Below is an update from the 1982 Foundation Facebook page that shows Crystal’s passion and drive to expand on her dreams for returning home to Calhoun County:
Thomas WV is a beautiful town that sits on the bank of a river with a cool vibe and beautiful little shops. Thomas is going to be a case study from which we can learn. I drive through there to DC often and it is always hopping. We are going to take a road trip over there probably in June for anyone who wants to come and check it out.
In the meantime, what is happening now. Actually we are regaining momentum after a slower period of winter and shortage of materials. We are continuing demo work in the main building, and once we do a final review of the architectural drawings with the Fire Marshall’s office and Headstart, we will be ready to start digging dirt and making ready to pour footers. So the timing and weather seem to be well aligned. Marcus Davis and Jake Perkins are back gearing up and making plans for the gym roofing and general construction start up. It’s time to start putting up some walls. We are also sourcing a WV engineer to support the mechanical drawings for the main building. And we are also developing elevation drawing so we can all get a feel for how it is all going to look when done. I really think you guys will love it. We are working hard to blend the new with the old and maintain the historical integrity. I get very excited seeing it develop.
On the programs side of things, we have completed a lot recently. We continue to make progress with the Wishneff Group on Historical Registration and Tax Credit program. Cam is providing a portfolio of pictures to date to show the start of affairs when we started. We have also just contracted with HRDFWV to support grant writing and administration. Thanks Glenn McEndree for introducing us to this organization and Dr. Jessica Thompson. This will be a huge help.
What is coming up? Preparations for an amazing Spring Fling is underway with over 30 volunteers taking the lead to make it happen. It is going to be a great event with something, actually multiple things for everyone. The Rid the Rubble contest continues until April 9! It’s not too late to win those 4 airline tickets. The 1982 Foundation will be publishing our application and rules for our first STEM full ride scholarship to any WV state school this week with the support of the Calhoun Co Schools. Next Monday the 14th, we will ask the County Commission to comment on our final proposal regarding the Wayne Underwood field and our intentions to develop a swimming pool for the kids.
This Wednesday we will be hosting the WV State Chamber of Commerce who will be interviewing us for an upcoming feature in their magazine, and on Friday we will have our first call with the Center for Rural Innovation.
So very many are in support and amazed at what the “powers that be” in Calhoun are taking on. Trust me it is getting attention at the state and even national levels now. We are getting a lot of press interest and you should expect to see more press in town regularly. We expect to see more and more people at the County Commission meetings, even though the proposal to move the meetings to the evenings was refused, I am sure that our fine people will find a way to show up and take their responsibility for supporting and driving progress, accountability and transparency.
