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

DATE: THURSDAY, August 11, 1994                   TAG: 9408110063
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JOB CUTS?

A: Most of the state layoffs have occurred in Richmond offices. An employees' association estimates the job cuts at fewer than 300, or 0.3 percent of the state's 100,000-plus employees.

Except for the purge of 15 agency heads June 3, the day before the GOP convention, the story has not received much statewide coverage.

There has been plenty of talk over Richmond coffee tables, though, and a number of state employees have changed jobs. How many actually lost jobs is a hazy guess.

The layoffs haven't reached some agencies, but a governor's press aide said downsizing was "an ongoing process."

The governor isn't saying how many have been laid off, although a figure will be given to the General Assembly's money committees Aug. 22.

The layoff number is hard to pin down. Several of the eliminated positions were empty anyway, and people who lost jobs could claim the job of someone who had less seniority.

It'll take awhile to complete the shakeout.

One group, the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, has expressed doubt that the state's payroll is being reduced at all.

Noting that new positions have been created, including two high-paying ones at Alcoholic Beverage Control, the association suggests the changes are just another shuffle to install political pals.

The management trend of the '90s is to downsize by eliminating layers, says Joan Dent, executive director of the association, "but what we see in some cases is actually an expansion at the top."

The governor's office said the politics complaint involves a few isolated cases, that criticism is inevitable when jobs are cut and that Dent's complaints will be investigated where they are specific.

Trash train speed

Q: Why does the trash train slow down to nearly a stop at Ironto, where it comes off the main track onto the mountain track? L.B., Roanoke

A: The normal speed limit for a train turning onto the rail line up Smith Gap is 25 mph, Norfolk Southern says.

Signals could require a lower speed if another train is moving in the area, or if track maintenance is under way.

A specific answer would depend on which nights you observed the slow train.

Hotel Roanoke

Q: When will the Hotel Roanoke be open for business, specifically convention business? J.H., Roanoke

A: Early April is the target for opening, said Brian Wishneff, the city's director of economic development. April 1 is the hoped-for date.

The earliest signed contract for a convention is during the first week of May, but April dates still may be negotiated, Wishneff said.

\ Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.