Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 4, 1993 TAG: 9301040004
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Staff
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MUSICAL CHAIRS . . . WITH ONE SEAT
Add the name of Howard Packett, advertising executive and Salem city councilman, to the list of Democrats thinking about running for the House of Delegates seat that Salem Republican Steve Agee is giving up to run for attorney general.The seat covers Salem, much of Southwest Roanoke County and eastern Montgomery County.
As the Roanoke Valley's first vacancy in the House of Delegates in more than a decade, the seat has attracted a crowd of aspirants.
Lee Garrett, former Roanoke County supervisor and retired television broadcaster, has said he's "99 percent sure" he'll run. Lawyer Ross Hart also has talked about running, although he's indicated he might stand aside if Packett runs.
On the Republican side, lawyer Morgan Griffith already has declared his candidacy. Sam Lionberger of Lionberger Construction also is mulling a bid for the GOP nomination.
\ That's `lines,' not `lions' Not long ago, Mill Mountain Zoo installed a fax machine in the zoo office. One of the zoo's two phone lines was assigned to the fax machine.
Now there's only one line for people to call the zoo, whether they're inquiring about admission prices or alerting zookeepers to an incoming shipment of red wolves.
If someone at the zoo is already on the phone, callers hear a recording: "We're sorry, all of our lines are busy now."
Though it may conjure images of rows of operators sitting at desks, fielding thousands of calls, "all of our lines are busy" actually means that the zoo's only phone line is busy.
Callers can hang up and try again later. Or they can always send a fax.
\ Pucker up, piggie!
At a recent court hearing in Martinsville, Norfolk Southern Corp. attorney Les Hagie had to admit that he is not originally from Virginia.
Hagie said he wasn't familiar with a phrase used in one of the papers filed in a lawsuit against the railroad.
"There's a reference in there about putting lipstick on a pig," Hagie said. "I have no idea what that means."
"My reference to a pig with lipstick," lawyer Phil Gardner later explained to Hagie, "is that sometimes we try to make one thing look like another."
\ Wet paint
Ever wonder how much paint is needed for repainting traffic lines and other street markings in Roanoke each year?
Five hundred gallons? A thousand?
Try 6,300.
That's how many gallons it takes to repaint all of the markings, said Bill Stuart, manager of street maintenance.
City Council voted recently to accept a bid of $36,325 for 1,800 gallons of white and 4,500 gallons of yellow paint. It takes more yellow paint because of the double yellow lines on many streets.
City crews have to repaint the markings twice a year on heavily traveled streets such as Franklin Road and Orange Avenue.
\ Water and the spirit
As Renew Roanoke tries to raise $5 million to reopen Hotel Roanoke, members of Mount Moriah Baptist Church are slowly raising a few thousand dollars to put bathrooms and running water in their 134-year-old church.
At last count, donors had mailed in $3,595, most in small gifts. Others offered labor, paint, a sink, a toilet and other plumbing supplies.
"We thank them so much, but we still need a lot of help," said member Louise Witt. Founded by slaves in 1858, the congregation has dwindled to a dozen members.
Getting water to the hilltop church in Southeast Roanoke is expected to cost at least $10,000. United Methodist women in Radford sent $25 and offered hymnals. Other than that, Mount Moriah has heard nothing from other churches.
Contributions may be sent to Mount Moriah Baptist Church Improvement Project, P.O. Box 181, Vinton 24179.
Keywords:
POLITICS