Cleared brush and the Little Kanawha River make even the dismal gray of winter a welcome sight for the 1982 Foundation Property in Grantsville, WV. More work days are in the plan for even more tree trimming and brush removal; hopefully over the holiday period, according to Crystal Mersh, President of the Foundation. She also told us that Andrew Cummings and the wrestling team have offered to help with manual labor as well as 26 others offered their support for the work day which is absolutely incredible. So much so that other counties are reaching out to Crystal, wanting to talk to them about how they got such a grass roots movement mobilized and committed so quickly.
On the construction side this week, Marcus Davis and the Country Roads crew will be pouring the pad for the relocation of the pavilion, and continuing to work on the gym windows. The brick window blocks are now in and those remain to be installed. After the pavilion is reinstalled on the other end of the field. the team will begin to lay footers for the new Pool Locker Rooms and storage area. Cutting Edge will hopefully be back on site to remove the old pavement at the concession stand and rip up the concrete by the gym so that there will be exposure to sewer and water lines etc. all in preparation for starting construction in the Spring.
A new LED sign is ready to be installed at the main entrance and a new fireplace to construct. The overall project will be managed by The Viking Group of Charleston WV who have extensive experience in rennovating historical buildings and bringing them back to life. Cade Vogelsong and Nick Wilt of The Viking Group attended the Childrens Christmas Party and they were literally stunned to see how much energy and enthusiasm there is in the community.
On the historical and design side, Part I of the Historical application has been accepted by the National Park Service, and they are in fact very excited about the project according to Crystal and the architectural firm, Sikonian International, is finalizing the design for the gym and the new construction currently and then will move to the detailed design of the main building so Part two can be submitted to the National Park Service. It is a very complex process.
Crystal reported on the ehe funding status as they continue to receive donations toward the project. While it is not at the pace of last year (which she understands with the challenges of this year) they expect December to be a good month of charitable donations. Progress is being made on tax credit with the Historical Tax Credits are looking very promising, and the New Money Tax Credits have a reasonable chance as well but they are never a given . The Foundation continues to work on grants, and will be submitting several sizable applications in the new year, including the hopes of receiving a grant for the environmental assessment as well as some of the design work.
The projected budget for this project is currently at $6,000,000 budget for the entire project with the following estimates of sources: $2,000,000 seed money; $2,500,000 in tax credits; $1,500,000 from grants. The monies donated and raised locally will be used for start up operational costs, except for those earmarked for the pool. Another $1000 pledge recently came from Jack and Melva Stull to match the Johnson Family (Shawn Johnson-Burns, Steve Johnson, Kari Johnson Cupp). Jack and Melva will be awarded NIP Tax Credits which will reduce their state taxes. The Neighborhood Investment Program is a state program that encourages investment in local neighborhoods with tax credits, and another $1500 credits available if anyone is interested.
Meetings will take place this week with the construction team at Stonewall Jackson Resort and with the grant team in Morgantown.
