Vilonia Mayor James Firestone’s voice has an energy that it didn’t have two years ago when a tornado tore through the town.
“We are doing so well,” he said. “A lot of good things have happened since then.”
Sixteen people were killed in Arkansas, including eight in Vilonia and four in Mayflower, on April 27, 2014, when the EF4-rated tornado ripped through the state. Vilonia, a city of about 3,800 residents, still had scars from a deadly twister that hit in April 2011 and killed five people. The twisters took almost the same path.
The 2014 storm devastated Vilonia, destroying or shutting down about 70 percent of its businesses, the mayor said.
“A lot of them are back,” Firestone said. One is Kieth’s, a service center, convenience and parts store. “Kieth just got his place opened back up. He built a new station back that’s even a little bigger and better than the one he had before.”
Kieth McCord said his 39-year-old business reopened in January, and he’s busier than ever.
“We really appreciate our customers; they really stuck with us,” he said. “It puts a place in your heart, makes you feel good that everybody’s sticking with you.”
A strip center in the center of downtown on U.S. 64B was ripped apart, Firestone said.
“That strip, the guy that owns it didn’t have enough insurance to build it back, so Harps bought that site,” he said. “We’re getting a new Harps store there, 33,000 square feet with a deli and bakery — a big one. That is going to fill up a big void downtown.”
The Vilonia Disaster Recovery Alliance building was destroyed, and the organization decided to build on the same slab at 1113 Main St., property the city leased to the group for $10 for 10 years. A dedication for the new building was held earlier this month.
Sandy Towles, case supervisor for the alliance, said the facility is shared with the Spirit of Vilonia Ministries food pantry. The building has a resource center to help people affected by the tornado. The center has a kitchen and offers free community classes.
“Starting off, we’ve had couponing and organic gardening,” she said. Towles said that in May, she will start a quilting class, and a quilt will be given to charity.
“I just want to sit around and look and thank God for that; it is amazing,” Towles said. “We had the dedication owing zero dollars.”
In addition to $45,099 raised last year during a Raise the Roof campaign, the Central Arkansas Planning and Development District grant kicked in the final $25,000 to complete the building.
The Vilonia Disaster Recovery Alliance was formed five years ago after the first tornado hit the town, and the alliance never slowed down, despite the loss of its building. Volunteers worked out of their cars right after the tornado and used space in churches to have meetings.
The alliance partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Faulkner County, Interfaith and Partners Disaster Recovery in Mayflower and others to build 17 houses for Faulkner County residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed, said Martha Martin, chairwoman of the alliance.
“That was a big partnership; we didn’t do that all on our own,” Martin said. “We’re about to wrap up our recovery of 2014 because we’ve run out of cases and run out of money.” She said that’s the way the alliance is designed to work. However, she said the alliance is planning more projects.
“There’s still stuff to do,” Towles said. “This one [resident] we’ve helped, we’re ready to get them in their house, but it looks like the tornado around the place, and we will help them. There’s a lot of need.”
Parkwood Meadows, a subdivision in which 55 of the 56 homes were decimated or received heavy damage, is slowly coming back, Firestone said.
“People are moving back, and it’s really nice houses being built back,” he said.
Firestone estimated that 10 to 12 homes have been rebuilt.
Also, the city has built, with an approximately $75,000 Safe Path to Schools grant, a sidewalk from Main Street at the school all the way up to Parkwood Meadows. “People are using that,” he said.
The Daniel Wassom Memorial Park was created on a corner lot where Wassom was killed in his home. Nothing but a slab was left. Children were enjoying the playground equipment on a recent day. Wassom’s widow, Suzanne, donated the Aspen Drive property to the city.
“We haven’t had the dedication. We’re going to do that sometime when she’s here,” Firestone said.
The $13 million Frank Mitchell Intermediate School, which was nearing completion on Mount Olive Road when the 2014 tornado hit, was rebuilt and opened this fall. A 1,100-person safe room is under construction on the campus and scheduled to open in October.
Principal Andy Pennington said the $1.8 million safe room was paid for with a $1.05 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant and school-district funds.
“It’s just one of those things. In an ideal world, we’d have it up by now, but we have to look at the financial burden on the district, as well,” Pennington said. “We are anxiously awaiting its arrival, but we understand great things take time, and we are pleased with the construction and the path it’s going on.”
The city’s baseball complex on Cemetery Street, which the tornado hit, is almost ready for action, the mayor said.
“We’re probably a month away from being able to open up and play on it,” he said. Two of four baseball fields are complete, he said.
He still shudders to think what would have happened if the tornado had hit during ballgames on a Monday night instead of on Sunday night.
“I hate to even think what would have happened,” he said. At the time, there was only one exit out of the park.
Industrial Drive was extended to Cemetery Street to provide two lanes to get out of the parking lot, Firestone said.
“When we get South College extended to Industrial Drive, we’ll have three ways. That’s our goal — to get that done,” he said.
An above-ground Hugg & Hall safe room, called a storm box, will be dedicated at 2 p.m. Wednesday between Vilonia City Hall and the senior citizens center. Paid for with a FEMA grant, the safe room will be used for city employees, senior citizens and the library staff during the day. It’s built to withstand 250 mph winds.
“A lot of people have built safe rooms in their homes,” Firestone said. “We learned a lot about recovery the first time.”
Towles said that as she drives through Vilonia, she sees progress.
“It makes you proud,” she said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.