News : The State of Vinton, April 2020

The office of Sara Stuefen reflects many of the businesses in downtown Vinton at this time.

COVID-19 and Vinton

In an event that our generation has never seen before, a virus called COVID-19 was discovered to have reached our shores. As a result, nearly 30 days ago Governor Kim Reynold informed us of social distancing, the need to stay home, work at home if we can, and stay at least 6 feet apart.

Daily updates have been given on the numbers who have contracted the virus, those who have become sick and those that have died in the state of Iowa.

She also began to shut things down in an attempt to control the COVID-19 virus. The theater, the furniture stores, clothing stores, salons, the flower shop and restaurants only allowing carry out of food. The playground equipment is roped off for children to play on fearing the disease could spread in that way.

All across town, in homes, people are sewing masks to help with the shortage of medical supplies in area hospitals and to help with the spread of the disease. The population has even been encouraged to wear masks to protect others from droplets that we might share.

We are now halfway through the time of April 30th for things to be closed down. We still aren't sure what will happen in the next two weeks, if things will resume then or if it will remain closed for a longer period of time.

The link above includes a montage of what downtown Vinton looks like at this point in time.

Gas Prices hover around $1.50 a bit less at the time of the posting of this story.

This article is more of a diary entry for those that might want to look back at what it really looked like downtown. The streets are relatively quiet in the middle of the day when normally you'd be circling the block to find a parking place.

At the same time, the town is building and making improvements.

How our businesses will survive, I don't know. Will the Governor extend the shutdown, we don't know.

Schools Closed

The kids have all been out of school for almost a month. Parents are now trying to figure out how to homeschool as they work from home, and teachers are reaching out to students via technology.

Seniors are unsure if they will have a Prom or graduation and many are having school at home.

iVinton

If you've driven through Vinton you've seen a lot of activity happening with the new iVinton project going in. Digging at the Courthouse, digging at the jail, digging near the police department and down the alleys of the downtown. Boring in the conduit and adding the fiber, Vinton is moving in the right direction! We are about to accelerate our turtle speed to breakneck speed, that is so exciting!

New Businesses

Kwik Star

On the west edge of town, the property for Kwik Star is still buzzing with activity, moving the ground and getting ready to start building. The new store will be located right next to Theisen's.

Hy-Vee

The new Hy-Vee location at the former Shopko building has the ground ready for fuel tanks and there has been a constant stream of workers at the store remodeling the store to turn it into the grocery chain.

New Homes

On the southeast edge of town Anderson Creek is booming with about 10 new houses near the high school as well.

Braille School Property

Soon the Braille School property will see renovation and new construction. With plans to combine both the fire and police stations under one roof, there will be construction soon in that area.

There are also plans for the construction of more homes in that section of town as well. The plans for the buildings will also be fun to watch as they take shape into their new purposes.

North of Vinton

Beyond the city limits of Vinton, Alliant Energy is pushing fiber into the ground even the rock roads are seeing some action up to a couple of miles off of the highway.

Assisted living and Care Facilities

Area assisted living facilities, and residential homes have shut down any visiting their residents to protect the health of those living there. One is having a bit of fun and referring to it as hostage days until they can be released.

Several Residents in Seclusion

If you are avoiding the crowds for health reasons in an attempt to prevent catching the virus, and not because of personalities in your circle, you might be surprised by what you might see when you get to venture out again.

It might seem like the Twilight Zone is filming in town with all of the changes.

When you went missing, there was no high-speed internet, but hopefully, when you reappear, there will be.

There was no Kwik Star or Hy-Vee, and they still may not be when you come back out, they might not be up and running quite yet. However, you can drive through the new neighborhood in town and enjoy Spring, and fresh air perhaps. At least we hope that we see you sooner than later!

Until then, here are some photos to keep you up to date.