Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 27, 1995 TAG: 9506270066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That recommendation caused a row during a City Council meeting Monday and led Mayor David Bowers to vote against a proposed allocation of $388,075 by the Citizens Services Committee.
``If you're telling me there's no money for Explore in this budget, then I'm sorry, but I can't support you,'' Bowers said shortly before the 6-1 vote. ``There's a lot of talk about here about regionalism. ... Folks, we're making a mistake.''
The chairman of the committee said it never received an application for funding from Explore, although it sent one to the historical interpretive park early in May.
``If Explore hasn't come back to this council and let us know that they were dissatisfied that they weren't getting this money, I don't think it's responsible to go to Explore and say, `Hey, we're trying to give you some money,''' Councilman William White said.
And Councilwoman Linda Wyatt said council might as well disband the committee and allocate the money on its own if it's going to reject the recommendations.
The dispute arose over whether the Citizens Services Committee ever considered funding Explore.
The park, along with the West End Center, Mill Mountain Theatre and the Child Health Investment Partnership, applied to council for direct funding. Explore was seeking $25,000 to $50,000.
Council referred all the requests to the Citizens Services Committee on May 2 along with the additional appropriation of $100,000. But it did not require the committee to divvy up the additional money among those agencies. The other three won funding increases from the committee.
For the West End Center, the committee recommended $20,000 - an $15,000 increase from last year. The Child Health Investment Partnership was voted a $36,000 increase, and the theater received an extra $2,000.
But those recommendations were made May 1 - the day before council appropriated the additional money.
Chairman Glen Radcliffe, who also serves as the city's director of human development, said he had already received strong signals from council that extra funding would be appropriated.
He said he subsequently sent Explore an application, but never received it back.
The other three agencies already had applications in, he said.
The committee took a final vote on its funding distribution May 18.
Rupert Cutler, executive director of Explore, could not be reached for comment.
Despite years of pleas, only once has council voted money for Explore Park. That came in May 1994 - only weeks before the park held its grand opening. The city gave Explore $50,000.
``In the spirit of regionalism, I think we should continue to fund Explore,'' Bowers said after the vote. ``I certainly hope we can find some money for Explore. I'm going to look under every nook and cranny.''
by CNB