Virginia Tech tight end Luke Reynolds runs in for a touchdown during the second quarter against Old Dominion on Sept. 12 in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech tight end Luke Reynolds runs in for a touchdown during the second quarter against Old Dominion on Sept. 12 in Blacksburg.
The Wood Haven Technology Park located at the junction of Interstates 81 and 581 in the Roanoke Valley, pictured on Sept. 17.
A structure and a municipal water tower by Splash Valley Waterpark is seen looking East from the Wood Haven Technology Park located at the junction of Interstates 81 and 581 in the Roanoke Valley.
The Wood Haven Technology Park located at the junction of Interstates 81 and 581 in the Roanoke Valley, pictured on Sept. 17.
The Wood Haven Technology Park located at the junction of Interstates 81 and 581 in the Roanoke Valley, pictured on Sept. 17.
Roanoke Regional Partnership executive director John Hull.
A map prepared by the Roanoke Regional Partnership showing the location of Wood Haven Technology Park in Roanoke County.
The Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority confirmed it intends for the land at the Wood Haven Technology Park to be developed into a data center Tuesday, following calls for transparency.
“It’s very early in the process,” said John Hull, the executive director of the WVRIFA. “A lot of the questions that you have and your readers will have will be defined in the due diligence process, as a result of talking with utility partners and understanding what the capacities are and what connections are needed for the use.
“In some ways, we couldn’t be communicating any earlier about this project than we are. You might say that we could be better served to have those answers before we communicate.”
The organization said Clearview Dynamics LLC purchased the land, which sits near the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport and the interchange of Interstate 81 and 581. Clearview Dynamics’ registered agent is Corporation Service Co., which has been linked to other data center projects. The WVRIFA said Clearview Dynamics asked for more information to be shared, prompting a news release and interview availability with Hull on Tuesday.
The details of the purchase agreement have not been made public pending its execution. The 111-acre Wood Haven Technology Park includes 54 acres of graded land with utilities in place, the authority said in its statement.
Clearview Dynamics is in the “due diligence phase” of evaluating the property, which the WVRIFA said will run through March 2027. That phase includes engineering and geotechnical assessments of the land, required state and local environmental reviews and utility capacity studies — the latter of which means the site can support the power and water needs of the data center.
The release did not elaborate on Wood Haven’s power requirements; it said that will be examined further as a part of the due diligence evaluation. The WVRIFA said Clearview Dynamics will pay for all of the power requirements.
In the release, WVRIFA said it confirmed with the Western Virginia Water Authority that the Spring Hollow Reservoir would serve as the data center’s water source. The release also said Clearview Dynamics will pay for all of the water and water infrastructure, so taxpayers will not bear the cost.
Sarah Baumgardner, the water authority’s director of public relations, said neither Clearview Dynamics nor any other organization has contacted the Western Virginia Water Authority about Wood Haven’s service needs. However, she confirmed Spring Hollow Reservoir would serve the area with water, in the event of any development there.
As of Tuesday, Spring Hollow Reservoir had a water level of 25.7 feet below full pond, meaning 69.3% capacity. Carvins Cove — the area’s other main reservoir that the water authority is reserving 2 million gallons per day for a Google data center campus in Botetourt County — sits at 54.2% capacity, or 20.4 feet below full pond. The drought conditions led to the water authority issuing a voluntary water conservation notice, asking residents to limit their consumption.
“It’s not immediately apparent to anyone that Spring Hollow is the source for the site, so we wanted to point (it) out,” Hull said. “It’s not an indication of any specific volume requirement or any particular cooling system that may be pursued.”
Hull said they have not secured an end user — such as Google, Meta or another technology company — and do not have a timeline for when they may name one. Hull also did not provide a performance agreement, like in Google’s facility in Botetourt County, which would require a certain number of jobs or local investment from the end user.
“I don’t know how to speak to that,” Hull said. “I think more information will certainly be available as the project develops.”
The WVRIFA approved the sale of land at Wood Haven on Sept. 11, after numerous meeting attendees, Congressional candidate Beth Macy, Roanoke Vice Mayor Terry McGuire and Councilman Phazhon Nash spoke out against the proposal. The WVRIFA voted in favor of approving the real estate purchase and sale agreement after an hour of closed session, then provided minimal details. McGuire approached Bryce J. Hunter, the WVRIFA’s lawyer, once the meeting concluded and asked him to share the agreement, then Hunter told McGuire that he could file a Virginia Freedom of Information Act request with the WVRIFA to ask for the document.
“I don’t know how the authority could be more transparent in the process at this point,” Hull said, “by confirming the use and having open public meetings and talking about this transaction quite as openly as we’ve discussed it and being forthright with the status of the project and the due diligence process that’s ahead.”
In a statement released after the vote, McGuire and Nash said the city will maintain a 44.2% ownership stake in the property. They also said a majority of the Roanoke City Council “gave consensus” to the city manager, though the two of them said they opposed the development.
