
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990                   TAG: 9003280425
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

OLIN SEEKS FEDERAL FLOOD-REDUCTION FUND

Rep. Jim Olin, D-Roanoke, urged a House Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday to include money for the Roanoke River and the Buena Vista flood-reduction projects in the federal budget for the fiscal year that starts in October.

Olin asked the Energy and Water Development subcommittee to provide $2.3 million in construction money for the Roanoke project, the same amount President Bush included in his budget.

The congressman asked for $1.6 million for preconstruction engineering and design for the Buena Vista project, nearly three times the $600,000 Bush had budgeted.

In prepared testimony, Olin said the money is needed for the Roanoke project to keep it on schedule.

"We're just days away from finishing up the local cooperative agreement, the city is moving toward land acquisition and everything is on schedule," Olin said.

Congress approved $200,000 in construction money for the Roanoke project in the current fiscal year.

The initial appropriation was only a fraction of the $20 million of federal money that will be needed for the $34.3 million project. But city officials said earlier the appropriation was significant because Congress has never failed to fund such a project once it has started appropriating construction money.

The city's share of the cost is $14.3 million. City voters approved a $7.5 million bond issue last year to help pay the city's share. The remaining $6.8 million will come from earlier appropriations, land donations and state recreation funds.

The initial $200,000 appropriation in construction money is expected to be used to help pay for an early flood-warning system.

The city and Army Corps of Engineers hope to receive up to $20 million in federal money for the project in the next three years.

The construction will take three years.

Olin said the Army Corps of Engineers says it can spend $1.6 million on the Buena Vista project next year if the funds are available.

"This project is too important to me and the city of Buena Vista to allow it to poke along on a `slow track,' " he said.

Keywords:
FLOOD CONTROL

by CNB