Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993 TAG: 9301130198
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-9 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
BOARD IN WYTHE PICKS NEW HEAD
The Wythe County Board of Supervisors changed its chairman, doubled its meetings for 1993 and created a new county engineer position at its organizational meeting Tuesday.R.T. DuPuis was elected 4-3, replacing Andy Kegley. Alan Dunford was elected as vice chairman in place of Olin Armentrout, also 4-3.
DuPuis and Dunford were supported by Mark Munsey, their fellow Republican on the board, and Democrat Jack Crosswell.
The remaining member, Democrat John Davis, voted for Kegley and Armentrout but moved after the results that the elections be made unanimous. His motion was approved unanimously.
Davis also was successful in getting a second regular monthly meeting of the board during 1993. The board now will meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m., as it has been doing, and on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Dunford said a second meeting was tried at his request about 10 years ago, but citizens seldom turned out for the night meeting. "I still think we ought to give it another try," Davis said.
The new schedule was approved 6-1, with DuPuis voting no.
The board approved a recommendation from Munsey and Davis to add a licensed professional engineer to the county staff. The two had been named to study the idea at the board's Dec. 8 meeting.
The supervisors felt the expertise is needed as the county gets into more projects that need engineering knowledge, such as a $9.1 waste-water collection and treatment system being proposed for the Fort Chiswell-Max Meadows area. The staff position also will keep the county from having to hire engineering consultants as often.
The project includes $1.2 million being sought by the county as a state Community Development Block Grant. But some residents of the area to be served have misgivings about a proposed mandatory hook-on requirement.
Robert Shook, who said he represented about 75 percent of the proposed customers for the system, said those people are not opposed to the line but to being forced to hook on. The mandatory hooking-on is required by Farmers Home Administration, which would provide funding toward the project.
He said they also feel the proposed rates are too high. He asked that a citizens' representative be allowed to go along when a customer survey for the new line is made.
As things now stand, if a majority of potential users agree to use the system, the rest would be required to do so or at least to pay the monthly fees. The provision is to make sure that an FmHA loan could be repaid.
The supervisors referred the concerns to their water and sewer committee, which is to report back at the Feb. 9 meeting.