Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990 TAG: 9005160194
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
They returned to the Montgomery County Courthouse Monday night to ask county supervisors to see what they could do to get their road improved.
And at the hearing before the board and Dan Brugh, resident engineer for the Department of Transportation, they produced a story from the Roanoke Times & World-News that detailed a previous struggle.
It was dated Aug. 3, 1971.
The road, which runs alongside Craig Creek in the northern part of the county, is in the six-year road plan, but work is several years away.
That also is the case for Virginia 708 in the northwest corner of the county. Douglas Price said the narrow road is particularly hazardous during the winter because shade prevents ice from melting.
"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you you're not doing yours," Cecil Broce, also of Virginia 708, told the supervisors.
The board also heard from Alex Weiss, husband of Shawsville High School guidance counselor Fran Weiss, who is fighting her reassignment to classroom duty.
He said reports that teachers are intimidated are true - because the School Board refuses to stand up to Superintendent Harold Dodge on personnel decisions.
"No matter how arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable or irrational a decision is, the School Board blindly rubber-stamps it," he said.
School Board Chairwoman Virginia Kennedy said Tuesday that it would not be appropriate to comment about Weiss' charges because Fran Weiss' grievance case may end up back before the School Board.
Dodge could not be reached for comment.
Weiss spoke during a public hearing on the three School Board candidates - Robert Goncz in District B and Guy Tudor and Donald Lacy in District G. There were no comments about the candidates.
In other business, the supervisors:
Approved, 5-2, a five-year capital improvement program for purchases of new equipment.
Supervisors Todd Solberg and Joe Stewart dissented. Solberg said the county was spending too much money on such items as computers.
He criticized the county's reliance on NCR, saying other, equally powerful computer systems are considerably cheaper. But Irv Routt, the county's director of data processing, said NCR's maintenance program helps avoid lengthy delays when computers need repairs.
Accepted a bid from Sterling Inc. for a $27,605 plastic granulator, a piece of equipment that reduces plastic goods to a recyclable form. Solberg and Stewart again dissented.
The board also accepted a $10,322 bid for a trailer to house computer and camera equipment at the county's landfill.
by CNB