Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312100291
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
The suggestion came from Roscoe Cox, director of Pulaski's Main Street program. Mayor Gary Hancock sounded out council members on the idea Tuesday and got their verbal support for pursuing it.
``I think it's a very worthy endeavor in light of all the positive things that are happening in the community,'' Hancock said.
Those happenings include a year of unprecedented numbers of new shops and businesses opening in the downtown area, where vacant buildings had predominated. Cox recruited most of them since becoming director of Pulaski Main Street more than a year ago.
Mary Lee Duncan appeared before council again to complain of the number of Norfolk Southern Corp. train whistles being blown in town.
Council accepted the recommendation of its Ordinance Committee to leave in place its current regulation, leaving it up to each train engineer whether safety problems make it necessary to sound a whistle. The committee recommended no change in the regulation for six months, after which council could decide whether the option to use train whistles was being abused.
Duncan asked how the number of whistles would be monitored, and was told no provision had been made for that. Ordinance Committee Chairman Nick Glenn said one proposal had been for the Police Department to keep track of the number of times train whistles sounded, but that turned out to be impractical because the whistles cannot be heard at the department from all parts of town.
Council postponed its vote on the awarding taxi certificates for 1994, 12 each to James Aust of Jim Dandy Cabs and Herman Largen of Blue and White Cabs.
Largen also owns Deluxe Cabs, but said he plans to phase out that name and have all his vehicles under the Blue and White designation. Glenn said council could approve a total of 30 certificates, having six in reserve in case either company wants to increase its fleet during the year.
Largen also requested an increase in cab rates from 50 to 75 cents. Aust said he had been unaware of any request to increase rates but, naturally, had no objection.
The town is divided into zones for taxi transportation purposes, with the number of zones covered during a trip tied to its cost. In addition to the zone fees, the town has had a flat 50-cent fee included in the charge and that was what Largen wanted to increase.
However, town officials are looking at the feasibility of doing away with the flat-fee part of cab costs and raising the zone rates instead. That decision, along with approval of certificates, will be discussed at council's Dec. 21 meeting.
Council also considered a motion by Don Crispin to revise its ordinance raising water rates, making it effective later than its original October date because bills for October did not reflect the new rates.
But this also was tabled until Dec. 21 so council could get an opinion from Town Attorney Frank Terwilliger on whether the ordinance could be changed in that manner.
by CNB