Glenville West Virginia March 2009
west virginia March 2009
Sponsored by Recruitable Community Program, WVU Extension Service, and WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Community Design Team Visit: Glenville, West Virginia, March 2009 Report Published March 2010
Coordinator Jennifer Selin Editors N. Margalit Persing, CDT Editor Kimberly Alonso, Professional Writing & Editing Intern Graphic Design Jennifer Parsons, Graduate Research Assistant Photography & Designs Team members Contributing Glenville citizens Back Cover Map Natural Resource Analysis Center, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Contact Us Community Design Team West Virginia University P.O. Box 6108 Morgantown, WV 26506 Phone: (304) 293-5582 Fax: (304) 293-3752 jennifer.selin@mail.wvu.edu
Visit our website at communitydesign.wvu.edu
About the Community Design Team
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he West Virginia University Community Design Team (CDT) studies the issues that communities care about. Professionals are assembled from a variety of disciplines to match the needs of the community.
Each visit brings university and state-wide professionals together with local voices to generate design plans and program reports. The goal is to develop practical ideas and designs that help communities plan for their future. Design Team professionals volunteer their time for the CDT visit. They spend one day listening to the opinions and visions of community members, and the following day further researching the area, talking to community members, and developing recommendations. This report is the written statement of the recommendations that the CDT presented at a community meeting in Glenville, West Virginia on March 28, 2009. After the visit, the citizens of Glenville decide which projects to move forward with. As the community chooses to develop projects, CDT professionals offer technical assistance and follow-up visits to contribute to the on-going success of the community.
Beginnings
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he CDT was started in 1997 by the West Virginia University Extension Service in cooperation with faculty from across the University. Since 1999, the CDT has been sponsored by The Davis College of Agriculture,
Natural Resources and Design and the WVU Extension Service. During these 13 years, the team has provided services to thirty-eight communities throughout West Virginia. Faculty and students from various departments across campus provide support by volunteering their services. The CDT is grateful for the many volunteers from outside the university who offer their professional expertise to serve on CDT visits and projects. Certainly, none of this would be possible without local partners who generate ideas, host the team, and make team members feel welcomed while working. We appreciate the opportunity to work together with each community. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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Glenville
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very community has defining characteristics that make it greater than demographics and much more than streets and buildings. Glenville is no exception. When we think of Glenville, we think of all the work al-
ready done by the community through its own initiative as illustrated by efforts of the Street Gang, Glenville State College, and West Virginia State Folk Festival. During the CDT visit, team members offered advice, developed initiatives, and asked the community to consider the big picture. However, at the end of the day it is the community who will decide which projects to tackle and how to get them done. CDT team member and businessman Michael Castle offered this summation: “You don’t necessarily want to wait around for economic grants. Apply for the grants, but at the same time work toward the future--team up and solve the problems that you can solve locally. Get the local resources that are available right now and get to work. Work with local businesses, community groups, the career center, volunteers from the college. Get it together and get it done. Build on your successes.”
The results of this type of thinking are apparent all over Glenville. Thank you for the opportunity to see your community in action. Members of Glenville’s Street Gang take a well deserved break
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Community Design Team
ontents 4 Healthy Communities Glenville, a Healthy Community on the Rise
14 Branding & Initiatives Suggestions for the Community
26 Connections Connecting the Community
38 Taming the River Restoration Efforts on the Little Kanawha
44 Green Spaces Parks, Green Spaces for Glenville Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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Healthy Communities We are friendly. We celebrate traditional West Virginia folk life. We continue crafting new memories
QUOTE
Square dancing at the Folk Festival
Glenville, a Healthy Community on the Rise Nancy Melton, Shawn Balleydier, Brandon Carman & Stephanie Frost
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lenville, West Virginia is a small rural community and the county seat of Gilmer County. Situated along the Little Kanawha River, the community has a population of approximately 1,550 people. The outlying areas
consist of numerous residential homes supported by businesses and other amenities within the community. Glenville was chosen to participate in the Recruitable Community Program which focuses on community development and the role of the community in the recruitment and retention of health care professionals. Minnie Hamilton Health Systems agreed to help set up the program and took the lead in preparing for the visit. Several key residents generously contributed time and effort arranging the First Impressions presentation and the Community Design Team visit. In an effort to further Glenville’s recruitment and retention potential, the Recruitable Community Program partnered with West Virginia University’s Community Design Team (CDT). With its diverse group of expert professional and student volunteers, the CDT can suggest revitalization plans for future community development and growth.
