The Appalachian Conservation Corps has plans to host a pilot program this summer to provide teens in the Beckley area a chance to learn about conservation programs and community service.
During the regular meeting of the Beckley Common Council on Tuesday, January 26, April Elkins-Badtke, corps director for Conservation Legacy and Appalachian Conservation Corps Director Zach Foster, presented council members with information about the program and asked for a monetary contribution to help ensure the program’s success.
Foster explained that the program will take place this summer and allow teens ages 16-18 to gain hands-on experience with trail construction, habitat improvement, historical restoration and municipal support for the city of Beckley.
The program plan for this first year will start small with a work crew of 12 teens and four crew leaders, Foster said. The corps provides the work crew with gear, insurance, liability coverage, transportation, personal protective gear and career mentoring.
“What the community is going to get out of this is an eager work force of young folks out there to do good work,” Foster stated. “We build enthusiastic and safe crews and help and guide young folks in getting to that first step with a career in conservation or to their community.”
Foster added that the program is geared toward making an inclusive and diverse group of young people who may have an interest in service, but might not have the means to do so, or even know where to begin.
Teens who are interested in the program will be able to fill out job applications and go through a traditional interview process, Foster explained. For those hired, they will work with the corps during the day and get to go home in the evening. Members are typically paid $10 an hour. The corps will work with local organizations to see what conservation or service projects need completed city-wide and ensure that help is provided for those projects.
The National Coal Heritage Authority will support half of this program, but $25,000 is still needed to get the project rolling, Foster said.
“We just need a willing partnership with the city to help us in the right direction,” Foster stated.
Elkins-Badtke who works at the corps office on Prince Street added that excitement for the project is growing and the corps members look forward to helping local teens.
“We want to be a one-stop-shop and a space here for young adults to recognize that there is something here for them and we really want to be that answer here in southern West Virginia.”
Ward 1 Council Member Tom Sopher stated that the city has a lot of trails around the Piney Creek area and that corps members could provide a valuable service in construction and upkeep for those if the city decided to help fund the program.
Kevin Price, Ward 4 council member, said that with the upcoming Mountain State Trail Alliance proposal, a plan that would provide a connecting trail between the city of Fayetteville and the city of Beckley, the corps may provide an excellent partnership in the construction and maintenance of that trail.
Council members agreed to further discuss what amount the city of Beckley will be able to contribute to the corps at their next meeting.
In other business, Ward 5 Council Member Janine Bullock was praised for her recent award from the Beckley Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She was awarded the 2021 Living Legend Award on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for her dedication to community service.
“I just want to thank the Raleigh County branch of the NAACP for presenting me with that prestigious award,” Bullock said.
The Beckley Police Department also hired seven new officers who were sworn into office by Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold on Monday, January 25.
According to the Beckley Police Department Facebook page, those sworn in were Andrew Milam, Dakota Brown, Jacob Eller, Kenneth Bragg, Megan Canfield, Daniel Cline and Tyler McLaughlin.
Lastly, Rappold mentioned that construction is still ongoing on New River Drive and that members of the Department of Highways are continuing work on fixing the blinking street lights throughout the city.
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