
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 22, 1993                   TAG: 9307220440
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

2 ABSENT FROM COUNCIL, BUT ON THE MEND

Mayor Harold Linkous looked somewhat lonely during Tuesday night's Town Council meeting, flanked as he was by empty chairs normally occupied by Truman Daniel and Ann Carter, both of whom have been ailing lately.

Daniel underwent open-heart bypass surgery July 1, and Carter broke both legs in a fall June 13. Both are on the mend, they say.

"I'm feeling real good now. Things are looking good," Daniel said from his home. "I had no damage to my heart, they told me. I feel very fortunate."

Daniel, 69, said he expects to begin attending Town Council meetings again in August.

"I'm progressing. I have a way to go, but I'm getting there," Carter said.

She broke both her legs in a fall at her house, and spent almost three weeks in the hospital. Now she is getting around with a walker and says she will be back at council meetings in August, too.

"I was down for a while, both literally and figuretively," Carter said, who added with a laugh that she is "old enough to vote and run for office."

Despite the absence of Daniel and Carter, Town Council was able to get some work done Tuesday night. They passed two resolutions: one in favor of the Huckleberry Trail between Blacksburg and Christiansburg, and the other against proposed changes in the formulas the Virginia Department of Transportation uses to allocate money for road projects in municipalities.

The changes would mean that Christiansburg would lose $130,000 a year in road money, Town Manager John Lemley said, and the loss would increase the length of time it takes to complete a road, which stands at eight to 10 years now.

Council also had an unexpected problem thrown in their lap. Gary Brumfield, representing Christiansburg High School Booster Club, said that the school's track and tennis courts need repairs and the county school system cannot pay for it.

The booster club is willing to pitch in $10,000, and already has spent $3,200 in engineering studies, but Brumfield said the project is estimated to cost $21,000. He wondered if council might contribute. Linkous asked council's Finance Committee to look into the matter and make a recommendation. In the meantime, Brumfield said the booster club would be happy to accept donations.

by CNB