ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, December 1, 1995 TAG: 9512010014
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
After two community meetings about what to do with the overcrowded middle school, Blacksburg residents remain in the same place they were a few months ago: Stuck.
Wednesday night, about 40 citizens once again gathered in the school auditorium to share opinions about whether to renovate the facility or build a new site outside of downtown.
On one side of the issue leaned parents and teachers who've been studying the various options for more than a year. As part of a county-wide plan to alleviate overcrowded conditions in all four strands, the Blacksburg group recommended building a new school.
During the meeting, committee members presented pros and cons to both options, but admitted they still considered a new building to be a better option.
"The thing we have to keep in mind is that while it is a value to have the school downtown, that shouldn't be the driving force," said member Susan DiSalvo. "We should be considering what is the best thing for the kids."
On the other side were people like downtown merchant and former Montgomery County Superintendent Arnold Saari, who said he and other store owners enjoy seeing middle school children downtown.
"Aside from a few skate-boarders, we co-exist very well," he said. "It's probably advantageous for kids to be in a clean, safe environment."
Saari echoed several other comments when he said Blacksburg should not be part of a "paper plate syndrome" that abandons older downtown buildings for new ones outside of town.
Somewhere in the middle were parents and teachers whose elementary school-age children will feel the impact of the final decision. Several parents, who remember working or going to school during construction projects, said they didn't want their children's education compromised by disruption.
Blacksburg Town Council plans to make a resolution stating its opinion after the Planning Commission meets next week. The town facilities committee will recommend an option to the School Board in the next few weeks, after reviewing this latest round of comments.
Principal Gary McCoy said his faculty couldn't come to a consensus either.
"As 80 people who have a vested interest in their workplace, we're probably split down the middle. It's a lot to weigh."
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB