Town Blasting Plan Topic of Info Meeting
Demolition Continues In Downtown Area

   A public information meeting to explain a blasting plan related to the Rt. 460 road construction project in downtown Grundy will be held Thursday, August 10.
   As demolition of buildings within the downtown area moves ahead on schedule by subcontractor E. Luke Greene Co., Bizzack Inc., the contractor on the road job, is making plans for the actual road construction phase of the project which will follow.
   The areas in which blasting will occur include in the area across from the Railroad Avenue Bridge and eventually to the hillside above the Rt. 460-Rt.83 intersection.
   Blasting is not expected to begin any sooner than August 21, 2006.
   The public information meeting to consider the blasting plan will be held on August 10, 2006 at Riverview Elementary-Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m.
   The purpose for the meeting, according to a public notice published in this week’s issue of the Mountaineer, will be to provide an opportunity for concerned citizens to ask questions about the planned blasting activities and to review a copy of the blast plan and blast warning procedure.
   As proposed, blasting will occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. No blasting will be done on Sundays. The duration of blasting activities will be approximately 14 months, according to the notice, which also notes the traveling public may expect short delays arising from the blasting activities.
   Signals to be used and transmitted via an electric siren will include a warning signal for  60 seconds  to be given five minutes before the blast; a blast signal of 30 seconds to be given one minute prior to the blast; and an all clear signal of 15 seconds to be given following the inspection of the blast site.
   Access to the blast area will be strictly prohibited and flag personnel will be used at all access points to dangerous areas. The blasting information meeting is open to the public.
   In the meantime, demolition of downtown buildings continues.
   Project Superintendent Ted Dwomick, of E. Luke Greene Co., said the last two buildings remaining on the upper reaches of Main Street will likely be torn down by the first of next week.
   A portion of the B&L Maytag building and a portion of the former town office, which supports the multi-story B&L building, have been left standing until such time as a long-reach boom needed to reach the higher levels of the building arrived on site. The tool is now on site and Dwomick estimated the two buildings would be torn town next week.
   Additionally, as soon as Bizzack places sediment control barriers in Slate Creek to catch stray debris which might come down as the old Morgan Theatre building and former Grundy National Bank building are torn down, those buildings will be razed. Dwomick anticipated that demolition might begin as early as the middle of next week.
   Delays in putting the screen in place have occurred as heavy rains have twice caused a platform in the creek to have to be reconstructed.
    In the meantime, this week, crews were busy, razing the Munsey building in the back street parking area and tearing down the former Jackson Hardware location. Late Tuesday, work began to tear down 310 North Main. Late last week, the old Grundy Hotel building was razed.
    In selecting the order in which to tear down buildings, Dwomick noted it is based in part on the use of brick and masonry for the roadbed fill.
    "The reason I leap frog from building to building is to isolate walls which are masonry or brick and then I can use them for fill," Dwomick said.
    He said by tearing down one building and then cleaning up the debris in that area before tearing down the next masonry or brick building, he is able to use the brick and masonry work as fill. If it was pulled down in a line, he said, the material would be mixed with wood and other debris and would then have to be landfilled instead. By leap frogging buildings, he said, he is able to cut down on the amount of material which has to be landfilled.
   Dwomick noted that debris from the demolition is being hauled primarily to two landfills -- one in Tazewell County and one in Pike County. On average, he estimated some 160 tons of debris per day are hauled to the Tazewell location and some 100 tons per day are being hauled to the Pike landfill. The Tazewell location has a per day maximum. Asbestos material has been hauled to an approved landfill in Johnson City, Tenn.
   Brick and steel are being recycled with the steel sold to markets in Johnson City and Kingsport, Tenn.,  and the brick is being used on site as fill for the roadbed. Some of the steel has also been sold to local people who asked for it to be used for bridge supports.
   Dwomick noted the company is also now using water from the Levisa River and Slate Creek for dust control in the interest of saving water used to supply town water customers.
    As soon as demolition of the downtown buildings is completed, which Dwomick estimated would be by early to mid-September, Bizzack crews are expected to move in to begin work on the new roadway.

Tax 'Holiday' to Greet Back to School Shoppers
Virginia Stores Will Not Charge Sales Tax on Eligible School, Clothing Items August 4-6

   Buchanan County residents looking to save a few dollars when it comes to back to school shopping won't have to go far this year as Virginia holds its first sales tax "holiday," August 4-6.
   During those dates -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 12:01 a.m. Friday to 12 midnight on Sunday --  retailers throughout the state will not charge the 5 percent retail sales tax on purchases of school supplies costing $20 or less per item, or clothing, including shoes, priced at $100 or less per article.
   All retailers who sell the items which are exempted from the tax must participate in the “holiday,” according to the Virginia Department of Taxation. 
   In past years, many neighboring states have offered the no tax incentive, drawing Virginia shoppers, especially in border counties, across state lines to purchase back to school items. The tax holiday in Virginia should level that playing field and allow shoppers to benefit from the tax reduction in their home state during the shopping days it is authorized.
    "We estimate that shoppers will save about $3.6 million in retail sales tax during the Commonwealth's first sales tax holiday as they buy back-to-school supplies and clothing," said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen. "This can make a big difference for parents, especially those shopping for more than one child."
    Joel Davison, public relations manager for the department of taxation, noted the department worked closely with retailers and retail organizations to develop guidelines and rules in the past several weeks.
   The "holiday" came about after legislation authorizing it was passed by the General Assembly in the 2006 session and signed into law by Gov. Tim Kaine in early June. The legislation allows the tax holiday to take place in Virginia each year on the first full weekend in August.
    In addition to exempting school supplies and clothing from the sales tax during the three-day “holiday,” retailers may also choose to “absorb” the sales tax on any non-exempt merchandise they sell. 
    Retailers who voluntarily absorb the sales tax must pay the tax themselves to the department.
    “This means that retailers who don’t sell school supplies, clothing and footwear may also participate in the holiday, if they so choose,” Davison said.  “We expect many stores to take advantage of this.”
     An 11-page Frequently Asked Questions section posted on the department's website answers general questions consumers and retailers may have about the “holiday,” plus a number of specific questions, such as how layaways, gift certificates, rain checks, returns and telephone sales will be handled.
     Guidelines and rules posted on the tax holiday define school supplies an "item that is commonly used by a student in a course of study" and it includes school art supplies, school instructional materials and school music supplies. It does not include "school computer supply" and any such item purchased in the August 4-6 timeframe will be subject to tax, as always.
     For more information about the "tax holiday," interested persons may contact the Virginia Department of Taxation.