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VOL . 51The magazine of the Virginia Municipal LeagueRe-imaginethe placewhereyou liveTake a pagefrom Danville’sbrand makeoverNO. 2MARCH 2016
The magazine of the Virginia Municipal LeagueV O L. 51NO . 2MAR C H 2016About the coverThe water tower in Danville displaysthe city’s new brand “Reimagine That.”The icon represents a new identity thatcelebrates the spirit of the town and allthat it is becoming.DepartmentsDiscovering Virginia. 2People. 3News & Notes. 5Calendar. 26Marketplace. 27Professional Directory. 29Featurescity want to join in.Reimagine the placewhere you liveCan you spota structural deficit?There’s an art to rebranding your city ortown and it can be learned. Take a lookat how Danville created a brand that wasbelievable, exciting and made the wholeIf you’re an elected official who feels alittle overwhelmed by the numbers, here’sa guide to spotting one of the most important fiscal dangers – a structural deficit.By Arnold HendrixPage 10By Art MeadPage 16What’s your FOIA IQ?When will the bus be here?As society shifts to a car-lite lifestyle andexpects more real-time information, thisage-old question demands immediate answers. Transit mobile apps that can tell riders when, where and how long it will takeare becoming an expectation. Blacksburg Transit explains howto decide what you need in a mobile transit app and how to getit up and running.By Ken TuckerThe rules and regulations under the Freedom of Information Act are enough tokeep a local official up at night. This quizwill give you a hint as to whether you canput these fears to rest or if you need to goback to FOIA school.By VML staffPage 14EXECUTIVE DIRECTOREXECUTIVE COMMITTEEKimberly A. WinnRon Rordam (President), BlacksburgRobert K. Coiner (President-Elect), GordonsvilleKatie Sheldon Hammler (Vice President), LeesburgEDITORNancy ChafinDESIGN EDITORManuel TimbrezaADVERTISING MANAGERAnita YearwoodCIRCULATION MANAGERSherall W. DementiPage 23Ceasor T. Johnson, LynchburgPatricia P. Woodbury, Newport NewsMimi Milner Elrod, LexingtonEdythe Kelleher, ViennaAnita James Price, RoanokeGuy Odum, BristolTimothy Taylor, StrasburgChristina Luman-Bailey, HopewellThomas R. Smigiel, Jr., NorfolkDavid P. Helms, MarionVirginia Town & City (ISSN0042-6784) is the officialmagazine of the Virginia Municipal League. Published 10times a year at 13 E. Franklin St., P.O. Box 12164, Richmond, VA 23241; 804/649-8471. E-mail: e-mail@vml.org.Reproduction or use of contents requires prior approval ofthe Virginia Municipal League and if granted must be accompanied by credit to Virginia Town & City and the VirginiaMunicipal League. Periodicals Postage paid at Richmond,VA. (USPS 661040) Subscription rates: members - 8 peryear, non-members - 16 per year. Single copies - 2 each.Postmaster: Send address changes to Virginia Town &City, P.O. Box 12164, Richmond, 23241-0164.Virginia Town & City is printed on recycled paper.Visit at www.vml.orgV i r g i n i a T o w n & C i t y marchM arch 2 0 1 61
Discovering VirginiaBy Kimberly A. Winn, VML Executive DirectorFarmvilleFurnishing amodern communityIcan’t believe that it has been more than twoyears since we picked up and moved here from Kansas.We found a great school for the kids and a wonderfularea to live in. Until now, we have been leasing a home, butit’s time to settle down. We have found a home to purchaseand we will be moving this summer.One of the biggest challenges with moving is outfittingthe new home with appropriate furniture. And, as everyonein Virginia knows, the place to go for furniture is Farmville.So, one day we loaded up the Winn family van and headedfor Green Front Furniture (www.greenfront.com).I am not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I wastruly shocked. We pulled up in front of a lovely store andwent in. It wasn’t long before we discovered that we werejust in the rug portion of Green Front. After a nice younglady showed us the map of the warehouses where the furniture is, we headed out.After just the first warehouse, the boys insisted thatthey were tired and hungry, so we had lunch at Charley’sWaterfront Café (www.charleyswaterfront.com) which isconveniently located right next to the main warehouses.Refueled by the lunch, we attacked two more warehousesbefore we gave up from exhaustion.To treat the boys for hanging with us, we decided toCompleted in 2006, Midtown Square is a mixed-usedevelopment adjacent to Longwood University. It has416 student beds and 45,000 square feet of retail andcommercial space.look for an ice cream shop. We stumbled upon a SweetFrog (they didn’t have those in Kansas so the boys reallylove it!). This particular location is in Midtown Square andI was impressed by this modern and obviously successfuldevelopment.Midtown Square is a mixed-use development that isadjacent to Longwood University. According to the developer’s website, this project is in the location of a demolishedshopping center. It includes 416 student beds and 45,000sq. ft. of retail and commercial space. Midtown Squareis a wonderful example of blending living space and retailspace to serve the University and the community at large.For more on the Midtown Square development, go to www.pinnacleconstructionva.com.Main Street in Farmville is home to charming boutiques, cafés and restaurants.2marchV i r g i n i a To w n & C i t y MARCH 2016