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Community Design Team
The Recruitable Community Program is designed to go beyond the recruitment and retention of health care professionals to directly influence other community recruitment endeavors. The resulting recruitment success often increases community prosperity by attracting new businesses and industries, increasing college enrollment, and enhancing physician and mid-level recruitment efforts. The combination of these factors promotes community growth, while generating additional revenue and simultaneously encouraging further recruitment. Events at the Folk Festival
Many other communities like Glenville, West Virginia, which are not directly adjacent to interstate highway routes, seek to broaden their ability to attract tourists by developing a “brand” and becoming a tourist destination. To develop these potential resources, the community must recognize the importance of its most vital asset: its people. To become a true Recruitable Community, a community must pull together to create an environment that highlights the importance of citizen involvement, civic duty, and volunteerism.
Glenville Health Care Team
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he health care team included three members from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Community Health Systems and Health Promotion, Division of
Rural Health and Recruitment, Nancy Melton, Shawn Balleydier and Brandon Carman. Stephanie Frost, a doctoral student in Public Administration from West Virginia University, joined the team for the visit. The health care team focused their efforts on researching all aspects of the health care industry in Glenville. Glenville currently offers adequate medical services, although some areas could be improved. The health care team explored Glenville’s health resources as follows: Accessible Health Care, Barriers to Health Care and Leading Health Care Issues. These subjects were then followed up with suggestions and resources to promote healthy lifestyles. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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Accessible Health Care
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innie Hamilton Health Systems, Glenville Office, is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) providing an array of services and offering a sliding fee scale based on patient income. This income based
health care service provides most residents with the opportunity to obtain affordable health care. Gilmer High School Wellness Center and the Glenville State College Campus Health Center are satellite facilities of Minnie Hamilton Health Systems and provide on-site campus health care to the student population. Other medical related facilities within the community include private practice physicians, dental and eye care providers, elder care via Glenville Care and Rehabilitation (Sunbridge), Gilmer County Health Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and local pharmacy services. Prescription assistance such as the 340B Pharmacy Program and other health related services can be obtained through programs administered by the FQHC, the Gilmer County Health Department and the Department of Health and Human Resources. In addition, the Gilmer County Senior Citizens Center in Glenville offers a variety of services to the senior population in the region. Health fairs are held periodically by various institutions performing health screenings such as blood pressure, etc. The Health Care Team suggests this practice be continued as often as possible.
Healthy Choices: Glenville’s Farmer’s Market.
Providing Health Care
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s with most communities in West Virginia, the recruitment and reten-
tion of qualified medical staff is an issue. Maintaining accessible health care and recruiting health care providers is an on-going struggle, not just in West Virginia, but nationwide. Loan repayment programs and other incentive programs should be utilized to attract and retain providers. The ability to recruit and maintain a fully staffed facility will permit each provider to practice betterquality preventive medicine along with regular patient care. The health care team recommends a feasibility study on patient/provider ratios to assess the need for additional medical staff to aid in the delivery of medical services to the population of Glenville and its surrounding service area. The West Virginia Division of Rural Health and Recruitment may provide assistance in gathering data to support this endeavor.
