Collegiate Times

Jonathan Strumfeld, a senior in landscape architecture, was hired as a student intern to assist the Sixteen Squares committee.

The Town of Blacksburg will host a meeting tomorrow to discuss ways to sustain the town's historic district in the midst of renovation and revitalization.

The meeting will be open to the public and play host to community members, the Sixteen Squares committee and Virginia Tech's Community Design Assistance Center. The gathering will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Kent Square Lobby, located at the corner of Main and Washington Streets.

In 1798, the Town of Blacksburg was laid out in a 16-square grid, which covered a 38-acre land plot bordered on four sides by Jackson, Draper, Clay and Wharton Streets. Inside this original grid, is an assortment of establishments, ranging from homes and rental properties, to churches and businesses, to open space and parking lots.

Though many of the 16 blocks now serve a different function than they originally did, a committee was formed this year to promote community awareness of the historic significance of downtown Blacksburg.

The Sixteen Squares committee has been working closely with Tech's Community Design Assistance Center. The CDAC was presented with the committee's four goals to identify, educate, preserve and develop, and with plans to share what ideas they have formulated to meet these points.

The CDAC is an outreach center that communities hire on a project-by-project basis.

Kim Steika, the CDAC landscape architecture coordinator, said that the meeting is not to establish any formal plans for the downtown area; rather, it is a gathering for information sharing and collecting.

Steika said that community input is extremely important to the project and encourages town inhabitants to attend and voice their opinions and ideas. Steika added that she hopes those who attend can leave the meeting better informed.

"For some people who live in the area, it will increase the awareness of the assets here and help spark some enthusiasm for the great potential in this area," Steika said. "We are also hoping to take from the residents some ideas on how we can achieve goals."

Blacksburg museum administrator Terry Nicholson said the original idea was to establish a plan that could implement education programs about what the 16 squares are, as well as the value of the historic district.

"There is a rich history that stretches over 200 years," Nicholson said. "It shows development of history over that period of time."

Nicholson specifically mentioned the possibility of posting signs downtown to inform residents and visitors when they are entering and exiting historical districts. He said that the existence of the sixteen squares today is highly meaningful and representative of the town's growth.

"It really represents the development of the Town of Blacksburg," Nicholson said. "It dates back to the beginning of the town. The fact that the original layout has survived is indicative of its significance, and the development continues to be aware of that."

Though emphasis has been placed on preserving the historical district, all parties agree that this should not halt the town's growth. Rather, the town must be mindful of preservation while still persevering in development.

Blacksburg mayor Ron Rordam expressed confidence in the parties involved in town development, noting the weight of its cause.

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