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Public Meeting Set for Altavista Historic District

According to the Altavista Journal, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing Tuesday, Feb. 16, at town hall at 6 p.m. The community is invited to hear the presentations, ask questions and offer input. Comments from the February meeting will be presented to two Virginia Department of Historic Resources boards on March 18. The proposed district takes in about 50 buildings in the heart of downtown, including commercial properties, government and churches, but no single-family residences.  Buildings have to be 50 years old and retain some historical character. A major benefit of the designations would be that contributing properties in the district would be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments. The designations would not impose restrictions on property owners.

 

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Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2010 - 12:16pm

Bedford Seeks Lower Speed Limits on Secondary Roads

Bedford County officials want to have the speed limits on secondary roads lowered from 55 mpg to 45, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Homeowners should be aware of these potential changes.

"Bedford County officials plan to ask state legislators to lower speed limits on all secondary roads in the state from 55 mph to 45 unless otherwise posted.

After some debate last week, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 to include the request in the county's upcoming list of legislative priorities for the state to consider in its next General Assembly session.

Supervisor Annie Pollard, who pushed for the measure, described the roads in her rural district as curvy, full of potholes and prone to wrecks.

'To me, there's no secondary road in Bedford County that speed limits should be 55 miles per hour on,' Pollard said.

Chairman John Sharp, who voted against pursuing the reduction, said he was more concerned with driver inattention, particularly sending text messages while driving.

The board sought opinions from several law-enforcement officers Thursday on whether the reduction would prove effective, which several supervisors questioned.

'A few bad apples, no matter what our posted [speed] limit is, are going to speed,' Sharp said.

'You can't legislate against people's habits and people's actions,' Supervisor Chuck Neudorfer said. 'We can set any rule we want, and no one is going to pay attention to it except a careful driver.'

The board will consider the priorities list in its entirety next month."

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Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 - 9:40pm

Leesville Lake, An Undiscovered Gem

Leesville business owners are hopeful about the area's economic development, according to GoDanRiver.com.

Those who love Leesville Lake, think that others will, too. A quieter lake than its neighbor, Smith Mountain Lake, there are many available homes and lots at more affordable prices.

Many in the area hope to see some commercial development at Leesville in the future, which might make the lake more well-known.

"Though a bad economy has stalled development at quiet Leesville Lake, commercial growth is inevitable for the Dan River Region’s well-kept secret.

'The economy … has slowed it down, but it’s coming,' said Fred Tannehill, owner of Tri-County Marina at the lake and vice president of the Leesville Lake Association’s board of directors.

County officials and Tannehill say 17-mile-long Leesville Lake — which is connected to Smith Mountain Lake — has great economic potential.

'Right now, Leesville is pretty much an undiscovered lake,' said Tannehill, who has lived at the lake and owned Tri-County Marina since 1976. Most of its 100-plus-mile shoreline is natural, with about a third of it developed, Tannehill said. Leesville Lake covers 3,270 acres, with water levels fluctuating between 600 and 613 feet above sea level."

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Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 6:46pm

Chesapeake Bay Reports Call For More Livestock, Runoff Regulations

Last week federal officials released parts of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, according to NewsDay.com.

The report focuses on expanding regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff. Although details of the expanded regulations have not been decided, the report did mention that federal leadership and "muscle" would be used when necessary to enforce the new regulations.

This report, along with others wll be used to develop a bay restoration strategy scheduled for release on Novemeber 9th.

Because many of the Virginia localities in the Chesapeake Watershed are heavily farmed areas, many Virginia property owners could be affected. Property owners will need to ensure that their rights are protected in the process of restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

"Federal officials on Thursday began revealing the building blocks of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, using federal leadership to encourage states to cut pollution and federal muscle, when necessary, to ensure it happens.

Among recommendations in draft reports from federal agencies: expanded regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff, and requirements that increases in pollution be offset by reductions from other sources.

The details, such as how many more animal feeding operations would be regulated, have not been decided, but 'the message here is that there will be, there is a commitment at EPA to increased enforcement and increased oversight of state programs,' EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Thursday.

The reports will be used to develop a bay restoration strategy, scheduled for release Nov. 9, that was mandated by an executive order issued earlier this year by President Obama.

The EPA said it was working with Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia to establish limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments. States would have to develop detailed plans on how to reduce levels of those pollutants from sources such as farms, highways and lawns. The EPA said it would step in if states don't take sufficient action.

While large operations such as industrial chicken farms would be regulated, the EPA said it would also expand regulation of municipal stormwater programs to include high-growth areas.

Jackson said the goal was to use federal leadership, and 'federal muscle when necessary.'

Agriculture is responsible for about half the pollution entering the bay, but Jackson noted there is more turf grass in the bay watershed than corn acreage and the region is much different from when bay restoration efforts began decades ago."

