Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090118
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RON BROWN
DATELINE: FINCASTLE LENGTH: Medium
The referendum provides $13.6 million for two new county middle schools, plus another $6.1 million for various capital projects.
County officials have said that the bonds will help ease overcrowding in some county elementary schools that now house sixth-grade classes.
Under the new middle-school concept, grades six through nine will be housed in new schools at Fincastle and Cloverdale.
In the early evening, the bond referendum appeared to be falling behind as votes came in from precincts in the Buchanan and Fincastle districts. Voters in those two districts strongly rejected the package, which was offered by the Board of Supervisors and the county School Board.
Shortly after 9 p.m., as returns started coming in from the heavily populated south county - particularly around Daleville, Cloverdale and Blue Ridge - the bond referendum started to surge ahead.
By 10 p.m., it had a 400-vote lead countywide with only the Cloverdale precinct vote outstanding. The final vote victory margin was widened further when the Cloverdale precinct reported that 900 out of 1,200 voters approved.
School Board Chairman Ray Sprinkle said he was pleased with the result.
"It lets the School Board move ahead on seven years' worth of planning," he said. "It allows us to move on with middle-school education. It was the right thing to do."
Griffith, who may very well have lost his seat because of his support of the bond referendum, said he also was pleased.
"I think it is a step forward for Boteourt County," he said.
With 16 of 16 precincts reporting.
Yes -5,272--56%
No -4,163--44%
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.