The Fincastle Town Council adopted the town’s new Comprehensive Plan last July. The plan was the culmination of several years of work with the Planning Commission on surveying the community to determine needs and issues, and creating a concrete strategy for the town for many years into the future.
As a part of the plan, the council added a new section titled, “Community sustainability” which, according to Town Manager David Tickner, is uncommon for a town of Fincastle’s size. The section of the plan focuses on community sustainability, greener policies, buying local, and reducing the community carbon footprint. It also stipulates that the town establish a Community Sustainability Committee and start work on a community-wide assessment, which the town recently established. The committee consists of:
Bess Madonna, chairperson, Fincastle Planning Commission vice-chairperson
Johnathan McCoy, Botetourt County long-range planner
Amanda Bell, Botetourt County school teacher (Breckinridge Elementary School)
Tara Williamson, local farmer (Williamson Farms)
Diane Kees, COO, Micro Harmonics Corporation, Fincastle
One of the items the town currently develops is gauging public interest in a sort of “satellite” farmers’ market in Fincastle. Tickner mentioned that several of the vendors at the Botetourt Farmers Market in Daleville have expressed an interest, but the town wants to assure those vendors and anyone else interested with the best chance of success prior to potentially starting this project.
In this week’s edition, readers will find a survey on page 9 of this week’s edition (June 8) constructed by the Community Sustainability Committee to determine community interest. Note: there is also a link below to an online survey. The deadline for submission of surveys is at the end of the day on Wednesday, June 22.
While Fincastle has several natural assets, the role the town, its citizens, and the community play in the greater Botetourt area, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and beyond can affect the entire environment. How a community chooses not only to preserve its resources but to minimize its impact on the environment is now more critical than ever. A thriving community needs to make sustainability planning part of its long- and short-term planning processes.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability attempts to balance the needs of people today with the future needs of children and preserve the natural systems that sustain all life. Population growth, increasing economic competition, and environmental challenges ranging from climate change to air pollution and decreasing water levels to rising energy costs, (sustainability) planning is essential to the future and the well-being of communities. In the face of these challenges, planning must transcend traditional zoning or general land use considerations (epa.gov).
Local governments can implement environmentally conscientious and sustainable, or “green,” practices as a part of their community development strategies and as a means of achieving them. Environmentally sustainable efforts accomplish many goals beyond just reducing Fincastle’s carbon footprint (institution); they create healthier environments for employees and the community alike, cut consumption costs, and address local hiring and purchasing goals. Sourcing goods locally stimulate the local economy while reducing transportation costs, both monetary and environmental. Similarly, developing new green infrastructure for the town (institution) and the community – such as new green technologies, alternative local energy sources, recycling systems, and built environment retrofitting – creates new jobs locally and encourages business development and growth. More efficient use of resources through new green development further reduces cost and ensures institutional security (Communityweathc.org).
