Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Having just arrived in my hometown for a visit, I was appalled and saddened by the lack of pride shown by our downtown.

Driving down Main Street, the sight of the sidewalks overgrown with weeds was disturbing. How can a community have so little regard for the impression it makes on their citizens and visitors. It's a sign of our city going downhill.

Wake up, folks, it's not hard to keep our downtown looking fresh and appealing to your customers.

Kathy Root

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GS August 8, 2024, 11:42 am In response to Ms. Root’s thoughts.
I recently visited Vinton after several years away. I’d encourage you to look beyond imperfections on the sidewalks and side streets of downtown.
I spent significant time downtown during my visit. Every person I encountered was a delight. From the amazing folks at Cameron’s who helped me buy a shirt for a get-together with friends who were kind and fun to talk to about Vinton, Dysart and folks we each knew. The two nice folks at the Rondavoo who chatted us up about where we were visiting from and made us feel welcome. The young proprietor of the Palace Theater who was so enthusiastic when we spoke with her about show times. The hard-working couple who had the food truck at the park by the river were nice and the food was terrific. The young ladies at H2 Pizza reminded me of all the cool people I knew during high school who worked for Pete Stark at Jolly Rogers. And finally, the young lady at Nature’s Corner who even took the time to make sure we knew where we going to take some flowers to friends.
I left Vinton humbled to have grown up among such nice people and hopeful for it’s future. I’m especially enthusiastic about the innovations that our friend Dan Boddicker and his wife are bringing to downtown. I hope more people join in to revitalize Vinton as its future unfolds.
Thanks Vinton; see you next summer.
Sincerely,
Glen Shepherd (Rex’s Son), VHS Class of 1981
Go Vikes!

LY August 8, 2024, 12:07 pm Dear Editor,

Recently I visited Vinton and was pleasantly pleased with each person I met and the lovely improvements of the town. I didn’t notice any grass growing in the cracks, Great Scott.

Visiting Vinton again, I thought I would be travelling in a time machine, similar to the movie Back to the Future. Sidewalks? Where I was going, I didn’t notice sidewalks?

I was impressed with the little town where I went to school. Absolute hospitality everyplace I patronized: the Ron DaVoo, Camerons, Natures Corner, H2 Pizza, and the Palace Theatre. The Veteran’s Park was heartwarming and a great tribute to our veterans. The benches along the Cedar River, it was a lovely place to sit a couple hours on Sunday afternoon. What a great sandwich from Smokin on the Cedar at Celebration Park; that park is a wonderful addition to the town. The captivating alley next to the theatre was a festive spot to sip a beer. Every mural was a testament to the history of the community which was fascinating. Finally, counting tree sculptures became a thing to do as well.

The only disappointment was the courthouse clock. There are no hands on the face of the clock and no hourly bells; it was eerie. In the movie Back to the Future they had a SAVE THE CLOCK campaign. Hum? Vinton are you planning to preserve the clock exactly the way it was, as part of your history and heritage? I hope so.

If there was grass in the cracks of sidewalks downtown, I missed it. Sorry Mcfly. I was too busy being impressed with the great people of Vinton and patronizing the local businesses. As Marty McFly said, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything". Vinton you are accomplishing it!!

One of those kids from Garrison,

Lois Young

SJW August 8, 2024, 3:24 pm I agree with Kathy. Unless they cleaned it up, the weeds on the block just south of the courthouse are an eyesore.it is the business owners duty to maintain the walk in front of the store. Some hard pulling or perhaps weed spray would greatly improve the look of the business. There are probably other areas as well. Kathy was not disparaging the people or business owners, just the ugly weeds growing in the cracks.
You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

GS August 8, 2024, 6:29 pm SJW,
I have to disagree, she accused them and you, if you are part of the community, of a couple of things 1.)"of a lack of pride" and 2.) a "disregard for the impression downtown makes on their citizens and visitors." If you have heartburn with a particular business not meeting standards, you'd be well within your rights to contact code enforcement. I imagine the city has such an office.

DE August 9, 2024, 10:48 am I agree with Kathy. My regular evening walking route is through downtown because I enjoy seeing the nice window displays at Camerons, the cats in the window at Better Together, furniture on display at Barnes and M&D, and seeing what's coming up at the Palace. However, I've also noticed the weeds growing along buildings and in the cracks of sidewalks. I've stopped and pulled tall weeds in the middle of the sidewalk before. Pulling and spraying weeds is a simple task that can help keep the downtown appealing. It has nothing to do with how nice a person is or how welcoming a business is, but it does make an impression on how well we take care of our City. I believe the downtown was last renovated in 2000 when Jon Clingman (and others) helped lead that vision. There are places it is showing its age. I overlook those areas every time I walk past them because I know it's expensive and time consuming to fix every detail of the aging landscape. The least we can do is continue to take care of it and make it last as long as possible, and keep the outside looking as appealing as the window displays. The flowers in pots along the streets are a nice, welcoming addition. Also: Kudos to US Bank, or whoever sprayed weeds along a stretch of sidewalk on 5th street. I noticed in the past few weeks that particular sidewalk was no longer covered with crabgrass and other weeds. And, kudos to Vinton Unlimited for at least trying to develop a vision for the empty lot on 4th street and to the Palace for turning an old alley into a great place to socialize.

LV August 9, 2024, 3:04 pm As one of the businesses that needed to pull weeds, and yes the code enforcement officer did stop by. I have pulled all my weeds. Yes it needed to be done, yes I saw them every day. It just wasn't in my priority list to do. I think we get passive and don't look at it as a first impression kind of thing. Would I have liked it to be address differently, yes, but public pulse did bring up the awareness of the problem and has been taken care of.
Lisa Vogt

MP August 9, 2024, 10:49 pm Behind the scene “Don” that lives across from the middle school last Sunday was spraying the weeds that are in this discussion. He started at the Clipper Corner and continued East. Maybe industrial park could be next.

Mark Phippen

TL August 11, 2024, 11:10 am I have to admit, I didn't even think about weeds when I first read this article. But then, last night we were in town for a wedding. As I pulled up to 4th St, I looked to the left and made a comment about how nice the Beggs Abstract building looks. Then I saw all the weeds in the empty lot beside it and thought, that is a shame that someone doesn't take care of that.

I would not have given the weeds another thought until I read Kathy Root's comment...she was right, it was my first impression.

Opinion : Letter to the Editor

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