Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 20, 1993 TAG: 9301200091
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
SUPERVISORS, RADFORD COUNCIL DISCUSS AT&T SITE DEVELOPMENT
The future of the 650 acres of the former AT&T site bought by Pulaski County earlier this month is being studied by the county Board of Supervisors and Radford City Council.The two governing bodies met behind closed doors Monday night for a little over an hour to discuss the development of that acreage in the Fairlawn area of the county just outside Radford as a regional industrial park.
The supervisors had been meeting for about 30 minutes, also in closed session, before being joined by the Radford officials. A large map showing the AT&T property was spread out on a table in the center of the meeting room.
Neither governing body took any action when the closed session ended, other than to verify that nothing was discussed other than real estate and legal matters with County Attorney Thomas McCarthy and City Attorney John B. Spiers, Jr.
No follow-up sessions between the board and council were immediately scheduled.
The special meeting had been requested by Supervisors Ira S. "Jack" Crawford and Mason A. Vaughan Sr.
"I guess the only thing to say is that we had a good meeting," supervisors' Chairman Jerry White said afterward.
Radford Mayor Thomas Starnes earlier had described the joint session as a continuation of talks held by the governing body more than two years ago when AT&T closed its Fairlawn plant in 1990.
Those talks also had included Montgomery County. White declined to answer specifically when asked if Montgomery might be included in future talks about turning the property into an industrial park.
"Well, the door of opportunity is open. We'll just have to see who walks through it," he said, chuckling. "How's that for a political answer?"
The three localities had looked into the regional industrial park possibilities in 1990. At that time, AT&T was asking $14.2 million for the entire tract and would not consider selling only a part of it.
But nearly three months ago New River Industries bought the 549,000-square-foot AT&T building and about 80 acres of land around it for an undisclosed price. Earlier this month, Pulaski County decided to buy the rest for $1.3 million.
Pulaski County has about 52.7 acres of developable land in its Corporate Center industrial park near Dublin, not counting about 50 acres already committed for a future shell building. It will have another 50 acres of county-owned land next to the New River Valley Airport for industrial purposes once it extends utilities to the site, as now planned.
Radford has less than 30 developable acres in its Industrial Center.