ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 24, 1996 TAG: 9605240087
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
The Roanoke County School Board will spend up to $125,000 for a consultant's study to develop a new package of projects that it hopes will end the division among voters on funding school improvements in the county.
The board voted Thursday night to hire Martin & Associates, a Roanoke Valley architectural and engineering firm, to assess school needs throughout the county following last month's defeat of a bond issue for a new Cave Spring High School.
The consultants will study each county school, determine deficiencies and recommend improvements. They will meet with parents and staffs at the schools to get their views and hold a series of public meetings during the study that could last six months or longer.
The board will also appoint a 20-member citizens committee, with four representatives from each magisterial district, to rank the projects in priority, said Chairman Jerry Canada.
Each member of the School Board and Board of Supervisors will choose two people from the district they represent.
"This is not going to be a North County, East County, West County or South County study. It will be a countywide study," said Ron Martin, a spokesman for the firm.
"We know this is one of the most important projects for the county and we are ready to get started."
But the study won't be finished in time for another bond referendum in November because the public meetings won't be held until this fall.
School officials decided to do the study to counter complaints of favoritism that arose in the bond referendum campaign. Ninety percent of the defeated $37.4 million bond issue would have been spent on a new Cave Spring High.
Some parents in Southwest County had urged the board to hire the Moseley-McClintock Group, a Richmond-based architectural and engineering firm that recommended the new high school, to do the countywide study.
But other residents contended it would be difficult for the firm to be objective in the new study.
"Because they had recommended one big high school, some people thought it would be a conflict to hire them to do the overall study," said Tom Leggette, a board member.
"We have nothing against Moseley-McClintock, but Martin & Associates has done an excellent job for us on many projects," Canada said. "No matter whom we chose, I am sure some people would have disagreed."
Martin & Associates has worked on county school projects for more than 15 years. It is providing architectural and engineering services for several current projects: the Fort Lewis Elementary renovation, William Byrd High addition and Cave Spring Junior High air conditioning.
Superintendent Deanna Gordon said the firm's fee will not exceed $125,000, which she described as reasonable. She noted that the board paid $70,000 to Moseley-McClintock for the Southwest County and Cave Spring High study.
Gordon said she expects Martin & Associates will "revisit the high school issue" as part of the overall study, but she doesn't know whether the firm will reach any different conclusions.
Canada said school officials don't want to rush the consultants and citizens' panel that will be named to rank the projects.
"This will help determine the future of schools in the county and we want it to be thorough," he said. "If it takes five months or six months, that is fine."
School officials have said the cost of the proposed improvements could be higher than the previous bond issue because an earlier five-year capital plan included school projects totaling more than $70 million.
The School Board will choose the projects and decided on the amount of funds it will seek. The supervisors will decide whether to hold another referendum or to finance the improvements through the Virginia Public School Authority without asking voters to approve them.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB