ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512180017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
Hazardous hauls
BLAND - The Virginia Department of Transportation has lifted restrictions on transporting hazardous waste through two twin mountain tunnels on Interstate 77 in Bland County.
Since the Big Walker and East River Mountain tunnels were opened in the early 1970s, hazardous material haulers have been required to take longer routes mainly on U.S. 19 and U.S. 460 through more populated areas, including parts of the New River Valley, to bypass the tunnels.
Ending the restrictions will allow carriers to haul hazardous materials on the limited-access I-77, which crosses I-81 near Wytheville, through more rural and less populated parts of the state.
Prison contract
WYTHEVILLE - The private prison company that won a bid to build a private 1,500-bed medium-security prison still had not gotten a signed contract from the state last week.
The state named Corrections Partners Inc., a subsidiary of Corrections Corporation of America, in November to build the prison near Lawrenceville at a cost of $44.5 million. Until then, Corrections Corporation of America had been pushing a Wythe County site for that prison and drawing opposition from county residents.
CCA's Wythe County site is still in the running for a 1,000-bed minimum-security prison, along with still another CCA site in Lunenburg County. Two other companies also are among the finalists for that project.
Wythe industries
WYTHEVILLE - Two Wythe County industries are expanding and a smaller one is shutting down.
Klockner-Pentaplast in Rural Retreat will start construction on its 90,000-square-foot expansion early in the spring and have it in operation in 1997, according to Benny Burkett, Wythe County Joint Industrial Development Authority executive director.
The expansion will mean 100 new jobs and was made possible by the county Board of Supervisors, which reduced its machinery and tools tax from $1.25 per $100 evaluation to 95 cents, after having already reduced it earlier from $1.87 per $100. Machinery and tools make up most of the cost of the Klockner expansion, and it would not have been carried out here without the tax decrease.
Longwood Elastomers is expanding its operation in Wytheville by 66,000 square feet and adding about 75 employees. Completion is planned by late 1996. State funding and $87,000 from the county for site preparation aided the project.
The EIS Division of Standard Motor Products in Rural Retreat will shut down Dec. 28 and its activities will be relocated to other company facilities. The 10-year-old operation is closing because of a downturn in business activity, said Bill Favio, plant manager, who will move to one of the company's California plants.
The plant has 32 employees who will be offered severance packages. The Joint IDA is already seeking a new tenant for the EIS building.
The county is still awaiting an opinion from the state attorney general's office, sought more than six months ago, on whether its merchants and capital tax applies to products manufactured by the county's Donnkenney Inc. plant when they are being warehoused here. If so, the plant will move and expand elsewhere.
Burkett said an IDA committee has evaluated 12 potential sites for a second industrial park and had a representative of Anderson & Associates of Blacksburg visit the top six to work out a per-acre cost on them. The county's Fairview Industrial Park still has some open acreage, but it's topography is rough. Burkett said the IDA will see what it might cost to grade about seven acres of that remaining space to better prepare it for potential industry.
Juvenile offenders
WYTHEVILLE - The Wythe County Board of Supervisors will seek funds from the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act to offer judges more options in dealing with juvenile offenders.
The 1995 General Assembly passed the act, which helps fund in-home detention and community sentencing for juvenile offenders. Now, judges in Wythe County have no choice but to leave them free or send them to the juvenile detention center in Christiansburg.
Supervisors Olin Armentrout and Harvey Atkinson expressed concern that the alternative punishments not be seen as a slap on the wrist by the offenders. Supervisor John Davis said rehabilitation rather than punishment is the aim of the juvenile justice system, and offenses such as trespassing or skipping school do not usually merit incarceration.
Board Chairman Mark Munsey asked county social services director Mike Hall, who helped research the state program, to see that the board gets information on how the program is working.
The board also approved the spending of $108,272 from a trust left by Rural Retreat High School graduate Dr. Charles C. Davis to renovate that school's auditorium, and up to $21,342 to upgrade computer facilities for auto mechanics at the county vocational school. With existing equipment, students cannot work on cars newer than 1988 models.
Radio owner
WYTHEVILLE - Both Wythe County radio stations are now being operated by the same enterprise.
Advent Communications, which owns WYVE in Wytheville, began operating WCRR in Rural Retreat as 95.3 XBX this month.
"In a nutshell, we're leasing the station," said Wayne Thompson, vice president and general manager of Advent. Advent is owned by the Cumberland Group, which also owns the New River Communications Group and its stations, WPSK-FM in Pulaski County, WNNI-AM in Christiansburg and WVMJ-FM in Blacksburg.
The format of the Rural Retreat station has changed from country to adult contemporary, following several days of repeating the song "Achy-Breaky Heart" while the transition was being made.
Because WYVE already emphasized country music along with local news, sports, and commentator Rush Limbaugh and has traditionally had the biggest listener market share, Thompson said, the change to adult contemporary music for the Rural Retreat station fills a void for the listenership.
"Each will stand independently, doing two different things, really," he said. "Since we've done it, we've had nothing but positive comments."
Law enforcement class
WYTHEVILLE - A course on law enforcement and administration will be offered at Wytheville Community College on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 9:40 p.m. during the spring semester, starting Jan. 9.
It covers management of line operations, staff and auxiliary services, investigative and juvenile units, policies and procedures, protection of life and property, detection of offenses and apprehension of offenders.
Tuition for the three-credit course is $141.45. Further information is available by calling Gary T. Laing at 223-4802 or 1-800-468-1195.
The college will also offer two related three-credit courses at Bland High School: a survey of criminal justice course from 6:30 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. Tuesdays starting Jan. 9, and a survey of criminology at the same time Thursdays starting Jan. 11. Tuition is the same.
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