Spring in Elk Garden: What the town has planned
ELK GARDEN – With spring right around the corner on the calendar, the Elk Garden council is laying the groundwork for tree planting and additions to the playground at the town park.
Working with the West Virginia Conservation Agency, 20 trees will be planted this spring, including spruce, fruit, sugar maple and flowering varieties.
In preparation for the planting, members of the council have been working to prepare the site.
When the planting gets underway, plans include a demonstration for students at Elk Garden School to teach them the importance of planting and how to plant.
A playground set from the school is also a new addition at the park.
Area children are invited to the annual Easter egg hunt set for 1 p.m. April 16, with locations planned for various ages at the park, fire hall and church.
Elk Garden students are also going to participate as the Clearway-Blackrock Windfarm holds its ribbon cutting in May. Students are being asked to lead the pledge of allegiance.
Mayor Marian Droppleman noted that she is also looking for someone to sing the National Anthem at the ceremony.
A part of the festivities will be $133,000 in grant awards through the Black Rock Community Benefit Fund, for projects and programs in the communities surrounding the 23-turbine wind farm.
The fund will distribute $133,000 in this first year of the wind farm’s operations, and an additional $50,000 each year for the life of the project.
Applications are due March 31 and are available at http://www.uswff.org/forms/USWFF_Grant_Application.pdf. A committee of Grant and Mineral County residents will review the requests for funding.
The Blackrock program is similar to the Pinnacle Wind Community Benefit fund, which will open its 2022 application process this fall. The Pinnacle fund has awarded more than $255,000 in grants since 2012.
This article originally appeared on Mineral Daily News-Tribune: Spring in Elk Garden: What the town has planned
