Coles District Volunteer Fire Department

MANASSAS, Va. - many people are alarmed in Prince William County because officials want to dig up a cemetery and build a unique fire station in its destination. The Board of County Supervisors got an earful about this at a public hearing Tuesday.

The board really wants to develop a unique Coles District Volunteer fire section in Manassas right beside the old one considering that the current one should stay up and running during construction.

But correct next to the existing fire place is a small cemetery dating back to to your mid-1800s. You can find more than twelve gravesites within small wooded area and couple of are visibly marked.

The county is proposing to transfer the gravesites to a far more attractive and dignified location not not even close to its current place. But descendants associated with the households hidden here think there has to be another program that would work.

The fire section right here has been doing procedure for almost 40 years and fire officials stated they want a section that is more modern, along with the method in which the existing section is designed, it hampers firefighters' power to arrive at their particular location.

"This existing building has surpassed its life span, ” stated Prince William County Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin McGee. “It’s a station that has been included into. You will find equipment bays that individuals have actually crisis products that respond out of the straight back of this building plus it’s not good for our response time capabilities."

Some of the family members of dead which continue to be listed below are outraged and they do not want all of them become moved.

“If they certainly were graves had been of much more historic or cultural value, our feeling usually this interment wouldn't actually considered, ” said Susan Tansill, that has household hidden within cemetery. “Where may be the line attracted whenever those buried tend to be described as insignificant enough to be dug-up and reburied elsewhere?”

“I would personally choose they not be relocated unless there could be demonstration that there's a compelling community interest because of this interment, ” said Bill Olson of the Prince William County Historical Commission.

Fire officials said that their particular objective will be from the section in about a minute and also to be at their destinations in at about four minutes.

“Our goal is to get our fire and relief employees towards disaster scene as quickly and safely that you can, ” stated Chief McGee. “The option that people're proposing gives us that ability.”

They think this new fire place enable them achieve this because roadway that lies in front side associated with the existing place actually hampers their capability to leave because of the way that it really is designed as well as due to the traffic lights.