Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004280250
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RICK LINDQUIST CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Several speakers were troubled by the fact that just two of the 12 panel members will be from Dublin, while the county will have six and the town of Pulaski will have four.
And Dublin Recreation Department member Al Carden criticized council members for not speaking out during a March joint meeting of county and town officials against what he considers an "unbalanced" committee makeup.
"Not one time at the joint meeting did any of you open your mouth," he said.
"The way I look at it, each area - Pulaski, Dublin, the county - they should have equal representation," said Tom Moore, adding that anything else would be unfair.
"It's not going to work out if one's got more representation than what the rest of us got," he said.
Dublin Recreation Department veteran Si Rasnake pressed for town and county officials to pick "recreation people" for the panel.
"I still say you'll never have a joint recreation program or a county recreation program unless recreation people run it," he said.
Rasnake predicted that, without changes, "within three months time, or before football season, the whole program will collapse," and he suggested town and county officials "take a new look at it."
Dublin, Pulaski, and Pulaski County have committed $140,000 to run the countywide program for a year starting July 1. The three jurisdictions could subsidize local recreation efforts if they chose.
Town Council candidates Colbern Linkous and Elsie Repass both came out against the countywide program altogether.
"I can see nothing in it for the town," Linkous said, adding that it would involve "More money and less representation. I'm strictly against it," he said.
"I think we should stay the way we are. We have a beautiful recreation program, said Repass, who predicted the countywide program would "cost too much."
"We've done well on our own, but the countywide program could be good," said Doug Hudson. "But it's got to be run properly, and it's got to have the right people in it," he added.
"This is not in stone," said Mayor Benny Keister.
"This is on a trial basis, a one-year trial basis, if it goes through," said Councilman David Farmer, who chairs the recreation committee.
"We want the right people on there so it will go through," said Carden, whom council later appointed to the county-wide recreation committee following a brief executive session.
Council also named Vernon Crouch, a member of the Dublin Recreation Department board of directors, as the second Dublin representative. Crouch was unable to attend Thursday's meeting.
by CNB