Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 14, 1993                   TAG: 9309030400
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WEATHER

Last week, U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher announced that the National Weather Service will build a forecasting office at Virginia Tech's Corporate Research Center. The facility will employ some 24 people and will have an annual budget of $1 million. Not bad.

It will collect data from a ``Doppler'' weather radar unit to be built in Floyd County, and from weather balloons launched from a new facility at Virginia Tech's airport.

The new radar should provide earlier warning signs of severe weather, such as flash floods. It's nice that we needn't limit ourselves to talking about the weather, that we can do something about it. The technology and the science of forecasting keep progressing.

So should our understanding of economic development. People in this region ought to better understand the importance and potential of Virginia Tech as an engine of economic growth.

The Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg was picked as the site for the new facility, according to a National Weather Service official, because the agency likes the idea of working close to a university. Lots of businesses like the same idea.

Another thing to understand is that this announcement is good news for the region even though it will mean, eventually, that the National Weather Service will close its offices in Roanoke.

After all, for purposes of economic development, Virginia Tech is part of the region that includes Roanoke. The entire region shares the benefits of a major research university as an asset for attracting employment.

The Roanoke and New River valleys even share, pretty much and most of the time, the same weather.