ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 22, 1996 TAG: 9609230097
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-18 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Natalie Doering, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, called the police to report her car stolen from Sturbridge Square apartments in January.
Doering said she had left her car's engine running and its door open for a few minutes while she helped a friend, fresh from the hospital, hobble up his building's stairs on his one good leg.
She admits she parked in a restricted area. "I just pulled up by the front door because he was on crutches."
In the 10 minutes she was gone, however, Doering's car was towed by Tek Tow. Since 1989, when local businesses, apartments and even churches began contracting for 24-hour towing, hundreds of people have been towed from private lots.
Many called the police to report their cars stolen. Some blame the town; others the towing service.
Tek Tow is the only company in Blacksburg that offers 24-hour patrolling and towing contracts to private businesses. Peyton Whited Jr., owner and operator of Tek Tow, said he deals with people every day who don't take responsibility for their actions.
"I service private property; that's my business," he said.
Business owners credit Tek Tow for solving a seemingly irreversible trend: Tech has more students each year, and each year more of them bring cars to school.
Judy Murray, co-owner of Fringe Benefit on College Avenue, said she leases a space in the Armory parking lot off Draper Road and contracts with Tek Tow to patrol during business hours. Without Tek Tow, Murray said, she would inevitably lose her parking space to people who adamantly ignore "No Parking" signs.
Murray said she was once yelled at by a Virginia Tech English professor who literally ignored the writing on the wall and returned to see her car being con-
nected to the tow truck.
Property owners, in general, agree there is no easy answer to the town's obvious parking problems. Several say they favor a parking garage.
Mayor Roger Hedgepeth said if Tech ever builds a parking garage across from Squires Student Center on College Avenue, it would be a joint venture with the town. A parking garage has been talked about for nearly a decade, but there are no definite plans, he said.
Town Manager Ron Secrist said the town is constantly looking for property to buy and turn into public parking.
Sandy Cruise is Blacksburg Baptist Church's secretary and the occasional target of insults aimed at the church for towing from its spacious lot on North Main Street.
Cruise said she has been cursed and called "un-Christian."
Before the church contracted with Tek Tow, though, Cruise said it faced a parking lot full of broken beer bottles and other trash on Sunday mornings as well as vandalism.
For apartment complexes, Tek Tow is the way to assure that residents have parking. "You have to have guidelines somewhere," said Ramona Wiley, Ridgewood Village community services director.
Tek Tow's unwilling customers, however, are a vocal group. Doering called Tek Tow's tactics "aggressive" and "inflexible." They made her leave her golf clubs as collateral while she went to the bank to get money to pay the $57 bill.
Complaints like Doering's circulate by e-mail, across coffee shop tables, and in letters to this newspaper.
As far as Doering's particular complaint, Whited challenges her claim that the car was running. "I can assure you that is not consistent with our policies. We use common sense."
Secrist said town officials continually fight the negative image towing creates.
"It is frustrating from the town's perspective," Secrist said. "It's perfectly legal. We do wish - with lot owners - we could lessen the inconvenience."
The town is now considering one action to ease criticism - an ordinance that could prevent towing from the the Armory lot, which is actually owned by the town. One Dublin man towed from the lot termed it "a fishing pool for Tek Tow."
The Town Council is considering an ordinance forbidding people who lease spaces there from towing. A public hearing is set for Oct. 8.
The town would turn policing of the spaces over to the police, who would ticket cars parked in the leased spaces.
"Our goal would be that towing only be done in extreme cases when public safety is at risk," said Secrist.
Tek Tow's owner disagrees.
"That's a good community attitude for public property," Whited said. "More important than danger ... is personal property rights."
The towing contracts cost business owners $1. After that, Tek Tow is authorized to tow from the owner's property during the hours specified. The property owner makes no money on the deal.
Whited, as owner of arguably the town's most controversial businesses, said maintaining a professional quality for his business is a priority.
Tek Tow is meticulous about whom it tows, but Whited admits there is an occasional mistake.
"If I could have computers drive my trucks I would never [make a mistake]," he said.
Whited tells people who demand to talk to whoever authorized the towing contract that he will not reveal those names "unless in the controlled environment of a court of law."
Whited charges $57 plus $10 a day storage after the first 24 hours when he tows an illegally parked car. Add an extra $15 if a dolly is needed, and another $15 if the person picks up the car after regular office hours.
Even if the person walks up while the car is being hooked up to the tow truck, he charges $25 . State law specifically addresses this issue and $25 is the maximum fee allowed.
Whited admitted his towing prices are $10-$15 higher than that of other local businesses, such as Campus Exxon, which charges a base fee of $45. He said the difference is towing fees are his main source of income, and he provides a fenced lot with security cameras for towed cars. No other tow truck service in town has the same accommodations, he said.
One downtown business manager found himself caught by the very towing company he employs.
Mark Leach, manager of Blue Ridge Outdoors, was towed from his leased space in the Armory lot and billed $110 to get his car back. He asked Tek Tow to develop the film it shoots on every towing.
"One tire was slightly over the line," Leach said of the photograph. "He gave me my money back."
Leach still uses Tek Tow to tow cars parked in the company's leased space, but the agreement lets him call Tek Tow first and make an effort to find the car's owner before he tows. "From our business perspective, we don't want to make anyone mad," Leach said.
LENGTH: Long : 147 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Alan Kim. 1. It usually takes less than 10 minutes for aby CNBTek Tow driver to hitch up a car and haul it to the impoundment lot
(Ran on NRV-1). 2. Within 30 minutes of being called to Burger King
in Blacksburg for eight cars to tow, "Mike" enters the impound lot
(above) with the first car. By the time he returned for the third
car, the rest were gone. 3. A sign at Blacksburg Baptist Church
warns would-be illegal parkers. 4. Peyton Whited (above), owner of
TekTow, with a "customer presentation" photo album documenting all
warning signs at parking spaces. For those who claim their cars were
impounded unfaily, Whited says "There is no deception involved in
our business, and we're very serious about it." 5. A TekTow employee
tightens the dolly on a four-wheel drive vehicle (left) illegally
parked at Burger King in Blacksburg. Used to protect the drivetrain,
there is a $15 additional charge if a dolly is required. 6. Cruising
around in search of parking violators, a TekTow employee checks for
a proper parking sticker on a car at one of the apartment complexes
under contract with TekTow. color. 7. Tek Tows office manager lets
out a car being picked up. The gate is locked open only wide enough
for people to get through and unlocked when cars are brought in or
leaving. Graphic: Charts. 1. Cars towed. 2. When people get towed.
Map by staff. KEYWORDS: MGR (2)