By Debbie Adams
There was a full house at the first Vinton Community Meeting hosted by Tammy Shepherd, who
represents the Vinton Magisterial District on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. The
meeting was held at the Charles R. Hill Community Center on September 19—the first to be held
in the Vinton District in several years. The meeting room was full of citizens who came to listen
and to ask questions during the informative session. Shepherd hopes to hold these meetings
every six months.
She was not just presenting information that evening, but seeking some input herself for a
proposed project.
Citizens who attended the Vinton Community Meeting were asked to participate in a survey
about the Wolf Creek Greenway in Vinton. Several weeks ago, Shepherd introduced the idea of
paving the greenway from Hardy Road to Mountain View Road with asphalt to make the trail
easier for the elderly and families with strollers to use instead of the cinder trail which is there
now.
Citizens interested in expressing their opinion on the greenway surface can take the very user-
friendly survey by October 4 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VintonCommMtg.
Vinton Mayor Brad Grose, Vice Mayor Mike Stovall, Councilman Keith Liles, Town Manager
Pete Peters, Deputy Town Manager Cody Sexton, Police Chief Drumond and other members of
town staff attended the community meeting as well.
Shepherd was accompanied by several Roanoke County government officials who shared
information on economic development and transportation projects, and general county budget
information, especially as pertains to the Vinton area.
County Administrator Richard Caywood facilitated the meeting. He began with a description of
the newest county budget and reduced real estate tax rates (down from $1.06 to $1.04 per $100
assessed value this year). He noted that the purpose of taxes is to “give back to the citizens”
through expenditures on public safety, education, health and welfare services, parks and libraries,
and a host of others.
Caywood pointed out that education is the top priority in spending in Roanoke County, along
with public safety. (Fire & Rescue has grown from 80 employees to over 200 in recent years.)
He went into detail on the new fire station being built in the high-call volume Bonsack area,
which will take pressure off of the Vinton station, and the rest of the county system.
Assistant County Administrator Doug Blount focused on capital improvements at nearby
Explore Park, including road improvements, the addition of camp sites, cabins, Treetop Quest,
disc golf, hiking and biking trails, and other popular outdoor activities within the past several
years, and renovations to Hofauger House and the Twin Creeks Brew Pub.
He also discussed improvements to Vinyard Park with its soccer fields which attract not just
local rec league teams, but traveling sports teams as well, tennis courts at Mount Pleasant, repairs
at Goode Park, and the addition of pickleball courts at Stonebridge Park in Vinton.
Roanoke County Economic Development Director Megan Baker emphasized the need for
diversified revenues and industries. The county markets the area regionally and nationally and
continually works toward developing build-ready sites with utilities available. She also spoke of
the importance of retaining industries.
She mentioned the pad-ready site in Vinton at the Vinton Business Center off Hardy Road, and
the expanding partnership between the schools, the county government, and local business and
industries. She elaborated on other partnerships which have brought economic development
projects to Vinton with Vinyard Station, the Billy Byrd Apartments, the Vinton Library,
Macado’s, and the upcoming Gish Mill renovations.
Assistant Director of Planning Megan Cronise talked with attendees about the East River
Greenway, the Glade Creek Greenway, CORTRAN services, and Wolf Creek stream
restorations.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session. Several citizens were urging the
county to bring a Hobby Lobby to the valley. Caywood noted the need to find a site that fits a
particular business or industry.
Ray Sandifer talked about the reduced real estate tax, which did not seem to balance with
increased property assessments.
There was a question about why historic buildings aren’t being maintained as well as expected at
Explore Park. The answer is the difficulty in finding and distributing funds to cover needs and
prioritizing those funds.
Others had comments or complaints about motorists running red lights and the possibility of “red
light” cameras mounted on traffic signals. That seems to be a General Assembly question.
Another question concerned whether police have sufficient equipment, specifically vests, to keep
them safe on duty. Chief Drumond assured the group that police officers in Vinton all have
armored vests, paid for by grant and public funding. Caywood pointed out that each Roanoke
County public school is served by a School Resource Officer.
Another citizen had a complaint about the deer population and expressed a desire for “culling” of
the deer by law enforcement.
Shepherd closed the meeting by thanking those who had taken the time to attend and promised
that she would do her best to find answers to their questions—“no matter how big or how small.”
She shared her phone number (540-772-2005) and email address
(TSHEPHERD@roanokecountyva.gov) for those who would like to speak with her.