PeopleSuffolk names DeputyCity ManagerDavid Butler appointedMayor of LeesburgDurrell “Scott” Mills has been appointed Deputy City Manager of Suffolk. Mills was Interim Deputy CityManager since June 2015. He has beenwith the city since 1987 when he wasfirst employed by the Department ofPlanning, and has held various positionswithin that department including Environmental Planner, Principal Planner,Assistant Director and Director. He hasalso served on two previous occasions asInterim Deputy City Manager.The Leesburg Town Council appointedCouncil Member David Butler asMayor in February.Butler fills the mayoral vacancy createdwhen former MayorKristen Umstattd waselected to the Loudoun County Board ofSupervisors. MayorButler will serve the- Butler remainder of the term which expires atthe end of 2016. Butler was first electedto the Leesburg Town Council in 2008.He was reelected in 2012 and served asVice Mayor from January 2013 to January 2015. Prior to his election to TownCouncil, Mayor Butler was a memberof the Leesburg Planning Commission,the Utility Rate Advisory Committeeand the Standing Residential TrafficCommittee.Library of Virginiahonors Virginia Womenin HistoryFlora Crittendenand Meyera Oberndorf are among eightwomen being recognized by the Libraryof Virginia as part ofits Virginia Women inHistory program.Oberndorfwas- Crittenden president of VMLfrom 1995-96. Sheis the longest-servingmayor in the historyof the City of VirginiaBeach.Oberndorfdied in 2015.Flora Crittendenworked for 32 years- Oberndorf in the Newport NewsPublic schools as an educator andcounselor. She also served as a NewportNews City Council member from 1986to 1990 and then in the Virginia Houseof Delegates from 1993 to 2003.South Boston appointstown managerSouth Boston Town Council votedunanimously to appoint ThomasRaab as Town Manager. Raab hasserved as Finance Director since March2015 and as Interim Town Managersince August 2015. He served on theSouth Boston Town Council from 1998– 2005 and was a member and chairman of the Finance Committee for fiveyears. He also served on the TownPlanning Commission for eight years.Bruce Gemmillappointed to LeesburgTown CouncilThe Leesburg Town Council appointedR. Bruce Gemmill to fill the councilseat vacated by MayorDavid Butler uponhis appointment asmayor. Council Member Gemmill’s termexpires at the end of2016. Gemmill hasover 35 years of sales,marketing, public rela- Gemmill tions and business development experience. He is currently the Senior VicePresident/Chief Marketing Officer forJohn Marshall Bank. Prior to his appointment to the Leesburg Town Council, Gemmill served as the LoudounCounty Board of Supervisors representative to the Leesburg Airport Commission, on the Leesburg Commission forthe Public Arts, and on the LeesburgEconomic Development Commission’sPerforming Arts Center Task Force.Vinton names FosterPolice ChiefVinton Town Council selected Thomas Foster, the son of five-term formerSheriff O.S. Foster, to head the town’spolice force. Foster, a graduate of theFBI National Academy and the FBI LawEnforcement Executive DevelopmentSchool, served with the Virginia StatePolice for 27 years where he superviseduniform patrol operations and criminalinvestigative units. He also worked as apublic information officer and internalaffairs investigator within the department. Foster replaces Chief BenjaminCook, who retired in October to take ajob as a security manager at LewisGaleMedical Center.Frank Force passes awayFormer WilliamsburgCity Manager FrankForce died in December. Force served asCity Manager from1967 to 1991. Prior toWilliamsburg, he filledthat position in Radford, Va. During his- Force tenure in Williamsburg, Force oversawthe expansion of needed infrastructurewhile keeping the city debt free, andgreatly enjoyed the relationships withthose with whom he worked. In additionto leading various public service andcharitable organizations throughout hiscareer, Force served as the Virginia representative on the 1980 Commission onthe Future of the South, appointed byGovernor John Dalton.Mayor Thackerdies at 106Arthur Raymon Thacker, Scottsville’s former longtime mayor and townicon, died February21. Thacker servedas mayor of Scottsvillefrom 1966 to 1996and was the state’slongest serving mayorat the time of his retirement. Thacker’sis widely credited for- Thacker preserving the town and protecting itfrom floods that virtually washed awayother Virginia communities. In 1989,he secured federal funds to build a 4million levee that has since preventedthe disruptive and damaging floodsthat once threatened the town duringrainy seasons. In 1994, he struck a dealto annex land from Albemarle CountyV I R GI N I A T O W N & C I T Y march20163