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Community Design Team
Providing mental health care is also a struggle throughout West Virginia. Systems currently being utilized in other rural areas, such as Telehealth, have been successful. The team suggests that health care providers within the community explore the possibility of providing this type of service. The lack of public transportation to and from medical facilities, grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential services is an additional concern within the community. Although there is limited transportation via the senior citizen’s shuttle, this service may not be adequate to meet the transportation needs of the community. In an emergency situation, receiving medical treatment in a timely manner is a challenge faced by many rural communities. Access to immediate critical health care is another health care barrier in Glenville. The use of emergency vehicles in non-emergency situations plays a role in limiting quality emergency services. The community should consider the appropriate use of emergency ambulance services (EMS) to prevent its use in non-emergency situations. Providing a secondary mode of public transportation within the community could be one method of resolving this problem. The team recommends the community look into the development of affordable public transportation and check into the availability of stimulus money to support
Glenville community members enjoying the Folk Festival.
this effort. The Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources could possibly assist in providing medical transportation to those in the community who may qualify for this benefit. The lack of preventive screening services is also a concern in Glenville. Some residents lack either the means or desire to travel the miles required to obtain such services. One approach to maximize screening efforts is the acquisition of mobile health care units. Mobile units provide services such as mammograms, MRIs, colonoscopies and other services not available within the community. Providing affordable health care is a major challenge nationwide.
The utilization of sliding fee scales is one method to insure
most residents can receive some measure of health care. State programs such as Medicaid and the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP) may also provide affordable health care
Glenville Farmer’s Market in Winter.
to those who qualify. It is very important that information regarding health care related assistance programs be distributed throughout the community.
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Conclusion
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uring the Community Design Team visit to Glenville, West Virginia, the health care team determined the community of Glenville has sufficient health related services for its population. However, the team also ob-
served areas within the community that require attention. Glenville could explore alternative methods to improve access to critical care, diagnostic services, public transportation and mental health. The development of collaborative partnerships and the pursuit of financial resources should be continued in an effort to improve the overall well-being of the citizens of Glenville. Sadie Keble describing the Folk Festival
Building Healthy Communities
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ith regard to health care concerns, Glenville is comparable to most
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he Team explored lifestyle behavioral patterns to understand the cause of
small towns in West Virginia. The team re-
the aforementioned health care problems,
viewed the top leading health care issues and
and found the following to be key contribut-
found them to be as follows:
ing factors:
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Obesity
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Physical Inactivity
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Diabetes
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Unhealthly Eating Habits
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Heart Disease
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High Stress Lifestyles
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Hypertension
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Smoking/Smokeless Tobacco Use
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
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Alcohol/Drug Use
Community Design Team
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he team addressed practical solutions for “Breaking the Cycle” of unhealthy lifestyles prevalent in Glenville and throughout West Virginia: Images from the Sue Morris Sports Complex
Physical Activity
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he Community could investigate grant funding for the development of walking trails, playgrounds and skate parks
to combat inactivity. There should be an emphasis on promoting the use of existing physical activity resources currently available in the community.
The team found existing amenities that offer
many sources of exercise and recreation. Swimming, walking, jogging, golfing and sports fields are all available within the community and the college campus. The formation of social groups, garden clubs and walking groups could motivate and support healthy lifestyles and attitudes for the citizens of Glenville. Parents within the community should encourage their children to take part in physical activities available through school programs, clubs and at home. Becoming physically active can provide a wealth of health-related benefits for the entire family and the community. Eating Habits
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he community could consider supporting school-based educational outreach programs that promote healthy lifestyles.
The farmer’s market could be expanded to increase the availability of fresh produce at a reasonable cost. The utilization of programs such as the West Virginia Farmer’s Market Nutritional Program (WVFMNP), designed to subsidize family purchasing power at local farmer’s markets, can be publicized within the community. Taking advantage of assistance programs can serve as an incentive for families to make healthier food choices. Quick and easy healthy meal and snack preparation education could improve health in the community. The health care team recommends the community develop collaborative partnerships in Glenville and its neighboring areas to educate families about healthy food choices and preparation.
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High Stress Lifestyles
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n today’s fast paced society many individuals must cope with high stress levels. The health care team looked into simple ways to counteract some of the effects of stress. Becoming physically active and making healthy food
choices are two very simple ways to reduce stress. Other suggestions include involvement in a rewarding project, joining a community support group with shared interests or hobbies or participating in volunteer work to reduce stress. Participating in enjoyable, non-stressful activities such as planting a vegetable garden for a personal supply of healthy affordable produce, enrolling in an educational or craft course, riding a bicycle or just taking a walk can create a feeling of well-being and optimism. However, seeking professional counseling when needed is also highly recommended.
