ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 27, 1996 TAG: 9611270021
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Both Pulaski County and the city of Radford have approved agreements for expanding the New River Resource Authority to include Montgomery County and Virginia Tech, but some Pulaski County residents continue to express misgivings.
The two governments will each hold public hearings in January before giving the agreement final approval.
Dublin Town Council last week postponed its preliminary vote on the agreement until all its members could be present. But based on remarks at last Thursday's council meeting, a vote then would have gone against the agreement.
All three localities in the authority must approve the agreement before the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority - comprising the county, towns of Christiansburg and Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech - could join the New River Resource Authority.
Andy McCready was among the people questioning the proposed agreement at the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night. "I feel very strongly that we're letting Montgomery County enter this agreement too easily," he said.
McCready, who has been active in local civic affairs, wanted a renegotiated agreement that would add a surcharge to trash disposal fees for the Montgomery authority's localities to raise money for Pulaski County's school building needs. The agreement is for equal tonnage disposal rates for all members.
Supervisor Charles Cook said he simply does not trust Montgomery County. Pulaski County, which will be the site for a regional jail in a few years, is also providing a new landfill to serve the regional authority. "All that's good for regional development, but are we taking on too much?" Cook asked.
Supervisor Jerry White, who represented the New River authority along with Radford Mayor Thomas L. Starnes in negotiating the agreement with the Montgomery agency over the past eight months, reminded the board that the authority has always sought to expand its size to take advantage of economies of scale.
The agreement provides that all New River authority members would use a new recycling center being developed by the Montgomery authority. Large volumes of recyclables are necessary for recycling to be economical, but localities are being required by the state to recycle increasing percentages of their solid wastes.
"With their recycling center, they can assist us in meeting those mandates," said Supervisor Bruce Fariss. He said the New River authority has been trying to expand its membership throughout its 10-year existence. Giles County is now being considered as a new member.
Besides providing the recycling facility, the Montgomery authority would pay $213,419 to current New River authority members as its share toward the new regional landfill.
Several Dublin Town Council members objected to not being included in the agreement negotiations, and to the new New River authority membership which would be three members each from Radford, the Montgomery Authority and Pulaski County. One of the three Pulaski County representatives would be chosen by Dublin Town Council.
Several county citizens also worried about the representation. "Six people on that side of the river and three people on this side of the river, and this side of the river is where the trash goes," Billy Sanders told the board.
The board went into closed session for 85 minutes on a motion by White to discuss a legal matter. When it emerged, it voted unanimously for preliminary approval of the agreement and scheduled a public hearing on it at 7 p.m. Jan. 6. It named White and Cook as those who would be its representatives on an expanded New River authority, along with a third county representative from Dublin.
All this went much more smoothly Monday night at Radford City Council. With one member absent, council unanimously gave preliminary approval to the agreement, set its hearing for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13, and named City Manager Robert Asbury, Assistant City Manager Bob Lloyd and Starnes as its representatives, with Councilman David Worrell as an alternate.
The Montgomery authority and the New River authority board have already approved the agreement. If it is approved by the three New River authority member localities, it is projected that the larger membership base would reduce tonnage disposal costs by 30 percent.
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