Peopleand grow the town from a little morethan 105 acres to nearly 1,000. Thackerand his brother Homer are creditedfor the establishment of the ScottsvilleVolunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department. He also helped establish theScottsville Museum. Thacker retired asmayor in 1996 at the age of 86.and parks superintendent in 1990. In2001, Mr. Foerster was named director of Parks and Recreation. UnderFoerster’s leadership, a comprehensiveParks and Recreation master plan wasdeveloped in 2003 and updated in 2013.The plan provides a framework for newprograms, facilities, and funding in theshort and long term.Covington namescity managerThe city of Covington has announcedthe appointment of Richard Douglasas City Manager. Douglas was previously Town Manager in Erwin, N.C.from 2013-16. Prior to that, he wasTown Manager of Selma, N.C. He alsohas experience as a county administrator, regional planner, natural resourcesplanner and analyst.Harrisonburg expandseconomic developmentofficeHarrisonburg has hired Peirce Macgill as the assistant director of Economic Development,a new position tofurther promote thecity as an active partner for businesses.Macgill will be activein business attraction,businessexpansion,- Macgill and entrepreneurialinitiatives. Macgill joins Harrisonburgafter working for local governments inthe Baltimore, Md., region for the past15 years. Most recently, he served as thebusiness development associate for theAnne Arundel County Economic Development Corporation in Annapolis,Md., since 2012.Foerster retiresafter 40 years withParks and RecAfter 40 years of service to the Cityof Harrisonburg, Director of Parksand Recreation Lee Foerster has announced he will retire June 30. Foersterstarted his career with the City in the1970s as a member of the mowingcrew, while working his way throughcollege. After graduation, he becamean athletic supervisor in 1976. He waspromoted to athletic director in 19804V i r g i n i a To w n & C i t y march2016Mover and ShakersDo you know someone who’son the move? Send yourannouncements about newhires in local government,promotions, retirements,awards and honors to oureditor at nchafin@vml.org.
News & notesHarrisonburg hostsrain barrel workshopThe city of Harrisonburg has joined with theShenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation Districtto host a rain barrel workshop in March. During thisworkshop, participants will learn how to create, installand maintain a rain barrel.City residents can receive a 20% credit on their stormwater utility fee for a properly installed rain barrel as partof the stormwater utility fee credit program. More than 63property owners have received credit for properly installing and maintain a rain barrel.Rain barrels can be attached to downspouts to captureroof runoff. Water stored in a rain barrel can be used towater gardens or lawns. Rain barrels can also help controlstormwater runoff, which can cause erosion.Eight ways to celebrate Local GovernmentEducation Week in our schoolsIn 2012 the General Assembly proclaimed thefirst week of April as Local Government Education weekin honor of the formation of the Council-Manager formof government in the City of Staunton. The Civic Engagement Committee of the Virginia Local GovernmentManagers Association has developed tools to engage students, our future leaders, in order to acknowledge goodcommunity building work, educate on the services provided by local governments, and to increase awareness ofcareer and service opportunities with local government.As part of this effort, VLGMA asks each locality’s governing body to adopt a proclamation honoring this week. Atemplate is provided on the VLGMA website:icma.org/en/va.VLGMA urges localities to develop engagement plansto get schools and children involved. There are numerous resources posted on the website that include greatelementary school level books, a high school teachers’resource guide with lesson plans and a report of various civic engagement best practices used by VLGMAmembers. Activities are not restricted to the first weekof April but can occur throughout the year and be highlighted in April.Here are eight great ways to get kids interested in localgovernment:1. Provide for all school and public libraries the elementary school level books, Out and About City Hall and Kid’sGuide to Local Government.2. Conduct guest readings of the books to elementary classes.3. Encourage your schools to participate in VML’s “If Iwere Mayor” essay contest next fall (go to vml.org).4. Conduct seventh grade online scavenger hunts to learnabout public services.5. Develop a high school service learning program.6. Conduct mock council meetings.7. Share the Teacher’s Resource Guide from the VLGMAwebsite. It includes sample lesson plans designed forupper middle/high school students, to be used as partof the curriculum for meeting civics/social studies standards of learning.8. Be a guest speaker to middle or high school studentsregarding your service in local government or to discusscommunity projects (e.g. annual budget, redevelopmenteffort or capital infrastructure improvements) that thestudents will see occurring or read about in the news.For additional great resources, go to the VLGMAwebsite listed above or contact Cindy Mester, cmester@fallschurchva.gov.V i r g i n i a To w n & C i t y march20165