Cigarette and Smokeless Tobacco
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est Virginia has the third highest adult smoking rate in the United States and the highest rate of smokeless tobacco use among men. Tobacco is clearly a problem in West Virginia. The West Virginia Depart-
ment of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Community Health Systems and Health Promotion funds tobacco prevention activities through its three programs: Youth Prevention, Clean Indoor Air and Cessation. Preventing the use of tobacco products among the youth of West Virginia is the primary goal of the West Virginia Youth Tobacco Prevention Program administered by the West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention. The Youth Program also collaborates with the American Lung Association of West Virginia (ALA) to address the needs of our communities and provide “Not on Tobacco (N.O.T)” and “Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU)” facilitation for both schools and communities. Tobacco cessation programs are available in the community of Glenville and can be used to break the habit of tobacco use. Using smoking cessation products tends to ease some of the stress and agitation caused by the effects of withdrawal. Numerous smoking cessation products can be purchased without prescription. Many cessation programs assist in the payment for cessation products when an individual is enrolled in an approved program. In addition to products, cessation programs offer additional techniques that facilitate the effort to stop smoking. Health and financial incentives along with other proven methods are utilized to motivate smokers to quit. As with all cessation programs, professional support along with encouragement from friends and family are of great value when breaking the tobacco habit. The health care team suggests collaboration with the Division of Tobacco Prevention to provide information and support pertaining to the reduction of tobacco use in Glenville.
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Community Design Team
Alcohol and Drug Use
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ubstance abuse is one of the most pervasive problems facing West Virginia and the nation. Addressing substance abuse is
therefore a critical issue for West Virginia and its communities. Drug and alcohol addiction is a preventable disease. Prevention programs involving families, schools, communities and the media are effective in reducing substance abuse. It is very important to educate youth and the general public about the risk factors of drug, alcohol and tobacco use. Teachers, parents and health care professionals should continue sending out the message that addiction can be prevented and treated successfully. For prevention and treatment information regarding substance abuse, the health care team recommends community education and involvement regarding awareness of warning signs, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse. For additional information the team recommends visiting the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities and the National Institute on Drug Abuse web sites below. These web sites provide information about various state and federal resources. http://www.wvdhhr.org/bhhf/ada.asp http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/understand.html
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Branding & Initiatives
Signs were created and painted by Glenville artisian Amy Springer. Several signs have been installed in Glenville showcasing the Bluegrass theme.
BRanding A Friendly Town on the River Barbara McFall, Holly Lentz, & Michael Castle
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conomic development in this context involves four distinct but interdependent
cultural and geographic areas: •
Gilmer County
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Glenville historic downtown district
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Campus of Glenville State College
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New shopping district and suburban areas, known as Hays City
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Community Design Team
Strengths and Opportunities
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lenville is a town with personality - a picturesque college town, home to Glenville State College, on the banks of the Little Kanawha River. The memorable smoky fragrance of the corner barbeque restaurant estab-
lishes a warm and welcoming ambiance throughout the area. This sensory delight is reinforced with regional live blue grass music many evenings and weekends on adjoining decks. The town characterizes itself as “friendly” and certainly left that impression on the Team. The town also boasts a growing number of retirees, many of whom have expertise in various professions that would support the town’s growth. Additionally, a well-educated support base is already established through the faculty at Glenville State College. Glenville is blessed with many visitors. The College provides an influx of new students and their parents every fall and spring. For many of these students, downtown Glenville is the only shopping area within comfortable walking distance. Downtown Glenville also hosts the oldest folk festival in continuous operation in the United States, and the event has become an annual pilgrimage for many. Over 2,000 visitors flock to the Folk Festival every June for old time music and crafts. Glenville State offers the only major in Bluegrass Music in the world, which further enhances the uniqueness of the town. Each of these initial traffic generators offers an opportunity to brand and “sell” the location and its products and services to potential new residents as well as returnees.
