Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 17, 1993 TAG: 9306170025
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: No stations transmit from the Mill Mountain tower, an overlooked companion to the star but nevertheless a vital link in Roanoke communications.
The tower bristles like a porcupine with antennas for police, fire, rescue, public works, schools, Valley Metro - 11 city frequencies altogether.
Channel 7 and radio stations K92 and WFIR have translators on the tower to reach the Garden City area, where a "shadow" cast by Mill Mountain blocks signals from the Poor Mountain transmitters favored by broadcasters.
The Mill Mountain tower, at 200 feet a sturdy example of early '50s ironwork, has a 28-foot antenna on top and an aircraft beacon at the tip, totaling 230 feet.
Your question raises interesting points about the tower, which was completed in early 1953 to broadcast WROV-TV on Channel 27.
The WROV television effort lasted only five months because the UHF signal "wasn't that great" and few homes had a UHF box on their TVs, recalls Al Beckley, the city's retired communications manager.
WROV-TV also competed with WDBJ for the rights to Channel 7. After almost three years of hearings and paperwork, WROV sold the tower and all its TV facilities except the UHF transmitter to Times-World Corp., then owner of WDBJ radio. Times-World still has easement rights to the tower and leases it to the city for $240 a year.
WDBJ-TV went on the air Oct. 3, 1955, from the Mill Mountain tower and used it for 11 months until the station's Poor Mountain transmitter was completed.
Flex-time savings
Q: I understand the city sanitation workers are paid for covering a route, not by an hourly rate. How do they anticipate saving all this money by curbside collection? D.D., Roanoke
A: You're partly right in that a sanitation crew is free to go home as soon as it completes a route - even if it worked only seven hours. The members are paid an hourly wage for eight full hours.
Jim McClung, manager of the city's Solid Waste Department, said curbside collection produces savings in two ways: Trucks operate with three-member crews instead of four, and trash is picked up by 14 trucks instead of 16.
The savings on two trucks runs about $20,000 per year. Total savings are projected at $368,000.
Cross clusters still there
Q: I was wondering about the three crosses I often see along the interstate, two powder blue ones and a yellow one. What's the history behind these? M.C., Lexington
A: The cross clusters were erected by Bernard Coffindaffer of Craigsville, W.Va. He began the project in 1984 after he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, he said.
Coffindaffer spent most of his personal wealth, more than $2 million, getting the project started. There are about 2,000 clusters along high-visibility traffic lanes in most states east of the Mississippi.
He accepts donations for the project but just enough come in now to erect an occasional cluster and pay for repainting.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB