🌱 Fire Station One Fully Open + County Releases Route 460 Plan Draft

Good morning, Roanokers! I'm back with the Hump Day edition of the Roanoke Patch newsletter. Let's get this Wednesday started off right, with a quick dive into what's going on including news about...

• An advisory board seeks to improve NICU experiences
• More on the fate of two local cemeteries
• City clears man's garden calling it "weeds"

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather: Variable cloudiness. High: 62 Low: 55.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. Downtown Roanoke's newly remodeled Fire Station One is now fully open with the grand opening of Stock, a Nordic cuisine on the station's first floor. Stock joins custom furniture maker TXTUR and a boutique hotel on the higher floors that includes seven guest rooms and an event space. Stock is still waiting on its ABC license so they're only able to serve mocktails at the moment and Director of Sales Nick Guacheta said, "It has been about 16 months and to see everything finally come together, especially over the last eight weeks, it is special. Now, we are excited to invite Roanoke into the space and celebrate the furniture, the food, and the hospitality in this building. It really is just remarkable." Stock's chefs use the freshest local ingredients they can find on the menu and the dining room features furniture created by TXTUR. (WSLS)
2. A group comprised of parents, nurses, administrators, and child life specialists called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parent Advisory Board is partnering with Carilion Clinic in hopes of improving the NICU experience. The board takes on functions such as hosting holiday events for parents whose children are in the NICU and the staff who work there in an effort to normalize life for parents who don't get to have a lot of the normal newborn experiences. Brooke Norton and Camille Soukup, two members of the board who are also parents of NICU babies, recently spoke with WDBJ about their experiences and reasons for joining the board. You can listen to their conversation here and find out more about the board here. (WDBJ)
3. More information has been made available about the closing of the nonprofit organization that owns and operates two local cemeteries, Fair View Cemetery and Cedar Lawn Memorial Park. The Cronk and Heslep families who make up the Fair View Group have no heirs interested in taking over the family business and have been working with the City of Roanoke to find a buyer but have been unable to do so. Instead, the group is hoping the city will agree to take over the cemeteries, but recent word from the city is that they're not interested. Both Mayor Sherman Lea and city attorney Tim Spencer indicated in recent comments that the city is not in the cemetery business and should not assume ownership of the properties. The nonprofit Fair View Group is set to close its doors on June 3o, but what will happen if no one is there to take the reins is presently unknown. (Cardinal News)
4. Roanoke County has announced that a draft of the Route 460 Land Use and Connectivity Study is now available for public review and comment through March 17. The 58-page study aims to address the possibilities for future development and improvements to the corridor of Orange Avenue and Challenger Avenue that sees sometimes dramatic traffic backups during commuting hours and has been the site of many accidents. Additionally, the report shows the county's desire to use land located east of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks behind the Bonsack Kroger for a greenway and to look at ways to connect that project to the Blue Ridge Parkway by improving current railroad crossings. The Roanoke County Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on the report on March 7 and the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will hold one on March 28. The project website is here. (Roanoke County Press Release)
5. A Roanoke City resident is upset after a frantic call from his mother in which he was told city contractors were clearing his yard. Tim Saunders planted a garden in 2014 at the property he and his mother own and live on and was first approached by a city code enforcer in December 2022 who warned him about the need to clear weeds and trash. But Saunders said what the enforcer called weeds were actually mature fruit trees, berry bushes, perennials, and medicinal plants he grew and maintained. "If people want to grow food and try to provide for their families, that should be a pretty simple thing for a citizen to do. It’s more just the idea of private property. If we can’t do this on our own land, especially when times are tough and food is more expensive, then where can we do this?" he asked. Roanoke’s acting Code Compliance Administrator Jeffrey White said he is speaking with the contractor who did the clearing to see if a mistake was made. (WFXR)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Yoga at the Taubman Museum of Art (5:15 p.m.)
• Brew Ha-Ha at Big Lick Brewing Co. (6:30 p.m.)
• Ben Trout Band at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke College: "Showing up and speaking up: Roanoke students are honoring Black History Month with programs created to educate and empower the campus community. Recent events included the Museum of Black Excellence, which commemorated historic Black activists, and an in-depth discussion panel organized by the Black Student Alliance." (Roanoke College via Instagram)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "WHAT'S MY NAME? Peanut? Nutty Professor? Pecan? Buddy? Bingo? Or, Nutter Butter? GO TO THE COMMENT SECTION and 👍 LIKE 👍 your favorite! The top three finalists will make it to the final round for voting on our website!!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Sweet Sandy is quite the amazing girl. She's a bit shy at first, but she is full of love. She's been hanging out in staff offices and she's a great office mate! She's quiet and enjoys snuggling. She's also incredibly gentle. She's going to make someone a wonderful companion!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke: "There is an ANGEL at the VINTON FOOD LION who has blessed us with enormous food donations for at least three weeks now! Whoever you are we THANK YOU so much for helping us help families in need in the STAR CITY! 🥰" (The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke via Facebook)
• Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges: "We are so excited to announce that The OddFellows & Solacoustix will be playing this year's Northwest Ace Hardware The Roanoke Wing Fest! Tickets are on sale! Get yours now at DrPepperPark.com!" (Dr Pepper Park at the Bridges via Facebook)

There you go! You're all set to leave base camp for the journey up and over. Like a good Sherpa I'll be there for you with another update tomorrow morning.

— Ian

About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter, and freelance contributing writer. He is a firm believer in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman. To connect with Ian, you can visit him on Facebook and Instagram. He doesn't bite. Except on full moons.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Patch newsletter? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com