Published: July 14, 2008 11:31 am         

Renovated Valley View square opens

VALLEY VIEW — Orange construction cones were removed from its perimeter and the centerpiece of a small, southern Cooke County community is open again to pedestrians.

The first event on the newly renovated Valley View town square was held Friday with a tour of the square, following a ribbon-cutting of a business.

The Valley View Area Chamber of Commerce gathered Friday night for a mixer at Wilhite Land Surveying to formally inaugurate the business with snacks, drinks and a few words, followed by a ribbon cutting.

After cutting the ribbon, members of the chamber and Keep Valley View Beautiful walked to the square for a brief tour of the new features of the square, including stone corner fencing, walkways, a slab for a pavilion, a sidewalk, flag pole and new park benches.

Work is not yet complete for the square, and some finishing work remains.

In the meantime, Keep Valley View Beautiful is selling engraved pavers (a style of brick) to line the walkways as a fund raiser for the pavilion (see information below).

Terri Wilhite, co-owner of Wilhite Land Surveying and wife of company president Joel Wilhite, said the business was located in a business suite across from the Alan Ritchey Inc. office on the frontage road (formerly a GNB bank branch) but moved to the square in January.

“We’re happy to be on the square, and part of the reason why we moved over here was in an attempt to help revitalize the city,” Wilhite said.

Wilhite, also a member of Keep Valley View Beautiful, said the company has plans to renovate the building, an old post office, to go along with decorative features on the square.

At the ribbon cutting, Dr. Dale Gleason, of Lone Oak Veterinary Clinic and chamber president, asked for volunteers to help with the organization which hosted a ribbon cutting for the Valley View Hotel in June.

“The Chamber was created to help our community,” Gleason said in a letter to members recently. “Membership provides an avenue to meet your fellow business owners/ operators, citizens, civil and church leaders. The chamber has some philanthropy projects that have in the past benefited the state as well as our local needs.”

The chamber has several leadership positions available, he noted.

“We have many new and even more well-established businesses that are thriving,” he said. “We have had many people contacting the Chamber in regards to our area. We are one of the destinations for some large and small investors, and it is a great time to be in this community.”

For more information on the Valley View Area Chamber of Commerce call Gleason at 637-2966.

For information on purchasing a brick for the pavilion, contact Norman Newton, secretary of Keep Valley View Beautiful, at 726-3414.

On the Net:

Order forms for the inscribed bricks may be obtained via www.geocities.com/valleyview1872

Reporter Andy Hogue may be contacted at andyhoguegdr@ntin.net