ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 2, 1996 TAG: 9607020031
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
The town of Pulaski will be represented by the New River Valley Planning District Commission on the New Century Council, an umbrella organization to help push the interests of the New River and Roanoke valleys.
The commission may end up representing some or all of its New River Valley localities. It has been working for the past three months with the New Century Council on concerns by some of its member governments with the council vision statement.
The commission agreed Thursday night to become a partner organization with the New Century Council and offered to represent its localities in that capacity. On Friday morning, Pulaski Town Council became the first governing body to accept that representation, naming the commission as its liaison to the council for all future activities.
Council will be seating new members today and will hear a further report on the decision.
The concerns included some of the 150 strategies contained in the council's vision statement. But outgoing commission Chairman Joe Sheffey, who is also chairman of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors, noted that the council apparently will only be pursuing those strategies with a significant level of support.
"One of the principal concerns that the commission has with the New Century Council's bylaws is that there is no indication of a process to achieve a consensus on which strategies are to be pursued," Sheffey said in a letter to New Century Council Chairman Thomas R. Brock Jr. of Roanoke. "The bylaws speak directly to the implementation of all strategies."
The commission is asking the council to revise its bylaws, focus on overall policies acceptable to all New Century Council governments and leave local issues to the localities.
Sheffey said the commission stands ready to help the council board become a stronger voice in achieving regional goals if its board is willing to address those concerns. "The Planning District Commission is very aware of the importance of working in larger regions where specific circumstances offer enhanced benefits," he said.
In other Pulaski council business Friday, the Town Council approved tougher nuisance abatement regulations such as trash, abandoned buildings and junked cars. It had considered requiring property owners to keep weeds within 100 feet of a street or building trimmed to 12 inches, but decided to leave the existing 18-inch limit.
"We hope that this will enable us to begin to clean up the town," said Councilwoman Betty Steger, chairwoman of a committee that recommended the more strict measures, which went into effect Monday.
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