on city residents.
One major project for 2009 is revising the city’s comprehensive plan. The current plan, drafted in 1995, is described in its introduction as “a policy guide for decisions concerning the growth and development of the city.”
“The plan was long overdue. It absolutely needed to be updated,” said Tim Reamer, the city’s director of economic development. Reamer will work as one of the members of the committee charged with drafting the new document.
“We’ve got the city manager, the planning commission, the zoning commission and representation from city council and the business community working together,” he said.
Reamer said the idea of revising the plan was introduced in 2005, but the timing for such a lengthy project was not right. The committee will meet to work on the document throughout 2009, examining everything from zoning practices to tax incentives. Reamer thinks the committee should finish in early 2010 if it stays on schedule.
One of Reamer’s resolutions for 2009 is to move toward getting a section of Buena Vista’s downtown designated as a Historical Overlay District. He said the city hopes to create incentives for new businesses to move into its downtown historical area, especially businesses willing to rehabilitate old structures.
Buena Vista Police Chief A.J. Panebianco’s New Year’s resolution sets a difficult task for his department: In addition to staying focused on the department’s mission statement, he wants to save money and extend services.
Last year, Panebianco’s office switched patrol cars from the Ford Crown Victoria to the Dodge Charger, and he estimates the shift will save the department approximately 3,000 gallons of gasoline per year. He hopes to find even more ways to innovate this year.
“We’ve stayed about the same size for the last 40 years, and I don’t think we want to grow much more this year,” he said. “We want a school resource officer, but it will have to come from grants. We aren’t getting any more money from taxes.”
Panebianco’s office does not yet have an official budget for 2009, but it is preparing for some cuts. One low-cost program his department has initiated for 2009 is Breaking Bread, in which Buena Vista police officers go into schools in the city to have a weekly lunch with students.
“When you break bread with someone you tend to relax and talk to them more as people,” he said. “We want to be sure they never feel afraid of the police.”
As for personal New Year’s resolutions, Reamer, a self-proclaimed fan of lists, has more than 55 he hopes to follow this year.
Panebianco?
“I always end up breaking them,” he said. “I just don’t bother with it anymore.”
Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisors:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Indira Somani
Editing supervisor:
Prof. Lisa Tracy
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd