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

DATE: FRIDAY, January 27, 1995                   TAG: 9501270038
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                  LENGTH: Medium

CITY HOPES TO DEAL DOWN PRICE OF VOTING MACHINES

You snooze, you lose might be the message for Radford City Council, which had wanted to buy three used voting machines from Albemarle County for $500 each. While city officials waited on paperwork to authorize the purchase, the price jumped to $1,295 after Virginia Election Services of Richmond snatched up all of Albemarle's surplus machines to refurbish and resell.

Voter Registrar Tracy Howard told council Monday he's confident the company will drop its price somewhat. "The first thing he did was come down to $1,250," Howard said of his initial contact with a Virginia Election Services salesman. The machines would be reconditioned and have a five-year warranty.

Howard said he couldn't recommend the city agree to the higher price and plans to try to wangle a better deal.

In other business, City Council:

Voted unanimously to send area state lawmakers a letter supporting restoration of Radford University and Virginia Tech funds that Gov. George Allen has recommended be cut. Councilmen Bill Yerrick and Bob Nicholson both are Radford University employees.

Unanimously approved plans to apply for $15,000 in Virginia Department of Forestry matching grant money to plant trees in the city. Mayor Tom Starnes indicated this would probably be the last year the city would seek the beautification funds, while Nicholson worried about the city's buying more trees but not putting dollars aside to maintain them.

OK'd spending nearly $82,500 to buy two new 64-passenger buses to replace two of the city's aging units, and almost $72,500 for a couple of combination cab chassis-dump truck units.

Heard a flood damage estimate of $50,000 from City Manager Bob Asbury, who reported most of the damage occurred in the area of the new softball park along the New River. Flood waters also affected Bisset Park.

Agreed to Randal Duncan's request to close two rights-of-way at the west end of the 700 block of Third Street. The city staff will set a value on the property involved. Duncan is Radford's commonwealth's attorney.

Approved the reappointments of James Graham and John Giesen to the Planning Commission.

Set March 4 as the date for a budget work session.

by CNB