A sound investment in Vinton
Roanoke County supervisors are booking on library project.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
Sunday, June 30, 2013
In accelerating the construction schedule for a new Vinton library, Roanoke County supervisors also advanced the likelihood that the town will enjoy quicker success in revitalizing its business community.
Unlike the current, cramped library that is set apart from downtown Vinton, the new library will be its anchor. Based simply on last year’s library census, this means that at least 204,000 additional people will be out of a car and on foot in the downtown. More likely that number will grow by leaps and bounds, once more people discover they can actually find a parking spot and a seat inside the library.
Once downtown, patrons might just run a few errands and drop into nearby stores and restaurants, boosting the bottom line for existing businesses and enticing new ones to consider Vinton.
Restoring the downtown and making it a vibrant spot that travelers heading to Smith Mountain Lake will put on their must-stop list has long been the dream of town officials. Vinton Mayor Brad Grose, in commending the supervisors for building the library sooner than once thought, said that the county project will now coincide with launch of the town council’s revitalization project. The accelerated schedule also is expected to save taxpayers money by taking advantage of favorable interest rates and construction prices.
The payoff from the county’s $8.2 million investment in a modern-day library will come not just in providing a premier meeting and educational center, but in other private investments likely to follow.
Vinton townsfolk have waited patiently in cramped quarters while the county made capital investments in other areas. It’s Vinton’s turn now.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
THE ROANOKE TIMES