Challenges
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he major challenge in Glenville is the location of the Main Street shopping district within the flood plain. Although some buildings still show the effects of a record flood in 2008, this resilient town is recovering once
again. Because of the flooding, development is currently being restricted in the downtown area. Any new development must be elevated or otherwise take the flood plain into account. Some storefronts remain empty and retain the effects of the flood. One such property was cleaned and improved by community members for 2009 Halloween festivities. As in most small West Virginia towns, little attention has been given to permanent landscaping. More importantly, the promise of recurring water damage has kept some downtown property owners from doing routine upkeep on storefronts. The small population and low median income of Glenville’s residents are current detriments to attracting new, and/or sustaining existing, retail merchants. College students are a relatively minor demographic for these merchants because Glenville College is largely a commuter campus and many students currently shop elsewhere. Thus, future flooding may be the most formidable challenge to development. Growth in enrollment at the College is also critical if the institution and the town are to remain viable in this economy. Similarly, many graduates of Glenville State College do not appear to remain in the area for several reasons, including lack of employment, recreation, and housing. Targeting Current Visitors
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he proposed target consumers for Glenville’s businesses are transient populations. To varying degrees examples of these populations include college students and their parents, traveling retirees, families who Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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visit inmates at FCI Gilmer, and tourists who visit because of a niche market interest such as bluegrass music, historic tourism, and interest in the river. Other strategies should be developed that are designed to encourage visitors to linger, return, take ownership of the community and then recommend it to their friends. Future Development: Cultural Heritage Tourism
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ccasional tourism resulting from the yearly Folk Festival, Glenville State College activities, and other scheduled events affords clear advantages that provide the basis for future development.
The Tourism Industry Association Reports: Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults engage in at least one cultural activity when traveling. More than 50% of tourists are influenced by their hobbies when choosing locations for visits Most cultural travel is by auto and includes an average of a 5.2 night stay. Word of mouth and the Internet are the most important information-gathering tools for cultural/ historic tourists Most cultural/historic travel is completed by college-educated, baby boomers (ages 35-54) whose annual household income is $75,000 or more. Sixty-five percent of all trips include a shopping element to the travel Potential for Internal Collaboration
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he overall goal of economic development for Glenville is stability and retention in the short term leading toward future recruitment and future growth. Economic development benefits directly from three major
types of employers: 1. Education a. Glenville State College b. Local Board of Education 2. Natural resources and related products industries a. Timber: trusses, beams and wood pellets b. Oil, gas and plastics 3. Gilmer Federal Prison Collaboration within the community among local employers, college and K-12 students and educators, and local residents is vital to success. The importance of such collaboration cannot be overstated in a developing community such as Glenville. Pooling resources and expertise of both community and business would create the synergistic relationship needed for growth. A conceptual design was created by Janel Bedard. Actual proposed awning colors: mustard, green, and blue.
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Community Design Team
Potential for External Collaboration
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ccording to the West Virginia Tourism Development Office, “total direct expenditures in West Virginia tourism were more than $3.5 billion dollars.” The West Virginia Cultural Heritage Development Program
encourages utilizing “the state’s historic, cultural, agricultural and natural resources to establish a sustainable statewide cultural heritage program serving community and multi-county efforts with the dual purposes of creating economic opportunities for businesses and communities, and preserving and conserving heritage resources.” The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia currently supports the West Virginia Tourism Initiative, which receives funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. One example of this initiative that may be of interest to Glenville artists and businesses is a Five County Heritage Survey. This research “identified artists, performers, and others who can bring heritage stories alive with their talents.” Additionally, the West Virginia Business Site Locator for Heritage Tourism has identified nine sites as part of its pilot program, but more sites may be added. This program helps to “match tourism businesses looking to locate in culturally-rich heritage areas with appropriate properties in West Virginia communities.” Opportunity exists for the creation of a “Preserve America Thematic Trail,” a collaborative effort between the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and the State Historic Preservation Office. Preserve America grants in the amount of $100,000 help create trails that then increase heritage tourism in an area. Mini-grants are also available in the amount of $2000-$5000 for qualifying sites. Sites must meet specific criteria and be used in relation to the trail being built. In the case of Glenville and the surrounding areas, bluegrass music or packet boat river trail may be possible venues for receiving these grants. Another option may be the creation of a Stonewall Jackson trail. Throughout West Virginia and Virginia, existing Stonewall Jackson sites, such as the nearby Jackson’s Mill, the Stonewall Jackson Resort in Roanoke, WV, and the Stonewall Jackson House in Lexington, Virginia provide a basis for this type of trail. Partnering with sister sites is a key element in developing a heritage trail of any kind, and collaboration with existing sites could be considered.
