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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 27, 1994                   TAG: 9404280013
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

5 PEOPLE NOMINATED FOR SEATS ON RADFORD SCHOOL BOARD

Paul Barnett, Bruce Chase, Patricia Palmer, Chris Strange and Guy Wohlford were the nominees offered during a public hearing to consider candidates for the West I and West II seats. Wohlford - appointed to fill the remaining term of John McPhail, who resigned last year - wants to be appointed to a full term. School Board member Betty Plott did not seek a second term.

Strange unsuccessfully sought appointment to the board last year.

Interviews for School Board candidates have been set for May 23 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council chambers.

In other business, council awarded a $272,114 contract and agreed to spend an additional $48,954 to cover the additional costs of constructing a new softball park along the New River, just downstream from Bisset Park.

The initial bid from H. T. Bowling - the only one received - was almost $121,000 over the project budget estimate. "I think we were all somewhat shocked when the bid came in," said Councilman Gary Weddle, the city's representative on the Recreation Commission.

Recreation officials pared nearly two-thirds of the overage by having city crews do some of the work, but Recreation Commission Chairman Rick Underwood estimated the city's share of the job could be done for $10,000 less.

Under the conditions of a recreation grant from the state, the project must be substantially complete by December.

Councilman Bob Nicholson and Councilwoman Polly Corn balked at having to take additional money from contingency funds, but both voted in favor of the plan.

Work on the project is to start as soon as possible.

Council also agreed to spend another $1,500 for new 911 emergency service equipment. Among other things, the new system will add a service for the hearing-impaired, a capability already required which the current system does not have.

Assistant City Manager Bob Lloyd said City Council may wish to raise the 911 tax to pay for the increase.

City Engineer Jim Hurt reported that city crews had collected nearly 2,300 tons of ice-storm debris, including more than 900 tons in the past two weeks. It has cost the city almost $475,000 so far, he said. He estimated the city was about 70 percent finished collecting the debris.

The city-owned electric power system also sustained an estimated $700,000 to $1 million in damage, he said.

"We're trying our best to get it wrapped up by the end of May," Hurt said of the brush cleanup.

The city has applied for federal disaster relief funds to help recover some of its losses.