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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 27, 1995                   TAG: 9504270036
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWN MEETINGS WERE GOOD IDEA, COUNCIL SAYS

Mayor Andy Graham said Tuesday night's meeting at Pulaski Middle School was the last of three town meetings where council and administrative staff members went out into the community to try to involve more citizens in town government.

The first attempt, held at the New River emergency squad building March 28, proved discouraging when nobody from the public showed up. The next one April 11 at the Howard Community Center drew a good crowd and a lot of suggestions for council initiatives and meeting neighborhood needs.

The final town meeting had nine people from the public attending, and some of them gave council an earful.

Polly Mitchell, a former council member, and several others complained of a lot that needed cleaning up and inquired critically into some town operations.

But they did express appreciation for town officials to move out of the Municipal Building to hold these meetings. And Mitchell had some positive comments as well, including her impression that the treasurer's office had improved recently both in politeness to customers and efficiency in processing check payments and reading meters on time.

Paul Etzel, owner of the Renaissance Restaurant in the downtown business section, said the Police Department had obviously made a watch on Jackson Park a high priority. He said conditions in the park have improved remarkably.

He suggested that the town take a look at the traffic signal at 5th Street and Washington Avenue, where there is a caution light in one direction, a blinking red light in another, and a stop sign at a third. He said there have already been several accidents at the confusing intersection. "I think it's a disaster waiting to happen," he said.

Other recommendations from citizens included one that council and its Board of Economic Development have heard before: making entrances to the town more attractive.

"That's going to have to be worked in our budget," Graham said. "But that is being addressed and being worked on."

Town Manager Tom Combiths said it is interesting that the meeting is coming just before council starts working on its 1995-96 budget, the single document that governs town actions more than anything else for 12 months.

Now that council has tried three community meetings with varying degrees of success, Graham said, it will evaluate them and decide whether to continue having them.

Etzel suggested that one council member might hold a meeting somewhere in the community each month, rather than assembling the entire council each time. "What you've started here has been good," he said.