Almost 11 years after a historic Roanoke landmark nearly burned to the ground, restoration work appears ready to begin. A contract should be awarded later this month to restore the former Virginian railway station. The latest from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
[audio:http://wfirnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/11-10-Station-Rehab-Wrap1-WEB.mp3|titles=11-10 Station Rehab Wrap1-WEB]Fire heavily damaged the former Virginia passenger rail station in January of 2001. The National Railway Historical Society’s Roanoke Chapter undertook the effort to restore it.
Funding comes mostly from a $200,000 EPA “Brownfields” grant channeled through the city and from passenger rail excursions out of Roanoke like the ones last weekend. A contract should be awarded later this month for phase one, which covers asbestos and lead paint removal, a new roof and exterior restoration.
Plans call for that work to be done by March, and the entire restoration — inside and out — should completed by this time next year.
