Roanoke County to get jump on Vinton Library project
Citing increasing costs, supervisors want to take early possession of a nearby property.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013
In a move that will speed-up construction of the Vinton Library, Roanoke County supervisors on Tuesday authorized an early-termination request on a piece of property adjacent to the site.
Under the current arrangement, Dunman Floral Supply pays the county $45,000 a year for use of the property, with an automatic two-year lease renewal. But because construction costs are estimated to rise, the county, working in concert with Vinton, is prepared to pay $60,000 to end the agreement early.
County Administrator Clay Goodman said the move would help the county save money in the long run and would set a construction start date 18 months sooner than anticipated.
“This will allow us to schedule the project sooner,” Goodman said. “If we had an 18-month delay, it would be $193,200 in additional costs.”
Goodman said the county would allow the owners of the business, Rebecca and Wayne Dunman, to stay on the property until they complete their relocation by the end of September. It remains unclear where the business would relocate. Attempts to reach the Dunmans by phone and in person were unsuccessful.
In 2011, the Dunmans sold their land to the county after it had approached property owners in the area around the library site. Once a deal was finalized, the county agreed to lease the land to the Dunmans until it was ready for construction.
Under the agreement, Vinton will pay $20,000 to end the lease, with Roanoke County chipping in the remaining $40,000.
While no completion date has been set in stone for the $5.6 million project, Goodman said officials have set June 15, 2015, as a floating goalpost.
On Tuesday, the supervisors approved the first reading of the request. They will vote to approve a final version of the termination agreement during a future meeting.
In other business:
- An opening date for the Glenvar Branch Library has been set for July 1. A dedication will take place at 10 a.m. In preparation for the opening, the temporary branch at 2630 W. Main St. will close June 15.
- The board voted to approve a request that will transfer $1.5 million from the county health insurance reserve to the general fund , major capital, and minor capital funds.
The insurance reserve is typically used to protect the county in the case of any catastrophic claims paid on a county employee during the year. The reserve has more than $6 million in it, more than the $4 million to $4.2 million financial experts suggest.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
9. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
THE ROANOKE TIMES
