Wiens Readies For Final Meeting
Councilman’s Four-Year Term Nears End
Posted: December 11, 2012
HARRISONBURG — David Wiens is hopeful that the mark he leaves on the city as a one-term councilman is visible from the fairways and bike trails.
Wiens, 65, did not seek re-election to a second four-year term to City Council in November. He said he needed to step away from politics after serving on various panels, including the Harrisonburg Planning Commission, the last 15 years.
Feeling that the city ignored the Planning Commission’s advice, Wiens sought a seat on council as a Democrat in 2008 and won one of the three spots open that year.
His final council meeting is 7 tonight.
Golf And Greenway
As Wiens took office, development in the city slowed because of the recession. That shifted his focus away from planning and zoning issues and onto other matters.
One of those areas was the city-owned Heritage Oaks Golf Course, which has lost money since it opened in 2001.
At Wiens’ suggestion in 2010, a committee formed to study ways to increase revenues, including the addition of a food and beverage vendor.
He said the course on Garbers Church Road was “handicapped” from the start because city officials did not dedicate enough personnel to it and hired management for political reasons.
“I was pretty happy about that [committee],” Wiens said.
He is also proud of his work advocating for the Northend Greenway, a multiple-use path that will connect the Park View area to downtown. The city recently allocated $600,000 to the project.
“I think people get tired of me continually talking about how we need to promote the Northend Greenway,” said Wiens, who moved to the area 25 years ago. “I wanted to get [a project] in the works that would actually be used a lot.”
Dems Lose Majority
An apartment owner, Wiens said he tried to represent groups overlooked by government and bring the opinions of northwest Harrisonburg, where he lives, to council.
“He always would remind us of the population that didn’t have a voice,” Councilman Ted Byrd said of the city’s poor and indigent.
Wiens may have been the only council member in the city’s history to live in the Park View area while in office, officials say.
Independent Abe Shearer will replace him on council in January, joining Byrd, Mayor Richard Baugh and Councilmen Kai Degner and Charles Chenault.
Baugh and Degner, both Democrats, won re-election in November. Byrd is the lone Republican and Chenault is an independent.
Baugh, who served on the Planning Commission with Wiens, said the departing councilman’s planning expertise would be missed.
“He brought an awful lot to the table,” he said.
‘No’ To Downtown Hotel
Wiens exits council before a decision will be made on a proposal to build a hotel and conference center downtown. But he says he would turn it down.
The proposed $39.9 million project, which requires $9.5 million in city funding, would go through a feasibility study before council votes on it. Developers say tax revenues would surpass Harrisonburg’s financial obligation.
“It’s one of those shiny new projects that looks nice until you start to look at it carefully,” Wiens said. “Had I stayed on council and they could convince me this wouldn’t be another golf course [situation], I would be more than happy to support it.”
Downtown, he adds, fosters commercial success, as opposed to alternatives such as a walking mall.
“We didn’t do it pretty, but we did it right,” Wiens said, hinting that there’s too much asphalt for parking. “I’m happy with where it’s at.”
Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com
Wiens, 65, did not seek re-election to a second four-year term to City Council in November. He said he needed to step away from politics after serving on various panels, including the Harrisonburg Planning Commission, the last 15 years.
Feeling that the city ignored the Planning Commission’s advice, Wiens sought a seat on council as a Democrat in 2008 and won one of the three spots open that year.
His final council meeting is 7 tonight.
Golf And Greenway
As Wiens took office, development in the city slowed because of the recession. That shifted his focus away from planning and zoning issues and onto other matters.
One of those areas was the city-owned Heritage Oaks Golf Course, which has lost money since it opened in 2001.
At Wiens’ suggestion in 2010, a committee formed to study ways to increase revenues, including the addition of a food and beverage vendor.
He said the course on Garbers Church Road was “handicapped” from the start because city officials did not dedicate enough personnel to it and hired management for political reasons.
“I was pretty happy about that [committee],” Wiens said.
He is also proud of his work advocating for the Northend Greenway, a multiple-use path that will connect the Park View area to downtown. The city recently allocated $600,000 to the project.
“I think people get tired of me continually talking about how we need to promote the Northend Greenway,” said Wiens, who moved to the area 25 years ago. “I wanted to get [a project] in the works that would actually be used a lot.”
Dems Lose Majority
An apartment owner, Wiens said he tried to represent groups overlooked by government and bring the opinions of northwest Harrisonburg, where he lives, to council.
“He always would remind us of the population that didn’t have a voice,” Councilman Ted Byrd said of the city’s poor and indigent.
Wiens may have been the only council member in the city’s history to live in the Park View area while in office, officials say.
Independent Abe Shearer will replace him on council in January, joining Byrd, Mayor Richard Baugh and Councilmen Kai Degner and Charles Chenault.
Baugh and Degner, both Democrats, won re-election in November. Byrd is the lone Republican and Chenault is an independent.
Baugh, who served on the Planning Commission with Wiens, said the departing councilman’s planning expertise would be missed.
“He brought an awful lot to the table,” he said.
‘No’ To Downtown Hotel
Wiens exits council before a decision will be made on a proposal to build a hotel and conference center downtown. But he says he would turn it down.
The proposed $39.9 million project, which requires $9.5 million in city funding, would go through a feasibility study before council votes on it. Developers say tax revenues would surpass Harrisonburg’s financial obligation.
“It’s one of those shiny new projects that looks nice until you start to look at it carefully,” Wiens said. “Had I stayed on council and they could convince me this wouldn’t be another golf course [situation], I would be more than happy to support it.”
Downtown, he adds, fosters commercial success, as opposed to alternatives such as a walking mall.
“We didn’t do it pretty, but we did it right,” Wiens said, hinting that there’s too much asphalt for parking. “I’m happy with where it’s at.”
Contact Preston Knight at 574-6272 or pknight@dnronline.com