St. Paul, Virginia

The accounting procedures for the Town of St. Paul have passed three audits and the Town's finances are in good order. There is a weekly meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Committee whose purpose is to revive Main Street and the Business District, renovate the Willis Building, and work with LENOWISCO to secure grant funding to realize these goals. A Farmers' Market has been established and had a very successful first year thanks to a very dedicated committee and community members who have supported the market. Construction on the historic Hillman House is scheduled to begin this spring and will serve as a tourist information center. We also expect to begin construction soon on the Huddle House restaurant.

 

The Town of St. Paul, Castlewood Water & Sewer and Wise County PSA have joined in a mutual agreement to build a new sewer plant that will expand economic development. We have been aggressive in securing stimulus money to improve the Town's water infrastructure and will soon begin work on rehabilitation of our water system.

 

The Town of St. Paul is now an associate member of the "Crooked Road" and a full partner with the Spearhead Trailblazers. The Town is in the process of placing Blue Belle Island in the Nature Conservancy to protect this 24.5 acre area for walking the nature trail, fishing or bird watching.

 

In terms of being prepared for rapid internet and fibber optic communications, St. Paul is served by Jet Broadband, Verizon and recently Sunset Digital Communications, which provides fiber optic and rural area communication. Virginia Mountain Micro is also now available for internet service. The Town now has call service through Altel or Verizon and we hope to have AT&T available in the near future. We have developed a new and informative website at www.st.paulva.com to help keep the public informed.

 

In the Highway 58 redevelopment area of St. Paul, construction of a new Huddle House restaurant is scheduled to begin soon and be completed by fall. The Town Council and Mayor have worked closely with our civcic groups such as St. Paul Tomorrow, Farmers' Market Committee,Beautification Committee and the Clinch River Days Festival to broaden the future economic development opportunities for our town.

 

St. Paul is the home of Dominion Power, whose presence will contribute to economic growth and expand commercial opportunities. We have maintained a good working relationship with Dominion and our police department has quickly adapted to the increased traffic created from an additional1200 plus workers traveling in town on a daily basis.

 

I believe the Town of St. Paul should have an expanded mission for the future. The Town must develop a viable downtown business district supplemented by quality shopping and a diverse industrial mix in the outlying areas that will translate into job opportunities and an expanded tax base, while working to enhance and develop outdoor activities that embrace the areas' natural resources and attract tourists. With the Clinch River being one of the most beautiful and diverse rivers in the country, St. Paul could be known as a desirable tourist destination offering water activities, historical exhibits, cultural events, lodging, and other attractions.