WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS W.Va. (WVDN) – The Mylan Community Park on Big Draft Road in White Sulphur Springs is a beautiful park with so much to offer the community, but who knows about all the great opportunities the grounds provide daily? Council member Audrey VanBuren and Mayor Kathy Glover met with a group to take an in-depth tour of the grounds with information and concerns to share.
Mylan Community Park, next to Hope Village on Big Draft Road, is so named for the gratuitous donations by Mylan Pharmaceuticals years ago after the devastating flood of 2016. Lynch Construction Company broke ground with excavation, then The Mennonite Disaster Services and Appalachian Services Projects helped to build over 40 homes for those affected by the flood. Not all who live there now were flood victims. With that build, a park broke ground, as well. Today, the property is shored up with two soccer fields, two baseball fields, a gazebo-type shelter complete with trash cans and a grill and Port-A-Johns. The park lies lazily by Howards Creek with blooming apple trees and conifers lining the area where the new bike park will be constructed.
When driving into the park, striking fences with yellow safety foam covering the edges roll with the lay of the land. A giant U.S. flag and pole provided by Lynch Construction, playground equipment and a tiny, plaster soldier grace the existing park as beautification efforts continue. Talks of continuing the “Roads of Honor” banners to the park were heard, as well as seasonal banners and such.
The new bike park will be the second largest in the state and will eventually be connected to nature trails, hiking paths and more. The plans currently consist of connecting Mylan Park to Brad Paisley Park in downtown White Sulphur with a bike/walking path. The bike park will be multifunctional as bikers, skateboarders and skaters alike can utilize the equipment and special groundwork.
As the current administration lays a foundation for the future, the sky’s the limit for generations to come to expand on the projects taking place now. The bike path will allow the community to access the park without having to ride bikes or walk along a busy road like Big Draft. Also, two new basketball nets were installed on the already present hoops courtesy of Little General Stores (Rebecca Clendenin, manager) and John Lynch of Lynch Construction, Inc. The hoops are adjustable to accommodate little parkgoers. A special thanks to Public Works Department employees Bo Belshee, Rusty Byers and Logan Ayres for the setup of the basketball hoops from installation to completion, as well as for keeping the grounds well manicured and taken care of.
Some clarity regarding parking: It is asked of all visitors to the park that all parking is at the first and upper lot, as intended. Police and the city have had complaints of no handicapped spaces being available (and blocking of the field road) when at the second lower lot, handicapped spaces abound and are clearly marked. When using the playground equipment, is it also asked that the upper lot be used for hourly or daily parking. You may drive to the lower fields to drop off equipment, children, people, etc., and then you are asked to park in the proper spaces in the upper first lot.
“Vehicles without a valid handicapped placard, parking in the accessible spots will be monitored and ticketed by police,” per officials at the police department. “Parking is clearly marked, so when cars are not in marked spots, it blocks egress for EMS in the case of an emergency on the field. Also, please, keep vehicles on the roadways; do not drive on the grass. The city has repeatedly reseeded grass, replaced divots, filled in ditches appearing in the grass and more left by trucks and cars.”
The Mylan Community Park and bike path are available for public use, and you are encouraged to get out and about. Take a quiet stroll across the new footbridge after a delicious lunch at one of the exciting eateries downtown. Explore nature along a new bike path that wanders around a bend and a nook then dances next to bubbly Howards Creek. Wallow in the grassy fields with your furbaby. Bring a picnic basket to enjoy the shelter and grill for a special day or party. Come support the city’s youth sports teams with bleachers and plenty of blanket space. Take in the beauty of the mountains and sprawling countryside. White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia is calling you.