On Monday, Roanoke Mayor Joe Cobb, said two of his colleagues — presumably McGuire and Nash — violated the city council’s ethics code when they issued statements about the land sale. In a statement of his own, Cobb said they allowed “their activism to override their governance responsibilities.”
Hull did not say if any WVRIFA members have signed nondisclosure agreements and encouraged The Roanoke Times to file a public records request to obtain that information.
Local governments in Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke counties, the cities of Roanoke and Salem and the town of Vinton established the WVRIFA in 2014 to cooperate on economic development projects. The organization has spent years trying to find a suitable tenant for the Wood Haven Technology Park.
Sam Mostow (540) 981-3251
This section of Smith Mountain Lake near the Lands End Subdivision on the Blackwater River arm had a large patch of blueish green algae along the shoreline in early June 2023.
A Virginia Tech study has found that the harmful algal blooms that devastated Smith Mountain Lake in 2023 are not a recurring concern at this time, but urged action to assure conditions are not favorable for a return in the future.
Funding for the study was provided as part of Virginia's overall state budget in 2024. A total of $150,000 was approved to the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech with assistance from the Virginia Department of Health and the Smith Mountain Lake Association to create the study.
The study was approved just a year after harmful algal blooms appeared at Smith Mountain Lake in 2023 that led to swim advisories along much of the lake's Blackwater River arm. The advisories lasted much of the summer between June and July and led to a noticeable decrease in vacationers during the lake's busiest time of year.
The harmful algal blooms were a type of blue-green algae that can sometimes contain cyanobacteria that can produce toxins that can be harmful to pets and people in large enough concentrations. Swimming in or ingesting cyanobacteria can cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illnesses, such as upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Daniel McLaughlin, associate director of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center and lead investigator of the study, said the study provides one of the most comprehensive looks to date at potential factors influencing blooms in Smith Mountain Lake.
"By pulling together water quality records going back to the 1990s, satellite imagery, land-use change and watershed modeling, we were able to give the community a clearer picture of what may drive blooms in the lake. Blooms aren't a recurring problem right now, but warming water, nutrient inputs, and development around the shoreline are all trends worth watching. Steady monitoring and practical steps to cut nutrient runoff are the best insurance for the lake's future," McLaughlin said in a release announcing the results.
Keri Green, chair of the SMLA Lake Quality Council, has worked with the association to take steps to better monitor for harmful algal blooms in the future with the Dock Watch program. The program has volunteers who analyze water samples taken from multiple sites around Smith Mountain Lake to monitor for dangerous algae.
Green said, while the study didn't produce a "smoking gun" of what exactly caused the harmful algal blooms to occur in 2023, it did show what kind of conditions were needed for them to possibly appear. The blooms need warm water with high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus that fuels the algae growth. That combined with still water creates the best conditions, she added.
Those nutrients are not normally found in the lake in high enough amounts to cause the algal blooms. Green said they usually make their way into the lake from runoff after a heavy rain. Increased development also helps in allowing that runoff into the lake without any natural buffers.
"The nutrients are washed off from lawns with fertilizer, pet waste, wildlife waste, leaking septics, you name it," Green said. "That flushing follows a localized rain event is really what kicks things into high gear. What we don't know is what is the delay from a rain event to a bloom. Is it days? Is it a week?"
Conditions were favorable this summer with Green stating that nearly 30 blue-green algal blooms reported around Smith Mountain Lake. She added that the samples taken from the blooms did not have a high enough concentration of harmful cyanobacteria to warrant a swim advisory from DEQ.
"In in the middle of June we had that little burst of one or two days of rain and it wasn't very long after that we started seeing bloom reports. It was around June 18. The water was certainly still this year and we had warmer temperatures because the water was shallower. So the ingredients still worked," Green said.
The study has allowed the SMLA to get a closer look at some of those ingredients with a detailed web tool provided by Virginia Tech that uses decades of data collected by DEQ and Ferrum College's water quality monitoring program. The tool provides detailed information on the lake at a variety of locations.
“Before the Water Center produced this study, we had no overall picture of the conditions of the watershed that reflect in the water quality of Smith Mountain Lake. With the web tool and the deep dive into decades of data, we are now better equipped to focus on early warnings for HABs, having a clearer picture of the drivers of algae blooms here,” Green said.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
DANVILLE — A capital fundraising campaign goal of $35 million announced in October 2022 to build a new wellness center skyrocketed well above the intended amount and recently passed the $50 million mark with three months remaining.
Ground was broken in May 2023 for the new center after current and former students literally "made their mark" on the old building with purple and gold spray paint, the colors of the all-girls school founded in 1894.
Parts of the old gym are incorporated in the new structure. Materials were ground from the former building to be part of the foundation of the new complex that opened in March 2025.
Flowers bloom around The Wagoner-LaDuke Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness at Chatham Hall.
