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

DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995                   TAG: 9510270060
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

COUNTY GIVES ARCHITECT THE BOOT

Montgomery County abruptly terminated its contract with a Roanoke architectural firm this week for construction management at the new health and human services building.

The decision came after a closed-door session Monday night. In public, the board passed a two-paragraph resolution that gives 30-days notice to end the construction-management portion of its contract with Kinsey-Shane & Associates, "good cause having been shown."

The resolution does not explain what the "good cause" was.

"There was no public discussion on that," said Jeff Lunsford, assistant county administrator. "There won't be any public comment on termination of it. It's one of those practical matters."

Martin O'Toole, the county's engineer, also declined to provide details, other than to say it was in the best interest of the county to terminate Kinsey-Shane's role in construction management. He's taking over that job.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Linkous said several factors contributed to the decision, including an ongoing conflict between the county engineer and the firm. He declined to give specifics, citing the likelihood of litigation.

"We have no problem at all with their architectural ability or their design of the building," Linkous said. "It's just the day-to-day management part we had some problems with and have asked to be terminated."

Kinsey-Shane official Francis Shane, through a secretary, had no comment Thursday.

The firm remains the architect of record for the project, which is being built by its design.

The project is slightly behind its original schedule. It had been as much as a month behind during the summer, primarily because of June rains, O'Toole said. But work picked up recently and the builder, Breakell Inc. General Contractors, is now shooting for an April 3 finish, he said.

The new building, on Pepper Street in downtown Christiansburg, will consolidate the Health Department and the county's Department of Social Services under one roof. It's being paid for primarily with the proceeds of a $2.9 million general obligation bond issue that voters approved two years ago.

by CNB