Gene Marrano
You may notice a handful of Valley Metro buses with artwork printed on them over the next few months – it’s “Art By Bus” … the City of Roanoke Arts Commission is teaming up with RIDE Solutions in an attempt to publicize mass transit … there’s also an Art By Bus Transit Residency Recipient – Melanie Almeder teaches at Roanoke College. Almeder will ride Valley Metro buses, writing poems and essays – and will invite others to come aboard and write with her… she spoke with WFIR’s Gene Marrano this morning:
Roanoke County held one surplus sale for items stored at the Old William Byrd High School … that didn’t prove to be feasible and with 18-thousand pieces still there they are going on-line … as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Click below for a link to the auction for Roanoke County surplus:
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/roanokecountyva,va/list/current?orgid=14810
Mill Mountain Zoo’s matching grant challenge was reached and then some by the February 28th deadline … that’s the word from Chriss Davies-Ross, the zoo’s board president. A Roanoke couple – Ed and Barbara Kitas – and the GE Foundation matched the 140-thousand dollars raised by the Zoo’s board of director … Davies-Ross says another matching grant challenge is in the works … the Zoo also wants to start an endowment. Davies-Ross spoke with WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Over the next five months, Roanoke County plans to auction surplus items stored at the Old William Byrd High School through an online service. Similar items will be bundled in groups of 20. The first batch of auctioned items will become available Tuesday, March 10, and remain open for public bid for the following seven days. All bids will start at $1 per bundled group. When each auction closes, pick-up times will be scheduled with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
Items will be auctioned at www.publicsurplus.com and can be viewed online beginning Tuesday under the agency listing County of Roanoke. Examples of items that will be available include youth school chairs, adult school chairs, tables, student desks, wood cabinets, drafting tables and metal filing cabinets. Prior to this auction, public school systems in neighboring municipalities were offered the opportunity to take any needed surplus items.
Surplus property stored throughout Old William Byrd school complex was transferred to the County several years ago from Roanoke County Public Schools. The items are being removed to prepare for the future sale of the building. There are an estimated 18,000 surplus items stored at the former high school. Online auctions will continue on a weekly basis until all items are removed. All items not disposed of through this process will either be recycled or discarded.