Bryan Edwards (center) was named the Sparta town manager last Friday. With him are County Manager Don Adams (left) and exiting Town Manager Tom Douglas.

Bryan Edwards is named new Sparta town manager on Jan. 9

Sparta's new town manager is by no means a stranger to government and business in Alleghany County.

The Sparta town board appointed Bryan Edwards as manager on Jan. 9, at the continuation of a town board meeting that had been recessed since its first portion on Jan. 6.

Edwards, 53, lives on Independence Road, just outside the Sparta town limits. His prior work experience includes having served as manager of Alleghany County from 1978 until 1981, as well as having worked for Sparta Industries from 1982 until 1987 in the three functions of operations manager, purchasing and sales/service.

From 1988 through 2001, Edwards worked as operations manager, customer service manager and director of human resources and special projects for NAPCO, also in Sparta.

Having earned his real estate license in 1999, Edwards has worked the last couple of years as a sales associate for Mountain Dreams Realty. He officially will begin in the post of town manager on Jan. 29, until which time he will work with current Sparta Town Manager Tom Douglas in order to get acclimated to the post. Edwards' annual salary will be $48,500.

"I would like to say that I think Tom (Douglas) has laid some solid foundations for future growth and development of this town," Edwards said following the Jan. 9 town board meeting. "The town is in very good shape, and I give a lot of credit to Tom for developing the situation to where it is."

Edwards began working with Douglas this past Monday, and said that his endeavors as town manager will continue a lot of what was started under Douglas' leadership. Along those lines, Edwards and Douglas met with a representative from Region D for the purpose of working on business related to a grant that will go towards work to be done on the exterior of the "Crouse House" in Floyd Crouse and Sarah Ellen Gambill Crouse Park, generally known as Crouse Park. The work will include work on the siding, roof and windows, as well as improvements to the heating system. Edwards also met last week for a "get-acquainted visit" arranged by Douglas and Alleghany County Manager Don Adams with Graham Fields, a representative from Sen. Elizabeth Dole's office, so that Fields could learn about certain circumstances here in Alleghany County.

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