ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 22, 1996 TAG: 9609230014
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Keith is not at fault for the speedy trial problems and court scheduling as discussed in the Sept. 6 issue of The New River Current (``Speedy trials at issue in court-case scheduling''). What we have in this country is a criminal justice system that is spinning out of control. The solution does not lie in redefining morality, throwing away the key, decriminalizing drugs or other hollow "feel-good" notions.
The comic strip character Pogo once remarked that "We have met the enemy, and he is us." The American public wants to be safe from crime, but does not want to pay the price. The low salaries that local police are paid are a disgrace. The local jails are understaffed and underfunded. Local governing bodies often treat law enforcement agencies like beggars when they seek necessary funds.
Like it or not, we live in violent times. Those of us in the criminal justice system are not being asked to fix the system, only to make a pretense that it works and not make too much noise in the process. Only when all citizens realize that criminal justice is everyone's responsibility will we have a chance as a society to approach that illusive goal called justice.
Joe Painter
Blacksburg
Amend site plan for Silvanway Apts.
When a developer decides to build a project such as an apartment complex, he must submit a site plan to the local governing body for approval. He must adhere to the state's erosion and sediment control laws. "Concentrated storm water runoff leaving a development site shall be discharged directly into an adequate natural or man-made receiving channel, pipe or storm sewer system." This regulation is designed to protect the downstream properties from erosion and sedimentation.
In the case of the proposed Silvanway Apartment Complex in the Fairlawn area of Pulaski County, the Planning Commission approved a site plan despite the fact that an adequate channel does not exist. I am an immediate downstream property owner, and I am appealing this decision to the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors. A decision is expected Monday.
The storm water runoff facility proposed for this project has been designed to discharge the concentrated storm water into a swale that runs through our property, including our back yard.
After development, each measurable amount of rainfall will transform our property into wet-weather conditions. This will create a breeding ground for mosquitoes and increase the likelihood of erosion. Contaminants from leaking vehicles on the parking lots will be washed onto our property. I do not believe a developer should have the right to dump concentrated surface water onto the property of another, especially if it will create these types of adverse conditions.
The Planning Commission ignored the neighbors' concerns. I, too, want to see my county grow economically, but not at the expense of the rights of current property owners.
The Planning Commission could have required the developer of Silvanway to obtain downstream easements to upgrade the existing swale to an adequate man-made channel. This requirement would satisfy state standards and protect neighboring property owners.
When you choose to market or develop property for a specific purpose, certain factors must exist, and certain laws and standards must be followed.
Billy J. Watson
Radford
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