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

DATE: FRIDAY, December 23, 1994                   TAG: 9412230125
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

STATE OKS COLLECTION PLAN FOR WASTE

A more efficient means of collecting garbage in the New River Valley is one step closer to reality now that the State Corporation Commission has approved plans for the Montgomery County Regional Solid Waste Authority.

The authority, which will be fully operational in July, will be responsible for collecting trash in Montgomery County, Blacksburg and Christiansburg and at Virginia Tech.

Montgomery Supervisor Joe Gorman, who also is vice chairman of the Solid Waste Authority, said he was pleased with the commission's quick approval.

"We didn't expect it this soon, but we're glad they've gone ahead and passed the charter so fast," Gorman said Thursday. "We've worked as a team for a long time and we all think this is a good thing."

Other members who will serve on the Waste Authority board include Christiansburg Town Manager John Lemley, Adele Schirmer of Blacksburg, Spencer Hall of Virginia Tech and an at-large member, L. Allen Bowman of Litton Poly-Scientific in Blacksburg.

With the state's go-ahead in place, fees going to the county landfill - which is predicted to be full by Jan. 1, 1999 - can be transferred to the authority to help with operatation costs. Also, about 20 employees will be transferred from the county to the authority's new operation.

The authority also plans to build a new recycling center to serve the region, which will bring the county in line with state mandates requiring localities to recycle 25 percent of their trash.

Gorman said people who have their trash collected at the curb should not see a difference in their service.

"I would expect to see no change in costs to the customer," Gorman said. "They won't see any difference in cost or degree of service, but it will allow us to keep costs down on the operational level because it's more efficient."

The next step for the authority includes a plan to merge with the New River Resource Authority which currently of trash in Radford and Pulaski County and is building a new, larger landfill in Pulaski County. However, state law prohibits one authority from joining with another. Authority officials are trying to have that law changed.

"At the time, authorities weren't that common," Gorman said. "But now, they're easier to work with - I think it's just an oversight that [the law] was never changed. All the people we've talked to say it should move pretty smoothly."

by CNB