Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 12, 1992 TAG: 9203120198
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Short
Library Director Melinda Zalecki had approached Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. about donating a new coat of paint to the vehicle.
Its original orange and tan, she said - from when the library got it through a grant in 1981 - had "faded over the years to something disgusting looking."
Volvo agreed, and the vehicle is now a metallic silver and blue.
"They did a super job," Zalecki said, but "they did much more than repaint."
The Volvo people took it upon themselves to arrange with other industries to donate to the bookmobile improvement, too.
Findlay Industries provided new carpeting. Beach Manufacturing replaced the rear-view mirrors. Gilbert Auto donated new fenders, Flexalloy added nuts and bolts, and Roger Caudell at Pulaski County High School has just finished new lettering.
All the work was done at no cost to the county. Zalecki estimated that it would have taken "an easy $10,000 to do all that" and as much as $100,000 for a new bookmobile.
The library will pick up the vehicle today and, once it is reloaded with its thousands of books, it will be back on the road.
by CNB