News Releases
Roanoke County's Public Information Office issues news releases and public information on a variety of issues. News releases are posted in Adobe PDF format. In addition to these news releases, the Public Information Office also hosts specific web pages dedicated to larger issues affecting Roanoke County residents.
For more information, contact Roanoke County's Public Information Officer Teresa Hall at (540) 772-2010 or e-mail thall@roanokecountyva.gov.
New Station to Meet Increasing Emergency Call Volume
June 17, 2008 (Roanoke County, VA) Roanoke County broke ground today on the county’s newest fire and rescue station, one of six major capital projects that the county will complete over the next several years. Located near the intersection of Hershberger and Plantation Road, the $3 million North County Fire & Rescue station will help to improve emergency response times across the county.
The new station will decrease call volume to the Hollins Fire & Rescue station, which will continue to remain in operation and currently accounts for nearly one-third of all fire and rescue calls received by Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.
The Hollins station serves North County along the Peters Creek Road corridor to Williamson Road and out to Hollins and along Plantation Road. The district includes numerous nursing homes, five public schools, a university, and thousands of homes and businesses. The Hollins station also responds to traffic accidents along Interstates 81 and 581 and serves as a back up to the Roanoke Regional Airport and for Roanoke City’s Station #10 on Williamson Road.
Growth in North County, coupled with an aging population and increased commercial development, has created more calls than the Hollins station can answer. Due to this increased call volume in North County, more than 900 calls in 2006 were turned over to other fire and rescue stations, some as far away as the Town of Vinton.
If Hollins rescue units are unavailable, calls are routed to the next-closest available station. In many cases that may mean a North County emergency call is answered by units from Read Mountain, the Town of Vinton or Roanoke City. When this happens, response times to North County are greatly increased. A new North County Station will help keep units from other districts in their respective communities.
The exterior features of the North County Fire & Rescue Station, including the stone façade and red tin roof, were designed to compliment its neighbor, the Samuel Harshbarger House. Built in 1797, this home is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Construction of the new North County Fire & Rescue station is expected be complete in July 2009.
News Release: North County Fire Station Groundbreaking News Release
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Conley Sexton
Volunteer and Marketing Coordinator
Roanoke County Fire & Rescue
(540)777-8706, 777-8701
jsexton@RoanokeCountyVa.gov
June 11, 2008 (Roanoke County, VA) – The Counties of Franklin and Roanoke and the Western Virginia Water Authority broke ground today on a joint water line project in the U.S. Route 220 corridor. This new 12-inch water line will provide a regional service that will enhance the quality of life for customers as well as the regional community.
This project is an excellent example of how working together can benefit a region. As a result of a partnership between Roanoke and Franklin counties and the Western Virginia Water Authority, residents and businesses along the U.S. Route 220 corridor will have access to the same high quality of public water and fire protection that other residents in t