Sound off on city strengths

The News Virginian
Published: September 24, 2008

Alarms ring in the wards of Wall Street and Washington as an economy partly sustained on vapors and paper gasps in the steamy political air. Obscured by the din and haze are the rumbling thunder and thickening clouds over Main Street in Waynesboro, a place where people look to heaven but sometimes miss the sky.

Vivid in the minds of natives is an era when the sun beamed, when scientists strode along Main en route to the General Electric plant where Invista machines now roam. Less distinct is downtown’s present gloom. The past is brighter, so why not dwell there? Meanwhile, Waynesboro drifts and a storm gathers.

Invista, the city’s largest employer with 1,100 workers, laid off 70 contractors last week, a move precipitated not by the economy but damage on the Gulf Coast from hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Though no date was set for the contractors’ return, Invista officials say the layoff is temporary. Invista has shown no evident signs of weakening, but the company’s status as a pre-eminent employer and one of few that provides jobs that pay well make it a constant point of concern in this town. What happens if Invista departs or struggles? Nobody is comfortable with the answer.

Larger than that posed by an Invista exit is the portent formed by the graying of the city’s population, projected to occur at a rate more than double that of Virginia, according to state statistics. This trend is in no small part fueled by the want of diversity in the city’s economic base, a significant portion of which is composed of Invista and West End retail. Accepting this has sent Waynesboro sailing past the crossroads toward declension.

So what to do?

The News Virginian is forming a vision forum, billed as River City 2020, to seek answers. As part of that effort, we have sought input from our readers, whom we consider to be among this city’s best resources. By the end of next month, we plan to announce a River City 2020 board. In the meantime, we’re looking for more input.

Determining what course the city might take in expanding its base and drawing in more of the young people who will be needed to drive Waynesboro through the remaining half of this century requires first an assessment of assets and liabilities.

We have opined in this space on Waynesboro’s strengths. We’re interested in hearing from you on the subject, with specific emphases placed on what distinguishes the city from other locales and on economic import. Waynesboro touts the hospitality of its people. But will that draw business? Don’t all cities – outside of New York – claim that their people are hospitable? We’re seeking to identify assets as businesses identify them, by quantifiable value.

Similarly, we want to identify liabilities. What are Waynesboro’s weaknesses, and how might they be overcome? We are seeking a perspective that mirrors that of business.

Utilizing these lists, we plan to focus on identifying matches in businesses and business sectors, which will aid us in crafting a vision for the city. Your responses to past queries regarding River City 2020 have been useful. We look forward to more insights. Send them to R. Lee Wolverton at with the subject line “River City 2020” or snail-mail him at The News Virginian, P.O. Box 1027, Waynesboro, VA 22980.