Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 27, 1990 TAG: 9006270345
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS and MARGARET CAMLIN
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The supervisors authorized County Administrator Betty Thomas to proceed with an offer to Paul A. Powell Jr., who owns the Twin Oaks Quarter Horse Farm off Falling Branch Road.
The vote, taken in the early morning hours Tuesday, was 6-1, with Supervisor Joe Stewart dissenting.
"They want my land? That's a real surprise," Powell said Tuesday when told of the supervisors' decision.
Powell said he would prefer not to sell. But, "I'm not going to put up a resistance," he said. "I'm going to try to negotiate the thing with them. "
One question that remains is just where on the 63-acre farm the school would be built. Several supervisors said the county hoped to buy the northeast corner of the property, where Falling Branch Road intersects with an unpaved frontage road near Interstate 81.
But Powell said he would prefer to sell the western end of the property so that the scenic view of the farm from Falling Branch Road would not be obstructed.
"We're in the business of selling horses," he said, and an attractive setting is helpful.
The county had surveying done only on the eastern side, he said.
Powell said he did not know what the county would offer for the property, and the supervisors would not say.
The board asked Thomas to obtain an appraisal of the land value.
According to court records, 46 acres of Powell's land was assessed last year for tax purposes at $292,200. The county will need about 15 acres for the school.
The proposed school would be built to serve 500 children and could be expanded to 600. Superintendent Harold Dodge said no opening date can be estimated until it is known when loans will be available from the state.
The school will cost from $4.2 million to $4.5 million to build, not including the cost to buy the land and provide water and sewer service.
Supervisor Ira Long said water and sewer facilities will cost at least $250,000 more than if the county had selected land off Tower Road owned by former Supervisor Roy Collins.
"There's no question that's a problem and will be an expense we have to underwrite," said Chairwoman Ann Hess.
But Collins, who still serves on the county's Public Service Authority, had made it clear he did not want to sell - and now won't have to.
"Maybe he's got more political clout," said Powell, who was told four weeks ago that another site was more suitable.
None of the four supervisors interviewed for this story said the threat of litigation was a factor in their decision on where to build. Instead, they cited superior topography and a better location.
Another important factor was safety; Tower Road's intersection with Roanoke Street is close to the Interstate 81 exit ramp.
"For myself, the most compelling reason was safety concerns on [U.S.] 460/11," Hess said. "I don't mind spending a few hundred thousand dollars if it's going to ensure better safety for children."
Dodge said he had not been officially notified which site had been chosen, but he added, "If they have selected the Powell site, we are pleased because of the arterial entrance, the availability of bus routes, the safety of the site and the topography."
Officials also considered, and recently rejected, a third site near the Christiansburg industrial park.
The county will likely have to improve the frontage road at the Falling Branch Road site and may need to widen the bridge over the interstate. Some supervisors said it may not be wide enough to accommodate school buses.
Widening a bridge is not an overly expensive or difficult task, said John Thompson of the state Department of Transportation.
The school will be built to last at least 30 years, said William Traylor of Smithey & Boynton architects of Roanoke.
The school will be divided into two grade-level areas, with one side for kindergarten through second grade and the other for third grade through fifth. Classrooms, restrooms and other facilities at the new school will be accessible to the handicapped.
by CNB