After mutual words of thanks between some County Supervisors and the County’s Department of Fire Rescue, the group of men gathered behind the podium on Lonesome Pine Lane picked up their shovels—each labeled with a sharp “Fire Rescue” logo—and dug into the Hollymead ground. By next fall, Lonesome Pine Lane will be replaced by an intersection and the surrounding ground will be home to the Hollymead Fire Rescue station.
 With the volume of development headed to the Hollymead area, the ground will be breaking on more than just a fire station. |
After a few scoops of earth from J. Dan Eggleston, chief of the Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue, and a hard-hatted Ken Boyd, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the group broke up into smaller social circles—some to talk with the press about the site, others to warm their hearts with steaming Starbucks coffee and flaky Panera pastries from the nearby Hollymead Town Center.
“When you look at the map of this area, this is the center of development,” said Eggleston, alluding to Hollymead Town Center and the National Ground Intelligence Center, both no more than two miles from the site. “There is a lot of need that goes along with expansion, and I consider fire safety part of the infrastructure.” Additionally, the County has approved plans for another 1,500 dwelling units in the area.