Vinton – a small town doing big things – hosts annual State of the Town address

By Debbie Adams

The Town of Vinton hosted its annual State of the Town address for 2024 at the Vinton War
Memorial on April 4. Over 150 attended the event, including many dignitaries from surrounding
localities.

Angie Chewning, Executive Director of the Vinton Chamber of Commerce, welcomed guests as
the town celebrated “the enduring spirit of our community,” its many accomplishments, and the
“opportunities that lie ahead.”

“We are a small town, but we’re doing big things, and that’s thanks to the hard work and
dedication of our town’s staff, our businesses, and our citizens who continue to work tirelessly to
make our town a better place to live, work, and play,” Chewning said.

Vinton Vice Mayor Mike Stovall introduced his fellow members of Town Council (Mayor Brad
Grose and council members Keith Liles, Laurie Mullins, and Sabrina McCarty) who “bring to
the table not only love for this town but love for their job.”

He also welcomed several members of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors (Chair Phil
North, Vice Chair Martha Hooker, and members Tammy Shepherd of Vinton and David
Radford), County Administrator Richard Caywood, and other county officials, along with School
Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely and members of the School Board (Chair Brent Hudson, Vice
Chair Cheryl Facciani, David Linden, Shelley Clemons, and Tim Greenway of Vinton). Local
principals Tammy Newcomb (William Byrd High School), Evan Noell (William Byrd Middle
School), Ashley McCallum (W.E. Cundiff), and Julie Sandzimier (Herman L. Horn) were also
recognized.

Stovall then welcomed to the podium Vinton Mayor Brad Grose, who has served on Town
Council since 2000 and as mayor since 2004. Grose began by presenting a key to the Town of
Vinton to Roanoke City Mayor Sherman Lea who is retiring.

“I’m excited to say that Vinton may look a little different since the last time we met here,” Grose
said. “We’ve seen new businesses open, roads improved, traffic signals replaced and both public
and private investment in every direction.”

The mayor went on to name some of Vinton’s specific accomplishments over the past year, or
currently underway: completion of Walnut Avenue Phase 1 and 2 projects with fresh pavement,
new sidewalks, and bike lanes; the replacement of traffic signals with Opticom Emergency Alert
signals at all 11 intersections to help emergency vehicles respond more efficiently;
completion of major utility projects improving water service in partnership with the Western
Virginia Water Authority; and completion of the much-needed downtown Walnut Avenue
Parking Lot.

Grose noted that one primary focus in Vinton is the outdoors. Work is now underway on the
multi-generational park on the Vinton War Memorial campus funded partially through the
Virginia Outdoor Foundation, and also local partners, including the Vinton Breakfast Lions
Club.

The Greenway Phase 2B connection to Walnut Avenue, which will ultimately provide a direct
connection to the Tinker Creek Greenway and the entire Roanoke Valley, is in progress. He
thanked the Pathfinders for Greenways organization for a donation of $60,000 to make the
greenway connection happen.

Grose recognized local artist Jon Murrill for creating the “Lady Appalachia” mural on the Annex
building in downtown Vinton (one in a series throughout southwest Virginia), and thanked Pok-
E-Joe’s and Pollard 107 South restaurants for choosing to set up business in downtown Vinton,
and Twin Creeks Brewing Company for its expansion by adding a music pavilion.

“Thank you for believing in Vinton and for your partnerships. Entrepreneurs have a home here in
Vinton.”

Grose applauded the 10th anniversary of The Advancement Foundation’s Gauntlet Business
Program and Competition, “which has helped people locally, regionally, and throughout the state
to achieve their dreams.”

He mentioned the partnership with local developers in revitalizing the former Cleveland Mart
into new apartments and a commercial space on Cleveland Avenue.

“Investments like these from local partners with the right vision help us redevelop underutilized
properties in Vinton.

“The town is working with private partners on other challenged properties like the fire-affected
downtown. Staff is working with the property owners on a daily basis to help with a build-back
plan. We hope to redevelop this area into something that is ambitious and fitting for our
downtown.”

He next spoke about the Gish Mill project, “quite the undertaking, but nothing worth having
comes easy. This is the founding structure in the town of Vinton—it’s even on our town seal, so
its history is deeply engraved and deeply part of Vinton’s history. When Holdren’s Store closed
and the mill was left vacant, Town Council and staff saw an opportunity to bring back our most
historic structure. We knew it wouldn’t be easy—that has turned out to be an
understatement—but luckily, we have great partners in David Hill and Dr. David Trinkle, who
have taken on the challenges to create a mixed-use property with an historic feel. There’ll be
lodging and space for restaurants.

“Business development brings unique experiences in Vinton but so does art, culture, and events.
We pride ourselves on our marquee events like the Dogwood Festival, the Fourth of July
fireworks, and the Christmas Parade. We are excited to work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of
Southwest Virginia on the Four on the 4th Race, and the Chamber’s Mingle at the Market concert
series.

“I must say we have a lot of fun at these events, but the best part is watching Vinton citizens
come together as a community, enjoy their community, and have fun. It’s really something to see.

“There are perfect examples of coordination across all of our departments from Public Works to
police to administration, to partners of all kinds, helping bring our community together.

“For example, the Vinton the Breakfast Lions Club has been extremely important in working
with us to help us build two new bus shelters, one at Precision Fabrics and the other at Lake
Drive Plaza. The Daughters of the American Revolution helped the town place six new public
benches along our greenway. The new playground at Vinton Baptist Church works in partnership
with the Boys and Girls Club to help fill the gaps we have in our community—and we appreciate
the opportunity to work with all of you on this.

“Vinton is also a very safe community and that can only happen with the help of our fully
accredited police department led by Chief Fabricio Drummond and Deputy Chief Tim Lawless.
This department produces some of the finest officers I’ve ever met. The way this department
engages with our community with different events such as National Night Out and Hot
Chocolate and Coffee With a Cop are just a few examples of how they get to know the residents
that they work so hard to protect. I am really proud of the service they deliver here in Vinton.

“Our roads and neighborhoods have never looked any better and that’s due to the hard work of
our Public Works Department. I can’t say enough today to cover all the things these professionals
do for our community, but I’ll say that we wouldn’t have the newly paved roads, our incredible
Christmas decorations, and our clean community without our folks at Public Works. They have a
great team, and they do a great job.

“We’ve talked a lot about our projects, but they wouldn’t happen without a balanced budget. Our
Finance Department has worked hard to make the town financially strong across the board. This
past year they implemented a new software program in coordination with our friends at Roanoke
County to streamline the financial procedures throughout the town.

“I’ve talked a lot about the great things that we’ve done to help improve Vinton this past year but
one of the absolute most exciting things coming up this next year is the start of our

Comprehensive Plan which will be the vision for Vinton for the next 25 years. Every department
will be involved and so will our residents, businesses, community partners and stakeholders.
That’s what makes it exciting—we want the entire town to be involved in this important plan.

“I think I can speak for the entire Town Council when I say that we are extremely excited to see
our community work together for the next generation.”

You may watch the entirety of the State of the Town event, produced by RVTV, at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB20cXgRSjg.

This year’s State of the Town address was catered by Hamm’s Fine Foods.