GREENBRIER COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – On April 7, the Greenbrier County Commission met in regular session. To start the meeting off, Mary Carne was on hand to discuss Children’s Memorial Flag Day and the Proclamation to recognize April as Child Abuse Protection Month.
According to Mary, eight different organizations are represented on the Children’s Memorial Flag Day committee. The committee asked to use the courthouse for the annual ceremony, which will be on April 24 at noon, around the flagpole. In case of rain, the event will be moved inside. Mary then read the Proclamation to the Commission.
Emergency Services Director Don Havens was at the meeting to invite the Commission to stop by and see the 911 Center for National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, April 12 -18. According to Havens, the center has been turned into a cinema-type setup with decorations, and a couple of businesses are going to provide meals. Havens said they have a great team assembled at the 911 Center, and this is their week. Commissioner Rose said he was thankful for what they do.
Matt Ford was there to discuss the Meadow River Trail Project. Ford said that the winter weather had not been good; it made construction difficult. This will push up the finish date by 30 days from April 7 to May 7. This will not affect the amount owed. Overall completion is set for May 30, with the ribbon-cutting grand opening set for June 12 at 10 a.m. at the Rainelle trailhead. Ford said there’s a paved parking lot, and a grant was received to build a shelter under which the ceremony will be held.
Commissioner Rose and Matt Ford met with the DOH about improving parking at the Russellville part of the Meadow River Trail. According to Ford, there’s only room for three cars, and people are being forced to park out on the trail. Ford hopes the DOH will be able to help remedy this.
Ford said he was the sixth generation to live here and that back in the day, coal and timber were the big industries. He went on to say that now there are all these diverse outdoor recreational opportunities. The question is, Ford went on, how do we use these to rebuild the economy and help improve the communities? Ford says the Meadow River Trail is much more than a walking path along the river. It’s the backbone infrastructure for a number of different things that can happen in terms of additional outdoor recreation and community development.
