Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 11, 1994 TAG: 9402140328
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
With four months left in the 1993-94 fiscal year, the program will have only $2,905 of its total revenue of $84,718 left if it continues advertising as planned.
Town Manager Tom Combiths told members of Town Council's Finance and Utility Committees on Thursday that Main Street probably will need more than that to finish the year.
Program officials did not request more money from council on Thursday and they may be able to raise more money themselves, Combiths said.
Main Street already raised $5,652 of its 1993-94 budget, from fund-raisers and membership drives. The town has put $79,066 into Main Street this fiscal year.
Main Street actually has $17,389 left at this point, but it also has $4,564 in outstanding bills, $4,000 reserved for director Roscoe Cox's salary, and anticipates additional bills of $5,920 for current advertising contracts.
Combiths said Main Street Board President Billy Smith and Cox ``realize that what they have set out for an advertising program to the end of the year, they're not going to be able to fund.''
Cox has repeatedly stressed the need for a strong advertising program to continue drawing shoppers and visitors to Pulaski's downtown art and antique stores and restaurants, among other businesses.
In other business, both committees agreed to recommend that council set a public hearing for 7 p.m. March 15 on proposed water-rate changes, and that $30,938 be appropriated from the town's Urban Development Action Grant funds to complete the renovation of the train station given to the town by Norfolk Southern Corp.
A water study by Ernst & Young, consultants hired by the town, recommends reducing the number of billing categories from seven to three, adopting a fixed charge and availability charges for each connection, and billing on consolidated flows.
A consolidated flow would be when, for example, a single industry is using water in the same general area even though it might have more than one meter. It could take advantage of the highest block use rate which would be lower than the first and second blocks, based on volume.
It could also apply to apartments where the landlord pays the entire water bill.
To complete the train station renovation in the next few months, the committees recommend hiring two full-time temporary laborers to work with town staff members on the job. The alternative was to hire a contractor to complete the work, costing an estimated $70,000 to $100,000. A request for the $30,938 to cover the laborers' salaries and some equipment to be purchased will probably be made at council's next meeting Tuesday.
The former depot will house the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, which now has office space in the municipal building, and serve as a visitors center for people coming to Pulaski.
The council members agreed to hire Bob Henderson of Pulaski to design and update a new town brochure, as well as designing a town logo. About 15,000 copies of the brochure will be made. The last one was designed in 1987.
by CNB