The former Shenandoah Robe Co. building on Hollins Road in Roanoke will soon house the Western Virginia Water Authority's water and sewer line repair crews, as well as a new regional academy to help train workers for a range of public works jobs.

The water authority recently bought the 27,000-square-foot building for just more than $1.1 million from the private firm Hollins Road Warehousing LLC and plans to spend another $1 million to renovate it.

The building is assessed for tax purposes at $765,600, according to city real estate data. The water authority had an independent appraisal done that valued the building at $1.2 million, said Sarah Baumgardner, the authority's environmental communications coordinator.

The existing utility-line service facility is across the street from the new site and will continue to be used for storage of large equipment and gravel, as well remaining home to the authority's fueling station.

But that 7,200-square-foot building had become too cramped and needs extensive repair work, Baumgardner said.

The 71-member utility-line services team repairs and rehabilitates water and sewer lines throughout the authority's service area, Baumgardner said. The utility serves more than 150,000 water customers in Roanoke and Roanoke County and will soon extend into Franklin County.

The authority's newly acquired building also is large enough to house a planned Roanoke Regional Public Works Academy.

The cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, the town of Vinton, Roanoke Valley Resource Authority, Bedford County Public Service Authority, Roanoke Gas and the water authority are cooperating to create the new training facility, Baumgardner said.

"The goal of the academy is to address the common need to train people for employment in the field of public works," Baumgardner said.

Building renovations are expected to be complete for the water authority's crews to move in by March, she said.