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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 27, 1993                   TAG: 9310280363
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

JEFFERSON'S NO LONGER A SCHOOL, BUT IT'S STILL A BUSY PLACE|

On the contrary, it now houses the county's Office on Youth, including that agency's clothing bank of donated goods; the preschool Head Start program; the school system's Adult Education program; and space for some private firms renting space from the county.

The School Board turned the building in Pulaski over to Pulaski County once it was no longer being used for classes. The closing was part of a response to the school system's loss of about 100 students a year for the past decade.

Its students now attend one of the three remaining elementary schools in the town of Pulaski - Critzer, Claremont or Northwood.

A task force of 41 people chosen from throughout the county has been formed to come up with recommendations on the use of school buildings from now into the next century. It will have its organizational meeting Thursday night.

If it turns out that other schools must be closed, Jefferson could be demonstrating some of the ways in which the former classroom space can be converted to other uses.

There had been some concern on the Board of Supervisors over the possibility of the county finding itself with empty buildings and having no use for them. It had even been suggested that selling them at public auction, to at least get the properties into private taxpaying hands, might be better than keeping them.

All that remains to be seen. The committee of supervisors and School Board members that recommended studying that matter has not suggested closing any schools.

Meanwhile, Jefferson continues to serve the community and still has space available to rent. A group trying to establish an emergency shelter for young people has considered locating its operation initially in the former school.

A community physical fitness program is also to be located in the building's multipurpose room, starting in November.

For a 50-cent per day donation, people are invited to walk there Monday through Friday at any time from 12 noon to 2 p.m. to fast-moving music provided for the program.