Despite an online petition pushing the Roanoke City Council to save the 96-year-old Fire Station No. 7 from demolition, a majority of council members say that while they’re keeping an open mind, they won’t sacrifice public safety to save the building.
Meanwhile, comments by Councilman John Garland in Thursday’s Roanoke Times prompted Mayor Sherman Lea to chastise him in an early morning email for inappropriate conduct.
Not all council members could be reached Thursday about the petition, which was launched Tuesday evening and by Thursday evening had 3,500 signatures.