"We’re working to provide good examples that work in our
area," says Roy Settle, RC&DC
Coordinator.
Activities include a demonstration parking lot using pervious concrete to reduce
runoff, and workshops on sustainable development, downtown redevelopment, and conservation
easements. The council also markets a hazardous waste pickup event that drew a record
24,000 participants. Most projects are undertaken with public or private sector partners.
In partnership with RC&DC, Anderson &
Associates Project Manager Todd Wood recently
made two presentations to developers and municipal officials on ways of complying with the
EPA’s Phase II stormwater regulations. A&A will also co-sponsor a May 2003
RC&DC conference, "Community Design with Landscape in Mind: Economic Benefits of
Sustainable Development."
A conservation official since the mid-1980s, Roy was inspired by the sustainable
development ideas of two planning visionaries, Ed McMahon, who advocates setting
architectural guidelines for commercial development, and Randall Arendt, who looks at site
development in terms of what natural and historical features should not be altered.
Through local sponsorships, Roy has been able to bring speakers on sustainable development
to Northeast Tennessee.
As a result of a conference, RC&DC helped to start Southern Appalachian Greenways
Alliance (SAGA), which is working on a GIS database of trails and a network to link trails
in 11 Tennessee and Virginia counties. RC&DC also provides technical assistance to
developers considering setting aside greenways and other protected areas.
The RC&DC provides planning assistance, project management, partnership
coordination, and educational activities on conservation-related issues identified by its
local board of directors.
Roy, who holds a B.S. in agriculture, spent the early years of his career working on
soil conservation in western Tennessee for the USDA
— Soil Conservation Service. In 1988, he became District Conservationist for Sullivan County, Tenn., and began looking
at urban issues in Kingsport and Bristol. He has been directing RC&DC since 1994.
In his spare time, Roy is involved in marketing local farmers’ markets as a way to
promote conservation of farmland.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Not one city in Northeast Tennessee contains as many
people as Lane Stadium during a 