Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 3, 1993 TAG: 9311030042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ed Shamy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This is mixed news for Roanoke. Our weather forecasts traditionally have been made by blending the predictions for Washington, D.C., and Charleston, W.Va., with a dash of eenie, meenie, miney, mo folded in just in case science is wrong. Soon we'll have forecasts specifically drawn up for us, and we can pretend that matters.
But the meteorologists will be in Blacksburg, forecasting for Roanoke. The town and the city are separated by a thousand feet in altitude, several large mountains, a long valley, a smart road proposal, at least two landfills so far and half a dozen climates. But what the heck, the Weather Service has had only meager success predicting Roanoke's weather from Roanoke; it might as well take a crack at predicting Roanoke's weather from Blacksburg.
If this arrangement gives you the chills, try to keep in mind that it could be worse, way worse: Airplanes taking off from and landing at Virginia Tech's airport - and from Lynchburg Regional Airport, for that matter - are guided into and out of the skies by air traffic controllers in Roanoke.
Plans for a rest area along the northbound lanes of Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County - long-awaited relief for long-suffering travelers whose bladders runneth over - are proceeding smoothly.
A gaggle of bureaucrats from the Virginia Department of Transportation drove the 33-mile Rockbridge stretch of interstate last week looking for suitable sites, said Emmitt Mattox, a location and design engineer for the Transportation Department in Staunton.
They found three or four, said Mattox. The sites need to be at least 50 acres, unwooded, not steep, with access to water and sewer, not too close to exits, not intrusive of scenic views, with ample sight distances for traffic to merge, and not home to historic buildings or archaeologically significant findings.
It's been a frustrating quest.
"Seems like every piece of land along that highway has a historic farmhouse on it," said Mattox.
Engineers will evaluate the sites for contour and soil types before drawing more specific plans and accepting public comment.
The Transportation Department plans to advertise for bids in 1998, which means that sometime in the next millennium or two, we'll have a place to tap our kidneys between Ironto and Staunton.
Harry Schwarz, bless his soul, called, and he wasn't even angry.
He noticed my comment Sunday about the "last tenants" moving from the Travelers Building, which is becoming the new Roanoke County Administration Center.
Schwarz & Co., Harry's private accounting firm, is still in the Travelers Building and plans to stay in the Travelers Building, and wild horses could not drag Harry Schwarz of Schwarz & Co. from the Travelers Building.
Well, wild horses maybe. But not Roanoke County. Harry Schwarz is staying where he is.
by CNB