THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, June 19, 1995                  TAG: 9506190026
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Medium:   64 lines

ALLEN URGED TO HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON GASTON A LAWMAKER SAYS CONCERNS CAN'T BE IRONED OUT IN 8 DAYS.

The chairman of a House of Delegates subcommittee on the proposed Lake Gaston pipeline said Sunday that Gov. George F. Allen should sponsor a series of community meetings if he ever expects the House to reach consensus on the project.

Del. Franklin P. Hall, D-Richmond, wrote Allen a letter Friday saying residents of Virginia's Roanoke River basin feel left out of a proposed settlement between Virginia Beach and North Carolina on the long-running water dispute.

The proposed agreement calls for the 76-mile pipeline to draw as much as 60 million gallons a day from Lake Gaston. It also would give North Carolina rights to another 15 million gallons from the pipeline and 20 million gallons from the lake, and limit how Roanoke River basin localities may use their water.

Roanoke River basin residents ``perceive that a deal has been cut and that they have been cut out,'' Hall, chairman of the 10-member Special House Committee on Lake Gaston, said.

``What we're saying is governor, you need to meet with these folks and personally understand how deeply and strongly this is felt,'' he said.

Allen has expressed concern in recent weeks that the proposed accord does not do enough to protect the economic welfare and other interests of Roanoke River basin residents.

Allen spokesman Ken Stroupe did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press on Sunday.

Both Virginia and North Carolina legislators have only until Tuesday of next week - June 27 - to approve the pipeline compact. Virginia legislators would have to convene for a special session to consider the agreement.

Hall said he thinks it is important that Allen sponsor town meetings in the affected areas with legislators, local government officials and business leaders before convening a special session.

Leaders of the General Assembly appointed the House subcommittee and a similar panel in the Senate to work out any problems with the proposed agreement.

But Hall said that a series of public hearings already has shown that the proposed pact cannot be ironed out in eight days.

``It's clear that based on the hearings we've already had that there is a deeply held perception that this thing simply isn't fair,'' Hall said. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Del. Franklin P. Hall, chairman of a House subcommittee on the

proposed Lake Gaston pipeline, says community meetings are needed

for the House to reach consensus on the project.

He wrote a letter to Gov. George F. Allen saying residents of the

Roanoke River basin feel they have been bypassed by the proposed

settlement between Virginia Beach and North Carolina.

KEYWORDS: LAKE GASTON PIPELINE by CNB