Roanoke's city manager has asked its architectural firm for the cost of exploring ways to preserve Fire Station No. 7! This is huge. The city ignored local leaders who called for change, but there was no way to ignore 4,200+ people who love this building. Thank you for signing. And keep sharing the petition because we're not done yet. In the accompanying story, two city council members imply that we're asking them to compromise public safety. Michelle Dykstra said, “I would never take action to preserve a building…if it’s going to put a citizen at risk." Ray Ferris said, “We’re not going to sacrifice public safety for historic preservation, I’m sorry." That's absurd, and they know it. The petition letter they receive from Change.org opens with "I'm pleased that you want to expand the capacity of Roanoke's emergency responders. Their work is critical..." In every media interview, I've said the same thing. We must have first-rate fire services and EMS in Roanoke, but we also need answers: What are the details of the study on Fire Station No. 7? What alternate sites did they consider, and why didn't they work? And why is it so impossible to build off the existing station? Right now, the city is dodging these questions, but they’re key. Once we know the challenges, we can start on solutions. If we have technical hurdles, lets convene a panel of crack architects and ask how they'd overcome them. If they need more money, let's look to private sources. I think I speak for this group when I say we’re ready to work with city officials on solutions, but we can only do so when the city is ready to work with us. They also need to be ready to do one more thing—innovate. One study from one firm isn't enough. At the risk of sounding like a Ted Talk, it’s 2018. It’s time to break old government molds and begin engaging the public and experts in entirely new ways. This petition is a good start. I hope city officials see it as a model for citizen engagement, rather than a threat. They should be thanking you for your enthusiasm and tapping you for great ideas.