After the $35 million milestone was reached — itself once thought as a lofty goal — leaders then upped the figure.
As of Monday, the total reached $50.5 million, the Pittsylvania County school announced.
"Surpassing $50 million is an extraordinary expression of confidence in Chatham Hall and its future," Jennifer Hiltwine, acting head of school, said in a Monday statement. "This achievement represents years of generosity from alumnae, families, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends who understand what can happen when girls are given the space, support, opportunities, and confidence to discover who they are and what they can become."
The majority of students — about 93% — live on campus full time, but there are some who are five-day boarders. Those are students who live about two hours away and stay at Chatham Hall during the week but travel back home on the weekends.
Chatham Hall last year announced that the new center will bear the name of two coaches who left their mark on the athletic world at the all-girls school.
It will be known as The Wagoner-LaDuke Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness. A formal dedication is planned for May 1.
The 31,000-square-foot building is far more than just a gymnasium. It combines athletics, health and wellness under one roof.
The new facility stems from a strategic plan called Living Well, a philosophy and framework that brings together nine dimensions of wellness — intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, social, occupational, environmental and inclusiveness — as the foundation for the future of the school.
Chatham Hall students play basketball at the Wagoner-LaDuke Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness.
The facility is home to a new health care center, a dedicated yoga space and a new elevated track for the recently started running program.
The gym has a bouldering wall, a rock-like structure where climbers dangle from a rope and harness system.
It also has a new dance studio.
"Chatham Hall has always been shaped by generations of women investing in the girls who would follow them," Shannon Reynolds, director of advancement, said in the statement. "The ultimate legacy of Boundless Potential will not simply be the amount raised, but the opportunities made possible by that generosity — for students today and for the girls and young women who will come to Chatham Hall for generations to come."
The campaign funds raised also will renovate student and faculty living spaces and boost the endowment.
The campaign will remain open through Dec. 31 for donations. Learn more at https://campaign.chathamhall.org/campaign-priorities.
Gravely
A man who collected sexually explicit images of more than 100 young girls in Roanoke and beyond was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison.
Alageon Jaytwon Lee Gravely, 22, was convicted earlier of receiving and distributing child pornography — cellphone videos and photos of nine victims taken when they were between the ages of 14 and 17.
However, federal authorities believe there were far more girls who Gravely either filmed having sex with him or those he convinced to send sexually explicit images of themselves to his online accounts.
“The defendant was willing to resort to coercive and exploitative manipulations in order to build a repository of child sexually explicit material, and he did so over and over again with an almost endless number of victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Miller wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Gravely had faced a mandatory minimum of five years, and up to 20 years, on each of the nine charges to which he pleaded guilty. A plea agreement, however, narrowed his total sentence to between five and 15 years in prison.
Defense Attorney Patrick Kenney called his client’s age — he was 18 or 19 at the time of the offenses — a “massive mitigating factor” in asking U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon to impose the minimum of five years.
Although Dillon mentioned the close age difference between Gravely and his victims in pronouncing his sentence, she found that was outweighed by other factors that included his pattern of “predatory behavior.”
The case came to the attention of law enforcement when one of the victim’s parents contacted police. After obtaining search warrants for Gravely’s phone and his Snapchat and Dropbox accounts, authorities discovered what they called an overwhelming amount of sexually explicit material.
More than 100 young girls were pictured. Many of them could not be identified, and others were determined to be 18 or older at the time the videos and photos were taken, according to court records.
The images of nine girls that led to charges were obtained over a period of less than a year, between August 2023 and May 2024. One of the girls was in Mississippi at the time; the rest were in the Roanoke region or elsewhere in western Virginia.
“Mr. Gravely sought out underaged females on social media applications and pursued online interactions that sometimes resulted in in-person meet-ups involving sex,” Miller wrote in court documents.
“The interactions often involved elements of coercion with all the hallmarks of abuse relationships … culminating in multiple instances of Mr. Gravely preserving videos or images of the sexual interactions with the minor victim before he moved on to the pursuit of his next victim,” the prosecutor argued in asking for a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Miller urged Dillon to consider forensic interviews of four victims.
One of the girls described how Gravely used her password to take over her Snapchat account, where explicit images taken without her consent were sent. Another told of how he extorted additional images from her by threatening to send earlier ones to her parents.
As part of her sentence, Dillon ordered the defendant to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of the nine victims to cover losses such as the cost of therapy for their emotional suffering.
Gravely was living in Vinton at the time of his arrest two years ago. He has been held without bond since.
In asking for leniency, Kenney detailed what he called a perfect storm of mitigating factors, which included his client’s childhood in a troubled home where he was abused by his mother, exposed to pornography at a young age, and involved in sexual encounters with older minors when he was younger than 10.
All that contributed to poor decisions by a young man, which the attorney said made the case different from many child pornography prosecutions.
“This would have been a totally different case if he were older,” Kenney said.
Laurence Hammack (540) 981-3239
