Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 26, 1990 TAG: 9004270763
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: W11 EDITION: WEST
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Instead, Smith asked that the pool be funded with a separate "mini" bond issue.
Council approved Smith's final list of projects to be funded with the $5-million bond issue and gave the go-ahead to place the bond process in motion.
The list includes five sewer projects in which sewer lines will be installed in the Fort Lewis Terrace, Heidelberg Estates and Lee Mitchell subdivisions and the North Mill Road and Pickwick Lane/High Street areas. The list also includes a main computer upgrading, a million-gallon water-storage tank, the addition of a bay at the main fire station and downtown lighting.
Construction already has begun on sewer projects in the North Mill Road area and the Fort Lewis Terrace subdivision. By the end of this fiscal year, the city will have spent $500,000 on both projects.
"We've reached a point where we need to start paying back several accounts," Smith said, explaining the need for a new bond issue.
There has been much discussion over the past six months about construction of a municipal pool. A concept that began as an outdoor pool has grown into a $2.3-million, 60-meter indoor pool housed in a building with locker rooms, a concession stand and offices.
Council members have agreed on the idea of a municipal pool, but have yet to reach a consensus on exactly on the kind of pool it wants or how to pay for it. Last month, council considered letting voters decide in a referendum whether the city should build a municipal pool, but postponed a decision.
In another matter, council continued, until May 14, a request from the Disabled American Veterans to rezone property near an East Salem neighborhood.
The DAV has asked that 1.4 acres in the 2200 block of Boulevard-Roanoke be rezoned to allow the construction of a $250,000 combined thrift store, assembly hall and club to be used by the Roanoke and Salem DAV chapters.
Residents of the nearby Boulevard Estates subdivision oppose the request and say that the proposal is unsuitable for a residential area, would devalue property and create traffic congestion. Council suggested that DAV officials and residents meet to discuss the proposal.
In other business:
Council approved Wayne and Stephen Thomas' request for a special-use permit allowing them to operate a family amusement center at 858 W. Main St.
Council agreed, at the suggestion of City Attorney Steve Yost, to open meetings of the city audit-finance committee to the media in accordance with revisions in the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
by CNB