ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300027
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on Nov. 1 in Current
Clarification
The 5 percent pay raise for Montgomery County employees does not
apply to workers for the Public Service Authority, the Montgomery
Regional Solid Waste Authority or the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.
Those employees are governed by their own boards, who set policies and
pay plans. A Wednesday story mentioning County Administrator Betty
Thomas' raise being in line with that received by other county employees
did not make that distinction.
Low-water crossings will be installed by the decade's end on Dry Run Road to help correct travel problems several residents enumerated at a public hearing before the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors last month.
Dry Run Road, located between Catawba and Mount Tabor roads in a rural area northeast of Blacksburg, is an unpaved road that has several spots where motorists must ford Dry Run.
Monday night, the supervisors voted to add the road project to its six-year secondary road plan, which is overseen by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
At last month's public hearing, residents complained that the road's condition was dangerous, costly in automobile repairs, and attracted criminals because of its remoteness.
Dan Brugh, resident engineer for the Christiansburg office of VDOT, said the $100,000 cost of the crossings will be split over two budget years, 1997-98 and 1998-99.
The new six-year plan also adds $10,000 for surfacing Flick Drive off Alleghany Springs Road near Shawsville. Residents had asked for the improvement, saying it had been promised since the 1970s but ignored.
The supervisors also added Blount Drive and Brake Road to the rural additions priority list. Both roads are in the Elliston area.
Montgomery County has about 125 miles of unpaved roads. The waiting list for pavement or other improvements is long and the money the states allots each year - usually about $1.5 million - only covers about two miles of paving.
In other business, the supervisors:
* Voted, after an executive session, to give County Administrator Betty Thomas a 5 percent pay increase. Henry Jablonski, supervisors' chairman, said the raise was the same as an across-the-board increase given to all county employees.
Thomas, a county employee since 1972, will earn $77,216 a year.
The raise, retroactive to July 1, was delayed as supervisors completed a review that began in the spring in the midst of decisions on the "smart" road, the development of Price Mountain and Thomas' absence for six weeks to recuperate from surgery.
* Voted 4 to 1, with two members absent, to award demolition and removal contracts that will help ready the Falling Branch Industrial Park for development.
A house and farm buildings need to be removed from the property, near Interstate 81's Exit 118, so grading and other site development can begin. H.T. Bowling of Radford will be paid $38,285 for doing most of the demolition. The county will receive about $2,500 from others who bid to remove the house, corn cribs, shed and other items.
Supervisor Joe Stewart voted against the resolution with a resounding "Hell, no!" He said he believed very few people saw the bid advertisement and the county could have brought more money for the house and other items by holding an auction.
Earlier this month, federal and local officials announced $4.58 million in federal loans and loan guarantees that will pay for the park's purchase and for preparing sites for new plants.
* Voted to spend $2,802 to install two automatic doors at the county courthouse.
The courthouse's front doors don't meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the county received an official complaint mentioning the possibility of legal action if the doors weren't replaced. The automatic doors will make it easier for someone with a disability to open the doors without assistance.
Thomas wrote in her agenda report that the doors are designed to withstand windy conditions, something the original automatic doors that were installed at the courthouse couldn't do. Those doors were replaced with regular doors after several breakdowns.
LENGTH: Medium: 85 linesby CNB