Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150050
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
His first project: a video-rental store and game room in the basement of the Lancer Truck Stop in Ironto, near his Elliston home.
But half of Lawson's dream died Monday when the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors unanimously defeated his request for a special-use permit to run the amusement arcade.
Supervisors Joe Gorman and Jim Moore wouldn't support growth at the truck stop, which has a long history of having a malfunctioning septic system. The state Health Department has received six complaints about raw sewage on the ground since 1986.
The truck stop, owned by Henry Brabham of Vinton, has made repairs each time, most recently in 1992. Yet a Jan. 26 inspection found the septic system again malfunctioning in four separate areas, according to a New River Health District report.
Supervisor Joe Stewart, who represents the area, also wouldn't support the project because of the sewage problems, concerns about crime and the "lack of police protection" at the truck stop. He mentioned the double murder of a clerk and a trucker at Lancer a year ago. The gunman later committed suicide.
Lawson wasn't there to defend his plan. He wanted to place several video games and pool tables in rented basement space and needed the permit to comply with Montgomery's zoning ordinance.
Lawson said he didn't know the meeting was scheduled for Monday; he'd thought it would be held Tuesday night. "This has really caught me by surprise."
At the Jan. 23 public hearing on the project, there was only one speaker with questions, and no major opposition from the supervisors.
That night, by a 7-0 vote, the county Planning Commission recommended approval of Lawson's request, but with three conditions, including a prohibition of alcohol consumption in the arcade.
The Planning Commission "pretty much informed me that there wouldn't be a problem as far as the Board of Supervisors goes, either," Lawson said. "I just think that's wrong. They shouldn't have led me on to believe there wouldn't be a problem."
County Planning Director Joe Powers said he was sure the commission had given Lawson the correct date for the supervisors' meeting. "We might have misled him to the effect that their recommendation was unanimous and usually the board goes along with [unanimous] recommendations of the Planning Commission," Powers said.
Lawson said he still plans to open the video-rental business, which doesn't require a special-use permit. He also plans to install three video games, which would be below the threshold requiring a permit for a gaming room.
In other business Monday, the board:
Approved a free, five-year lease on a 1-acre property on Virginia 723 in the Ellett Valley where the county will build a new trash collection site. The agreement is the result of a cooperative effort between the county, the Ellett Valley Ruritan Club and the Bluegrass Partnership, which owns the land.
Approved the $19,800 purchase of two new cardiac monitor defibrillators by the Christiansburg Volunteer Rescue Squad. The county put the project out to bid twice, after the original bid specification left off some necessary functions. The supervisors accepted the highest of three bids. Rescue squad officials said the high bid had features the other two didn't include and would be cheaper in long-term maintenance costs.
Held its first regular meeting without an executive, or closed session, in recent memory. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. after less than two hours, an almost unheard of early finish in Montgomery that Chairman Larry Linkous duly noted. An executive session had been scheduled to discuss possible raises for county economic development employees, but was removed from the agenda Friday after complaints from other employees. They want the board to consider pay raises for all workers at one time during the upcoming 1995-96 budget process.
by CNB