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

DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993                   TAG: 9310070416
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV17   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                  LENGTH: Short

JUST 1 `DEBATES' BONDS' MERITS

A group of retired Virginia Tech faculty and staff tried to lure its members Wednesday with doughnuts, coffee and the promise of a discussion of pros and cons of two bond referendums on the Montgomery County ballot this fall.

But the morning snacks drew less than two dozen members, and half of the scheduled program - Supervisor Joe Stewart of Shawsville - didn't show.

The other half, Supervisor Jim Moore of Blacksburg, ran through a 45-minute presentation on the separate $1.88 million bond referendum for library renovation and expansion in Blacksburg and $2.9 million referendum for a new Health and Human Services building in Christiansburg.

Moore gave the reasoning behind the proposals, and concentrated on the Health and Human Services project, for which an organized campaign, led by retired Tech education professor Dan B. Fleming, has only this week begun. Library supporters, in contrast, have been on the case for weeks. Voters rejected similar initiatives three years ago.

This summer, Moore's vote broke a 3-3 deadlock on the library issue among the supervisors and placed the questions on the ballot. Stewart opposed both measures.

by CNB