Congratulations are in order for residents of the Town of Marlinton. You are about to see a dream and a community goal develop and come to completion, right before your eyes.
This projects adds value to our community.
The Vacant Lot Committee, that became the Discovery Junction Committee, is to be commended. This group was determined to make this a community project, meeting many times over the last two and a half years, in addition to hosting 16 public meetings and an open house. To their credit, this committee worked hard to make sure community ideas were heard and incorporated into the final design.
Some may recall that funding for Discovery Junction began with the Secure Rural Schools Grant Funding Presentation on September 7, 2017. Since then, private donations, community fundraising and other grants have brought us to this point.
Construction of Discovery Junction will begin Monday morning, August 26.
This project will change the complexion of midtown Marlinton.
Parking will be an issue at times. Be patient. You have to break eggs to make an omelet.
For your information, the outdoor stage area, farmers market canopy, and the plumbing to the splash pad are to be completed before bad weather. The construction of the actual splash pad will not happen until spring 2020.
Cynthia M. Sandeno, District Ranger for the Marlinton/WSS District, shared findings from a survey of their pollinator garden, at the Marlinton office, where they identified rusty patched bumblebees. The rusty patched bumblebees are a really cool pollinator and were recently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Sandeno believes this is the really cool part. This particular bumblebee travels about 0.6 miles to search for food. If we design our gardens at Discovery Junction correctly (USFS will assist), we could provide habitat for this species. Wouldn’t that be amazing, if Discovery Junction was home to a federally endangered species?
Most people think they have to take big actions to make a difference. But, even small gardens at home are really important!
“Just another reason this project is going to be amazing,” Sandeno concluded.
