Palatine Park remodeling, upgrades on track
May 20—FAIRMONT — Marion County officials are getting Palatine Park ready for a summer season full of free events.
The season kicks off with the annual West Virginia Three Rivers Festival on May 26. The Palatine Legend Series will host its first concert on June 4 at 7 p.m. and include Van Halen and ACDC cover bands. June 5 is the Blissful Yoga Festival. Concerts will run until the end of September. Yoga in the Park is held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the farmers market is every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. until September.
"We definitely try to change things from year to year, so there's more variety and events. And in this year, I think we have something for everybody, as far as our lineup. We've also invested an additional $500,000 in the park for this summer," Marion County Administrator Kris Cinalli said.
The park is in the middle of a few new infrastructure improvements. A new pavilion is 98 percent complete and will be ready for the festival next week. It was built to provide shaded seating for concert viewing. Cinalli said 100 to 120 people can fit under it, "if they squish together." Patio areas along the river and a remodel of the playground area are expected to be completed in the first few weeks in June. A couple of new Splash Park features will added and finished in mid-July, Cinalli said.
Part of the upgrades include repairs to the hillside by the Splash Park. Cinalli said that because of water damage, the hill started to erode. Rock is being added to the hillside and a new walkway along the edge of the river.
While addressing Fairmont Rotarians Thursday, Cinalli said it's important that Palatine Park stays affordable and accessible for everyone, but said the county isn't opposed to hosting ticketed concerts or events in the future.
"So personally, I will be happy to keep it free as long as we can. But again, I think that you can do some bigger shows, getting bigger artists and just kind of doing the whole thing and charge, but you know, that's a whole conversation," Cinalli said.
Cinalli said he wants people to know their tax dollars do not fund events at Palatine.
"I think a lot of people, when it comes to paying taxes, they don't necessarily want their tax dollars going to shows...I think it's important for people to know how we pay for shows," Cinalli said.
Funding for the park is provided by sponsors, who provide $75,000 of funding, hotel-motel tax funding, state legislature-created funds within the county budget and some of the money spent at Hot Spots. Hotel-motel tax funding is split between the park and county commission and comes from revenue spent at hotels or motels in Marion County. For example, when someone visits Fairmont for a concert at Palatine and stays in a hotel, they receive some funding from it, Cinalli said.
Cinalli said he does not deserve all of the praise for his work at the park.
"I get a lot of credit for Palatine, but really I have a great team that deserves all of the credit. They really do all of the heavy lifting," Cinalli said.
Marcella Yaremchuk, a member of the Rotary Club, thanked Cinalli for his work at the park and for always being available when she needs him. She also said she is grateful for Palatine Park.
"Anyone who had children would certainly be right here thanking you because it's so difficult when you have two or three or four kids taking them someplace and you have the cost of buying something to eat and paying to get in. At Palatine, you can take a cooler and take lemonade, potato chips and take a blanket or chair. That's wonderful. I also appreciate our playground, it's wonderful and it's on the East Side," Yaremchuk said.
For a full schedule of events at Palatine Park, visit their website.
Reach me at sshriver@timeswv.com or 304-367-2549.
