Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 9, 1993                   TAG: 9309090377
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CITY GRANTS ADMINISTRATOR TO START HER OWN BUSINESS MARIE PONTIUS LEAVES

Pontius, who worked for the city for nearly 10 years, said she wanted a break from her heavy workload.

"I thought it was time to move on before I was burned out," she said. "I talked to a number of people about it and decided to make the change now."

She oversaw the distribution of all federal grants received by the city and made sure the city complied with all regulations.

She worked closely with neighborhood leaders in distribution of more than $2 million a year in federal community development block grants for housing, economic development and other projects.

Pontius also helped oversee the city's enterprise plan for minority- and women-owned businesses.

At City Council's request, city officials have expanded their effort to recruit more minority- and women-owned companies for city projects.

Councilman William White has complained that minority businesses are not getting a fair share of the work.

To help ensure that minority and women-owned businesses have an equal opportunity for work on the Hotel Roanoke, the city created a team to help recruit them.

As a consultant, Pontius will help write and administer grant applications for community agencies and localities. While she expects to work mainly with smaller localities, she said larger cities often need assistance on grants.