Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 20, 1993 TAG: 9307200495
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Three county high schools - Northside, William Byrd and Cave Spring - have decided to hold their graduation ceremonies at the civic center again next year despite major parking problems there this year.
Bob Chapman, civic center manager, said Monday he already has reserved two dates for the high school graduations next year.
The schools will schedule their ceremonies in late afternoon and evening to avoid a potential conflict with a religious convention.
A spokeswoman for Superintendent Bayes Wilson confirmed that the county plans to use the civic center again.
The Civic Center Commission decided Monday to apologize to school officials for the parking problems that marred the ceremonies last month.
The flap occurred June 11 when the three schools held their graduations in the civic center auditorium.
On the same day, an estimated 6,000 Jehovah's Witnesses held a convention in the coliseum. They filled the parking lot, leaving no parking spaces for people attending the Northside and William Byrd graduations in the afternoon.
School officials said they did not become aware of the parking problem until the day before the ceremonies. Chapman said they were told verbally about it last year when they booked the auditorium, but no letter was sent to county officials about the potential problem.
After Chapman talked with county officials on June 10, makeshift arrangements were made to transport those attending the graduations with school buses from the schools' own parking lots, the Hotel Roanoke lot, private parking lots and on-street parking.
Chapman said failure to send a letter to county officials was an oversight.
"I could make excuses for it, but I accept responsibility for it. We have to look to the future and make sure it doesn't happen again," Chapman told the commission.
Because of the parking flap, the civic center has instituted a tickler in its computer system to alert officials to potential parking problems, Chapman said.
"It was an unfortunate situation," said Vern Danielsen, chairman of the commission. "We need to concentrate on the human aspect of things like this."
Danielsen said he will send letters of apology to Wilson and other school officials.
The Jehovah's Witnesses had booked the June 11 date for its convention in the coliseum for more than five years.
by CNB