News & notesWestern Front Hotel in St. Paulis first recipient of Va. Tourism Growth FundGovernor Terry McAuliffe announced thatthe first recipient of the Virginia Tourism Growth Fund(VTGF) will be the Western Front Hotel in St. Paul.The new boutique hotel’s name honors the rich historyof St. Paul and its legacy as a 19th century railroad town.Scheduled to open in the spring of 2017, the hotel willfeature 30 standard rooms and six efficiency apartments, arestaurant, a rooftop deck and bar, and a gift shop featuringlocally made art and home goods.The hotel is the result of a total capital investment ofmore than 7.2 million. The estimated number of jobs created is 10 full-time and 15 part-time jobs the first year, withan increase to 13 full-time and 20 part-time positions by theend of year two.The Western Front Hotel will help to increase tourismin an area that is already rapidly growing thanks to newattractions like the Spearhead Trails, which offer morethan 100 miles of trails. The hotel will also be the localhome for kayakers, canoers, fishermen, and bio-educatorsvisiting the Clinch River. It will serve as an overflow frommajor events in other cities, such as races at Bristol MotorSpeedway and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival. It willalso serve the business and service travelers to the nearbyDominion Virginia Power’s Virginia City Hybrid EnergyCenter.About the Virginia Tourism Growth FundThe VTGF is a Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC)program established to grow tourism development projectsacross the state. Projects can include new or expanded facilities or venues for lodging, recreation, entertainment, orepicurean, cultural, or destination retail products or services designed to attract travelers to the Commonwealth.Both nonprofit and for-profit private-sector businesses areeligible to apply. VTGF grant awards cannot exceed 15percent of project cost, and there is a minimum 1:1 locality match of the VTGF grant award. The project mustcreate net new jobs, and public financing cannot exceed30 percent of the project cost.Historic Waynesboro theatre brought back to lifeAfter 16 years of darkness, the lights are backup on the stage of the historic Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro.Originally opened in 1926, the theatre was a movieand vaudeville house. When the Wayne first opened, it had625 seats, with bronze chandeliers and a pipe organ in theorchestra.Over the years, the theatre fell into disrepair and, in2000, it was sold to the city for 1. The city council at thattime formed the Wayne Theatre Alliance to oversee therenovation. Over time, the WTA separated from the cityas an independent operation, launching a fundraising campaign in 2007 and putting together a plan to see the theatreoperate again.The 10 million facility re-opened this month, showcasing the 385-seat auditorium, the 100-seat cabaret, a125-seat lecture hall and the state-of-the-art backstage andproduction areas.In 1929, the Wayne first had the equipment installedto show “talking pictures,” offering three shows a day. Today, the Wayne Theatre will honor that heritage with the“Classic Cinema Club” on Mondays. Beginning with theJohn Wayne classic “The Quiet Man” there will be a classic movie on the screen. The evening shows will include adiscussion of the film. Other upcoming movies in the clubinclude “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “Forbidden Planet”6V i r g i n i a To w n & C i t y march2016and “The African Queen.” During this first “preview”season, the showings will be a pay-what-you-will setup,with no advance tickets needed.Beyond movies and musical performances, it will alsobe home to a popular local show the River City RadioHour, which was previously held at a local church.Several big name performances have already beenbooked. The Virginia Museum of Natural History plansto hold its 29th annual Thomas Jefferson Awards at thetheatre March 24.Photo courtesy of Mark Miller Photography.
By VML President Ron RordamWhy I focus onearly childhood educationI’ve had a few people ask me why, as mayor of atown, I decided to focus on early childhood education during my year as president of VML. Some have said education is really the work of school boards. Why not focus onsome other topic that is more relevant to town government?There is no topic more relevant to our town, city, andcounty’s futures than education.It’s become a truism to the point ofbeing more than a little bit hokey to saythat “children are our f
- Butler - - Crittenden - - Force - Suffolk names Deputy City Manager Durrell “Scott” Mills has been ap-pointed Deputy city Manager of Suf-folk. Mills was Interim Deputy city Manager since June 2015. He has been with the city since 1987 when he was first employed by t
