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

DATE: FRIDAY, March 31, 1995                   TAG: 9503310047
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

The new owner of a long-vacant building on the Roanoke City Market said Thursday he is negotiating leases with two retailers and a service company and expects to reopen the structure by fall.

Martin Hellkamp, who described himself as a Roanoke entrepreneur who has redeveloped other old properties, said a national retail chain, a local retailer and a local service firm have expressed interest in occupying about 60 percent of the building at Campbell Avenue and Williamson Road. Hellkamp bought the three-story building at auction Wednesday. He paid $162,750 for the 13,500-square-foot structure to John Voit, who owned it for two years and did a partial renovation.

Hellkamp said he plans to spend about $180,000 on renovations that would preserve the historical nature and therefore the tax advantages of owning the 85-year-old building.

- Staff report

Cox to use cable for phone service

ATLANTA - Cox Communications Inc. plans to use its high-tech cable television systems to offer local telephone service in markets nationwide within three years.

The Atlanta-based telecommunications company, parent of Cox Cable Roanoke, said Thursday it will expand into telephone services as part of an alliance with Sprint and two cable TV conglomerates, Tele-Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp.

Led by Sprint, the alliance said it would spend $4.4 billion to upgrade its members' cable systems to offer cable TV, local and long-distance telephone service and wireless communications. These services would be sold under Sprint's brand name.

Cox Cable Roanoke, which last year completed installation of fiber optic cable to support the added service to its 55,000 customers in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Vinton, would launch the phone service after 1996, because of current restrictions under Virginia law.

"It's in our business plans to do it, to offer residential wired service and wireless personal communications," said Johnny Benson, plant operations manager for Cox Cable Roanoke. Cox Communications has 3.2 million cable television customers in 82 markets.

- Staff and wire reports

Briefly ...

Waldvogel, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group Inc. has been appointed leasing agent for Fralin and Waldron Office Park buildings B, C and D in Roanoke County. The firm said there is about 22,350 square feet of space available in the 100,000-square-foot park. The company has been handling the leasing of Fralin & Waldron Office Park building F since it opened 18 months ago. That building is 97 percent occupied.

Toray Industries Inc. of Tokyo, a plastics manufacturer, will build a $50 million foam plant that will bring 120 jobs to Warren County by 1998. Opening is scheduled for April 1997. The plant, to be built on 90 acres near Front Royal, will make foam for parts of car interiors.