The Old Blacksburg Middle School Transition Committee is seeking public input to kick off an international design competition for the old Blacksburg Middle School property on South Main Street.

Citizens are invited to a public input meeting May 14th to learn about the competition and offer their ideas for the best use of the 20-acre site adjacent to downtown Blacksburg. There will be one meeting from 4-6 pm and another opportunity from 7-9 pm at the Blacksburg Community Center on Patrick Henry Drive.

The public will have the opportunity to offer comments at the meeting. There will also be the opportunity to provide written feedback through May 28th, but attendance of one of the meetings is encouraged. Comments may be delivered to the Town of Blacksburg Municipal Building, Attn: Town Manager's Office, 300 South Main Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060 or to the Montgomery County Government Center, Attn: Public Information Department, 755 Roanoke Street, Suite 2G, Christiansburg VA, 24073-3183. Comments may be emailed to obms@montgomerycountyva.gov

Suggestions will be collected and distributed to teams entering the design competition. The first phase of the competition will run from August through November. Entries will be put on public display after that period, and more public input will be taken before a five-member jury selects five finalists.

In the second phase of the competition, running to May 2009, the finalists must team up with a project developer to come up with a final buildable product. After the jury selects a winner, the Town and Montgomery County will work on a plan to implement the winning design.

Transition Committee Chair and Town Council member Paul Lancaster said he expects the competition to come up with some exciting ideas for the property. "I'm hopeful the public input on May 14 will guide the design teams toward some creative ideas for those 20 acres. The importance of that land to the Town, and especially to the downtown area, cannot be exaggerated."

Virginia Tech Architecture Professor Donna Dunay is organizing a team to run the competition.

For more information about the project to date, and to view minutes from the Transition Committee meetings, visit http://www.montva.com/departments/obms/index.php