By Debbie Adams
Mayor Brad Grose and Town Council members Laurie Mullins and Keith Liles officially
announced at the Vinton Town Council meeting on Feb. 20 that they will be running for re-
election to council in the fall General Election. Grose was first elected to Town Council in 2000
and to his position as mayor in 2004. Mullins was first elected in 2020; Liles, in 2016.
A public hearing was held to hear public comments on taking action to officially list the Vinton
Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic
Places.
Vinton Historic District includes four blocks of commercial buildings mainly along Pollard
Street and Lee Avenue in downtown Vinton. (courtesy Town of Vinton)
Michael Pulice, Senior Architectural Historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(DHR), and Kate Kronau, Historic Preservation Associate for Hill Studio, gave a presentation to
provide information to property owners and local officials about the meaning of the National
Register designation.
The town contracted with Hill Studio to conduct an historic resources survey of the downtown
district, which included about 35 properties. Their research indicates that the Vinton Downtown
Historic District appears to be eligible for a National Register listing at the local level of
significance, based on the criteria of commerce and architecture.
The district encompasses approximately 6.38 acres surrounding the intersection of Pollard Street
and Lee Avenue, South Maple and Jackson, which includes about four blocks of commercial
buildings constructed from 1900 to 1971.
Placement on the National Register is an honorary designation which does not restrict property
owners in any way. Owners do not have to seek permission from DHR to make any changes to
their property, including the demolition of a building or the subdivision of the property. Property
assessments will not change as a result of the listing.
Being included on the National Register is a community planning tool which promotes
awareness of and provides information and materials for education and heritage tourism, and
makes monetary incentives available.
According to Town Manager Pete Peters, this process began when Sam and Bill Cundiff asked
the town about moving the historic Cundiff Drug Store sign back to its original location on
Pollard Street.
Virginia State Code says, “It shall be unlawful for any place of business which is not a pharmacy
to advertise or to have upon it or in it as a sign the words, ‘pharmacy,’ ‘pharmacist,’
‘apothecary,’ ‘drugstore,’ ‘druggist,’ ‘drugs,’ ‘medicine store,’ ‘drug sundries,’ ‘prescriptions
filled’ or any like words indicating that drugs are compounded or sold or prescriptions filled.
“Upon consultation with the Department of Historic Resources, the Board may grant an
exception from this section for such signage on an historic building that formerly housed a
drugstore or pharmacy if that building is individually listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark, a
contributing property in a Virginia Historic Landmark District, or is determined to be eligible for
listing by the Department of Historic Resources, provided that the signage relates to the historic
character of the building.”
Peters says that historic district designation will help to relocate the Cundiff sign and lead to
other properties being cleared for historic tax credits which could assist with future rehabilitation
projects such as Roland E. Cook, the Billy Byrd apartments, and Gish Mill in the past.
The Historic Resources Board and the State Review Board will meet to consider the nomination
on March 21. If the historic district is approved, it will be listed in the Virginia Landmarks
Register; then the nomination will be forwarded to the National Park Service for consideration
for the National Register of Historic Places.
Ken Fay, Director of Roanoke County Real Estate Valuation, briefed council on the 2024 Real
Estate Reassessment. Roanoke County appraises all properties annually at 100% fair market
value. Reassessment notices are mailed to property owners in mid-January.
“Citizens who buy and sell real estate in the open market establish the market values by how
much they are willing to offer/accept for individual properties,” Fay explained. As a result, “real
estate values have increased significantly due to limited supply and favorable mortgage rates.”
Residential properties assessed values in Roanoke County increased by 9.14% in 2024;
commercial by 4.8%, for a total increase of 8.63%.
In the Town of Vinton, real estate assessments in 2024 increased by 8.63%; commercial by
3.96%, for a total increase of 7.75%, again attributable to market value increases.
he median price of a home in Roanoke County was $320,000 in 2023 with 916 homes sold with
20 foreclosures. The median price of a home in Vinton in 2023 was $240,000 with 59 sales and
two foreclosures.
ay noted that mortgage rates could be lower in 2024 since the Federal Reserve has stopped rate
increases and an increase in housing inventory is anticipated.
Jim Blanton, Roanoke County’s Director of Library Services, and Kimberly Burnette-Dean,
Vinton Library Branch Manager, next presented a report on library activities in 2023. System- wide, the library has developed a new strategic plan, focused on the library as a place of
discovery and community. Community outreach programs are increasing, along with staff
training opportunities.
Renovations have been completed at the Mount Pleasant and Bent Mountain libraries, with the
Hollins Library slated for replacement in 2026.
County libraries now offer RVL Mobile which allows patrons to turn their phones into digital
library cards and access most library services via an app.
One of the most exciting developments at the Vinton Library is the addition of the DigiLab
which allows patrons to digitize their old media from photographs to film to vinyl records and
audio cassettes to “preserve your history for future generations.” Best of all, the service is free. Over 100 visitors have used the service since it was launched in August 2023.
Burnette-Dean described the multitude of programs and activities available at the Vinton branch
– for all ages and interests. The library partners with the town (especially the Vinton Police
Department) and community throughout the year for events such as Arbor Day (coming up on
April 25), the Dogwood Festival, Storytime at the Vinton Farmers’ Market, Cocoa with a Cop,
and more.
Services at the library go beyond books. There are digital and even physical items that can be
checked out, including dulcimers, telescopes, and bright light therapy lamps.
The Teen Center is being updated at the Vinton Library and a service desk added to the second
floor, with LED lighting in use throughout the facility.
John Hull, Executive Director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, briefed council members on
a “record-setting year” throughout the valley promoting economic growth, placemaking, talent
solutions, and real estate.
Mayor Grose described the organization as the “unsung heroes in this valley and an incredible
resource, who receive 50% of their funding from the private sector.” He mentioned their hard
work to reverse the “brain drain” and keep young adults in the area after graduation and their
emphasis on the outdoors, a topic near and dear to Vinton.
Council adopted a resolution authorizing a new purchase card program through Pinnacle Bank.
(Councilwoman Sabrina McCarty, a Pinnacle employee, recused herself from the vote.)
Finance Director/Treasurer Andrew Keen stated that Pinnacle Bank has a product which meets
the town’s needs more efficiently than their present credit card partner, is more technologically
advanced, and offers more safeguards against fraud. The bank offers a flat rebate on a monthly
basis, adding dollars to the town coffers. The Pinnacle program can be accessed online; the
previous account required time-consuming transactions by phone. The Pinnacle purchase card
program will interface well with the town’s new HR payroll financial system.
In reference to the earlier real estate tax assessment presentation, Deputy Town Manager Cody
Sexton said the town will hold a public hearing on the tax rate on April 2, advertising no change in the current 7% tax rate. The hearing is required by law when tax assessments increase by 1%
or more.
