Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 3, 1993 TAG: 9311030253
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Health Department bonds 20 of 20 precincts reporting. Yes 11,085 (60 percent) No 7,326 (40 percent)
\ Montgomery County voters overwhelmingly approved two bond issues Tuesday, clearing the way for the county to build a new health and human services building and renovate the Blacksburg-area library.
Supporters of the two projects breathed a collective sigh of relief at the Blacksburg library, where a group gathered to await results.
"I'm just overjoyed," said a teary-eyed Jo Brown, associate director of the Montgomery Regional Library. Brown and Nancy Hurst, library board head, spearheaded the effort to get the library bonds passed.
"Hallelujah," said Dan Farris, director of Montgomery County's Social Services Department.
Voters rejected a bond question in 1990 that included the new library, the health and human services building and a new Shawsville fire station.
Brown said the bonds were helped this year because the two issues were asked in separate questions and not lumped together.
"We also made a really good effort to inform the public," she said.
Friends of the Library - a volunteer support group - printed 10,000 brochures, 300 bumper stickers and 200 signs and sent speakers to civic clubs, PTAs and any other group that would listen.
As expected, support for the $1.9 million library referendum and the $2.9 million health and human services project was heaviest in Blacksburg.
The library bond passed 1,207 to 225 at the Margaret Beeks Elementary School precinct.
Supporters of the bond issue say the Blacksburg library is outdated, structurally unsound and simply bursting at the seams.
The branch library now uses 9,250 square feet of a 12,500-square-foot building. The renovation would expand the structure to 16,000 square feet.
Also included in the bond proposal is $150,000 that would pay to automate all three libraries in the regional system. Checkouts and tracking of books now are done by cumbersome paper records. Only the main library in Christiansburg has records of all the books in the regional system.
The new 35,000-square-foot health and human services building will be built behind the social services facility on Pepper Street in Christiansburg. It will house Social Services; the Health Department; and Human Services, which includes the Office on Youth and the Retired Senior Volunteers Program. They now are in five separate locations. Combining the services into one building also would solve transportation problems - which agency officials agree are the biggest headache for needy people - and create savings in staff, telephone, maintenance and other operating costs, Farris said.
It will be roughly two years before either project will be completed.
Keywords:
ELECTION
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.