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Posted on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 10:50am

Roanoke Valley Home Sales Increase

The Roanoke Times published some great news for area homeowners today. The local real estate market is showing signs of recovery with an increase in the number of housing contracts that closed in July 2009 versus July 2008.

Although you already own a home in the area, statistics like these are great indicators for prediciting how the value of your home may change in the future. These are the kinds of numbers homeowners like to see, because home values will start to stabilize and rise and the real estate market recovers.

"In a refreshing sign for the local real estate market, home sales in the Roanoke Valley in July climbed above year-ago totals for the first time in more than 18 months.

The number of housing contracts that closed in July increased 18 percent, to 435 from 368 in July 2008, according to data reported by the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors.

The association tracks sales activity in Roanoke and Salem and in Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig counties and portions of Bedford and Franklin counties.

The volume of homes sold during the month also rose 10 percent from 2008.

Still, the average price of a Roanoke Valley home was $198,930 last month, down from $212,197 in 2008.

In Virginia, home sales for the second quarter, as of June 30, dropped 4.4 percent from last year, according to the Virginia Association of Realtors.

Several factors are spurring a Roanoke Valley residential sales bump, including an $8,000 tax credit that the federal government is offering to first-time homebuyers or people who have not owned a home for at least three years. In order to receive the credit, buyers must close on a home by Dec. 1."

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Posted on Friday, August 14, 2009 - 5:03pm

Lace Up Your Running Shoes, a New Marathon is Coming to the Roanoke Area

The Roanoke Times reports that Roanoke economic development officials, runners and business professionals are planning a marathon that they hope will draw people from across the country, boost tourism dollars and stand out as one of the toughest marathon courses around.

The 26.2-mile course will start at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke, wind up Mill Mountain and onto the parkway. Runners will climb to the top of Roanoke Mountain, cut back down to the Mill Mountain Star and go through parts of downtown Roanoke. The finish line will be in front of the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.

Other marathons in the Commonwealth have been growing, despite the struggling economy, and are great for pumping tourism dollars into communities. Roanoke homeowners can view this as a great way to show-off the beauty of their town to visitors, enjoy an added annual event, and experience a boost in their local economy.

"The last time marathoners flocked to the Roanoke Valley for a 26.2-mile race was in 1983. But marathons and the festivities associated with them have been growing throughout the country in cities large and small, pumping significant tourism dollars into some communities.

The Roanoke Valley is banking on this success as it markets the outdoors to a population of runners whose sport is named the No. 1 outdoor recreation activity in the country by the Outdoor Industry Association.

Organizers, along with U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, announced Wednesday the coming of a new marathon, coined the Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway.

Set for April 24, 2010, its route will cover a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway and sections of Roanoke, with approximately 16 miles of mountain climbing and 10 miles of city roadways."

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Posted on Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 12:58pm

Roanoke Area Residents Experience an Increase in Lawn Equipment Thefts

Today the Roanoke Times published a story about the increase in lawn equipment thefts this summer. Area officals are encouraging homeowners to go to greater lengths to protect their lawn equipment, including:

- Lock lawn equipment in a shed

- Permanently and uniquely mark equipment (engraving is a great idea)

- Record model and serial numbers of all lawn equipment

"One morning last month about 10:30, Charlie Hartman pulled up to his house just in time to see two strangers driving away with his flatbed trailer hitched to their truck. Parked on the trailer was his $4,000 Cub Cadet riding mower. Hartman, 56, a Vinton contract landscaper, had just stopped at home on his way to a doctor's appointment. Suddenly he found himself in a car chase down East Virginia Avenue, up South Pollard Street and past the police station.

'If I'd been two minutes earlier, I'd have been right on top of them hooking it up,' he said.

Two days after that, Hartman said, he was at a Roanoke used car dealership when the same truck rolled onto the lot with his trailer. The driver, he thinks, was looking to sell it.

'When I went to question him, he took off real fast,' said Hartman, who later found the trailer, minus the mower, abandoned a few blocks away. He has identified a suspect from police mug shots, but hasn't gotten his Cub Cadet back. 'I've been here 17 years and not even had as much as a toothpick taken from my yard. I keep everything now locked up like Fort Knox,' he said.

He's not alone. Although Vinton police and the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office said they haven't noticed a significant rise in thefts of lawn equipment, many other areas are citing a sharp increase. Roanoke did not submit information. Salem police Lt. Mike Green said that since mid-May, there have been about a dozen reported thefts of lawn equipment in the city, including trailers, riding mowers, pressure washers and leaf blowers."

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Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 10:14am

Real Estate Sale Sets Smith Mountain Lake Record

A recent real estate sale at Smith Mountain Lake set a local record:

"Location, location, location. That's a familiar mantra from real estate agents.In the case of a recent transaction at Smith Mountain Lake, an area developer thinks that brought what is apparently a record price for a residential sale at SML." Continue Reading...

Posted on Saturday, June 27, 2009 - 8:00am

New Content Coming

We're adding new content all the time, but it looks like we don't have a story for this area quite yet.

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Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 12:00am