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

DATE: TUESDAY, July 18, 1995                   TAG: 9507180085
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

THE NEW CENTURY COUNCIL

What it is: The council is a volunteer organization created in the fall of 1993 to write a 20-year blueprint for the future of the Roanoke and New River valleys and Alleghany Highlands area - an area of nine counties and five independent cities that 450,000 people call home.

What happened Monday: The council released the second instalment of its 250-page report. The first part came out last week.

What happens next: The final section will be released July 24. A framework for implementing the plan is to be announced by the council in late July or August.

Who's involved: The council's 33-member steering committee is headed by Thomas Robertson, president of Carilion Health Systems, a Roanoke-based operator of hospitals, and Paul Torgersen, president of Virginia Tech. Executive director of the council is Beverly Fitzpatrick Jr. of Roanoke, a former banker and Roanoke City Council member. The state has provided $600,000 in funding.

by CNB