The battle lines are drawn in concrete for the future of Roanoke’s nearly century-old Fire-EMS Station 7.
Editor’s Update: On August 6, 2018, the Roanoke City Council voted 6-1 to proceed with its plan to replace Fire Station No. 7 with a new building.
The battle lines are drawn in concrete for the future of Roanoke’s nearly century-old Fire-EMS Station 7. A Facebook petition by Mark Lynn Ferguson opposing the razing of the fire station and building a new one on the same spot had 5,374 signatures as of Thursday morning.
Fire Station No. 7 is the second of Roanoke’s landmark fire stations facing either destruction or re-design/use in recent days.
In February, Councilman John Garland, an engineer, expressed optimism that council could save the building, saying, “I wanted the architect to study the building to see if there was a possibility to save the old fire station, which I think has not been done adequately in the past and I think we can still save a building and still make it purposeful going forward.”
Thursday, Garland, who has extensive experience renovating old downtown buildings, said, “I can tell you for a fact that it’s less expensive to renovate than to build new.” There is a proposal to construct a new station “on top of the old one,” says Garland, but he says the architect’s proposal for the renovation would add 1,000 square feet to it” and could push the cost up a good bit. He believes if the renovation comes in under $250,000 less than a new building (two compact rectangles), it has a chance. City Manager Bob Crowell appears to be a strong supporter of renovation.
Garland says he would like “to get council down in the weeds” with a thorough explanation of the cost estimates, “but council doesn’t want to get into the weeds.”
Firefighters at Station 7 have complained about black mold in the firehouse, according to journalist Anita Firebaugh, who is married to a firefighter. Garland answered that concern by saying, “If there is [mold present], it would be mitigated as part of the renovation. … The city will take care of it.”
The August 6, 2 p.m., meeting will send the cost estimate to council, but Garland says he hopes there will be a public comment session at the beginning of the meeting.
Council has two new members, Joe Cobb and Djuna Osborne, who will vote on the station’s future and could represent swing votes.
In June, Old School Partners, LLC, announced plans to convert the historic downtown Fire Station No. 1—closed since 2007, its 100th anniversary—into seven B&B rooms, an open event space and on the main floor a mixed-use space and retail shop and tap house. Black Dog Salvage has been mentioned as a possible tenant. City Council unanimously approved the plan, which would save the building.
The old Fire Station No. 3 on Rorer Ave. at 6th Street downtown was consolidated with a new station a few years ago, then the vacated building was converted into headquarters for Interactive Design Group, an architectural firm.
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
