ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050043
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
A sightless man is not satisfied with Vinton's effort to remove what he considers a hazard posed by four newspaper boxes on a downtown street.
James W. Brammer said the only thing Vinton officials have done is to move the boxes five feet; they are still on the sidewalk.
The boxes are against the wall of the Vinton post office, and Brammer said he walks into them as he uses a cane to guide his way along the walls of buildings.
"Sidewalks are for people," he said. Brammer recently complained to Vinton Town Council, and said he had failed to get owners of the boxes to move them.
Kevin Boggess, associate planner for the town, said he is looking into other possible options to satisfy Brammer's complaint. But he said he also must consider the rights of all citizens.
Boggess said the boxes were moved about five feet to get them away from a bus stop, but could remain attached to a rail at the front of the post office. The boxes, he said, possibly could be moved onto post office property, an option he is considering.
In the meantime, Boggess has asked Brammer to try the present placement of the boxes to see if they are less objectionable in their new position.
Brammer said the situation is no better. However, the 77-year-old retired businessman said he will give town officials a chance to take action.
"I'll wait and see what council does and then take it from there," he said.
The four boxes belong to The Roanoke Times, The Vinton Messenger, USA Today and the Blue Ridge Regional Business Journal.
Brammer, who lives in Northeast Roanoke but shops in Vinton, said the boxes at the post office have bothered him for the entire six to seven years that he has been blind.
Brammer's wife frequently drives him into downtown Vinton, and then he makes his way around familiar streets.
It's not only newspaper boxes that irritate him, Brammer said. There are other containers on sidewalks such as trash cans and mailboxes, but newspaper boxes seem to be more plentiful.
Brammer contends that publishers of newspapers and other periodicals should not be selling their wares from public sidewalks.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB