Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 13, 1993 TAG: 9305130118
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STEVE KARK CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
When residents complained last month about trash piling up at their homes, council members promised they would make a decision to solve the problem at this month's meeting.
The decision on improving the service, however, was not an easy one and likely will mean sacrifices for town residents, they warned.
Mayor Frank Winston said the $6.50 a month that town residents currently pay wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of the increased service.
Town Engineer Steve Stafford told council he had contacted 14 neighboring communities to see how the service in Pearisburg compared. Of those, he said 12 have once-a-week curbside service and two have twice-a-week curb service.
None offer backyard pickup like Pearisburg does, and all charged more for the service they offered, he said.
Town Manager Ken Vittum warned that the town's three-man trash crew would be unable to handle the increased workload. Because of this, he added, men from other town crews may have to be used to get the job done.
This could mean, for instance, that some work on road maintenance in the town may be sacrificed so those workers could help with trash pickup, he said.
Another factor that affected council's decision is the county's tentative plan to convert to a countywide pickup service in October, Vittum said.
Because the landfill will be closed by then and no other suitable landfill site has been found within the county, all trash will have to be shipped outside the county.
At this point, however, neither the county nor the towns know what kind of service will be provided after the landfill closing, he said.
The county is reviewing a variety of possibilities. The towns may continue to collect trash, or this service may be turned over to a contractor who would collect and haul trash outside the county.
In the end, council voted 5-2 to increase the service. The improved service will cost $8 a month and will begin on May 24.
Also at Tuesday's meeting, Herb Dillon of the Giles Christian Coalition asked council to consider taking action to prevent the sale and distribution of pornography within the town.
"Government services across the land are being overloaded" because of conditions brought about by pornography, Dillon said.
"We are in the midst of an onslaught on traditional family values," he said. "We can no longer walk by an adult video rental place and say that it is not our problem."
He told council he believed the theory of evolution is "a hoax and a farce" that likely has caused some of the problems because it proposes "that we are descended from animals and feel it's acceptable to conduct ourselves as such."
Dillon handed out literature to each council member and requested that more time be set aside for his organization at next month's meeting.
The Giles Christian Coalition already has addressed town councils in Narrows and Rich Creek, he said.
Mayor Frank Winston said he appreciated the group's concerns and that council would consider allowing them more time on next month's agenda.
by CNB