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

DATE: THURSDAY, May 4, 1995                   TAG: 9505040067
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWN WILL COMPETE FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Mayor Andy Graham said the town will compete for the Virginia Municipal League's annual Achievement Award, entering by the May 12 deadline.

Graham told Town Council Tuesday that the town has a lot to be proud of, including the restoration of its historic train station building, which now houses the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce and the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Museum.

He said the town can show economic progress in its revived downtown business section, with new stores having filled formerly empty buildings along Main Street and elsewhere.

Graham said Pulaski's town government wisely preserved federal Urban Development Action Grant money it had obtained for an industrial expansion loan, as it was repaid, for additional loans to other businesses and industries. The town is also working to bring New River Trail State Park two miles farther into town to end at the renovated depot building.

The town has formed a Board of Economic Development that is working to expand the success of Main Street and downtown Pulaski to the rest of the town and beyond.

Thirty citizens were named to that board about two months ago. Three of them - Robert Hudson, Kevin Meadows and Robert Henderson - have since had to step down, and council's Human Resources Committee will be meeting with board charwoman Sybil Atkinson about replacing them.

The meeting opened with a standing-room-only crowd of Pulaski County High School students and parents, the largest crowd Graham said he had seen at a council session in his more than two decades with the governing body.

They were there to receive resolutions citing them as honor students. It was the second year council had held the recognition ceremony, but it had included only seniors last year instead of all four high school grades.

The governing body honored the late Marvin G. Graham, who was mayor from 1948 to 1950, a three-term House of Delegates member, and circuit court clerk for 23 years. Graham died last week.

Council also passed a resolution honoring Assistant Finance Director Anita Taylor, who served as acting finance director after Mildred Bolen's resignation last September until last month's appointment of Max Beyer to the position. Taylor, in turn, credited the staff for the office operations continuing at a competent level during the interim.

Town Manager Tom Combiths said the kickoff campaign for a cleaner town would be Saturday at Jackson Park, where volunteers will be issued gloves and trash bags. Cleanup activities will continue for two more Saturdays after that.