ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 1996 TAG: 9606120032
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to deed the Falling Branch Industrial Park to its own Industrial Development Authority.
But the supervisors still want to recoup from the authority what it cost to buy the land, some $1.2 million.
Supervisors Ira Long and Nick Rush were strong proponents for the repayment. But Chairman Henry Jablonski said if the money stayed with the authority, it could be used as collateral for future ventures.
Jablonski cautioned that the board needed to streamline procedures with Falling Branch because "every decision is having to come back to this board
Montgomery County launched the 165-acre Falling Branch Industrial Park, beside Interstate 81 in Christiansburg, three years ago to bring new high-tech jobs to the New River Valley. The park remains vacant, though, because of the lack of roads, grading and water and sewer lines.
But recently, the county received word that money for those projects may be on the way.
The federal Rural Economic and Community Development agency will give the authority $1 million and an 80 percent guarantee on $3.5 million in bank loans. To get the money, one of the things that has to happen is putting the deed in the authority's name.
But the supervisors weren't willing to just sign away the deed no questions asked, and had Jablonski negotiate a contract for the transfer. The board approved it 5-1 after changing wording to ensure the county is reimbursed for the Falling Branch land purchases.
Supervisor Joe Stewart voted no, and Supervisor Mary Biggs was absent.
Supervisors Long and Joe Gorman said returning the money to the county would be a good-faith honor of the original intentions and would increase county reserves.
In other business, the supervisors voted to allow the School Board to use up to $44,000 for additional studies involving proposed new school sites. The money, taken from bond proceeds for the new elementary school in Riner, breaks down as follows:
* $14,000 for additional architectural drawings for the new elementary school in Riner.
Riner parents would like a larger gym than has been designed so it could serve the recreational needs of the community, not just students. A larger gym could add an additional $350,000 to the $8.1 million school.
* Up to $30,000 to pay for a study to validate a document that is the basis for a 20-year growth plan for county schools.
Based on a study produced by Kinsey-Shane & Associates of Salem, school administrators planned four new buildings to alleviate immediate overcrowded conditions in two Riner-area elementary schools, Blacksburg and Christiansburg middle schools and Shawsville high school.
Last month, the School Board learned that the acreage planned for a new Blacksburg middle school may be under state requirements. The state requires a middle school of 1,200 pupils - the planned size for the Blacksburg middle school - to be at least 22 acres. The School Board wants to tear down the current middle school and build a new facility but the acreage appears to be less than the minimum 22.
School Superintendent Herman Bartlett said the entire study needs to regain credibility. The School Board voted to check the entire facilities study for accuracy and to have the middle school site surveyed.
Monday, the supervisors approved $2,500 for the site survey and, by a 5-1 vote, up to $30,000 to re-examine the entire facilities study. Gorman voted no. He wants the county to hire a value-engineering firm to look at the school needs survey and the construction plans.
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