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Initiatives Barbara McFall, Holly Lentz, & Michael Castle
Immediate and Short-term Initiatives
Branding
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he marketing and branding of any community, business, or organization is vital to its success. The first question posed by CDT member Mike Castle was “What makes Glenville different from any other rural West
Virginia town?” The answers came back loud and clear “We are FRIENDLY,” and we celebrate traditional “FOLK MUSIC.” A deep hunger and robust market exist for such values in today’s complex and chaotic society.
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Community Design Team
Spreading the Word
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visitor’s center could be established immediately to promote community and area attractions. This could happen easily in an existing downtown shop that fits the image of the town. The owner and/or operator
would be well informed and enjoy sharing information with newcomers. Word-of-mouth and Internet information are the two most widely used methods of information gathering for tourists. A welcoming environment, where locals speak positively about Glenville’s attributes, is important. Additionally, the use of the Internet concurrently maintained with consistent signage and branding of Glenville will promote the community. Developing a town website that caters to both locals and tourists is the first step. Linking proposed and current activities via websites, such as bbu.org (for bluegrass music), wvtourism.com (for tourism), and codacraft.org (for handmade craft and local items) is critical. Print advertisements should be maintained for events in the local area at statewide and neighboring states’ rest areas and welcome centers.
Bluegrass Folk Music Theme
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ew signage (along Interstate 79, at the town entrance, and on downtown store fronts), web sites and print media reflecting the design aesthetic of the heritage time period should be developed along a common theme
and would certainly help promote the town. Packet boats were mentioned as one possible theme. Another theme, Bluegrass music, has been selected by the community. The music concept could be employed most powerfully by developing communications to sustain contact with visitors. Bluegrass music themed town, commercial and nonprofit web, e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter sites as well as the local newspaper, travel brochures and other print media could be developed to attract and sustain involvement of interested parties. Additional Bluegrass music events and souvenirs might be developed as well. Friendly to Visitors
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he Team noticed that rocking chairs, benches and porch swings have been employed most effectively to convey traditional values and friendliness at the local senior center. Rockers have also been used this way to
brand select southern airports such as Charlotte and Atlanta as friendly and comfortable destinations. Local businesses might want to sponsor outdoor chairs and benches for decorative painting, in the same way that other locales have sponsored fiberglass pigs, cows and mermaids. There is some precedent for this approach. Elaine Glusac of American Way Magazine (http://www.americanwaymag.com/chicago-painted-fiberglass-cows-new-york) writes that: Zurich was the first to put painted fiberglass cows on its streets a few years ago, prompting Chicago and New York to gather their own arty herds, and spawning imitator-species in cities nationwide. The not-to-be-topped Swiss city now offers a new kind of artwork: BenchArt Fusing form and function, the artist-decorated benches will occupy public areas around the city beginning May 18. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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Glenville’s downtown storefronts are charming and architecturally delightful, but currently somewhat plainer and down-at-the-heels than desirable. Formal “historic restoration” is not warranted in a flood plain. Rather the less stringent standard of “adaptive reuse” should be applied. Power washing and fresh paint in traditional colors at the doors, windows and awnings would go a long way toward reinforcing the FRIENDLY atmosphere. Rich gold, blue, rust, wine and dark forest green are among the colors associated with the targeted historical period. Flowering plants in season are a relatively inexpensive way to punch up the color. The reconstruction of selected sidewalk areas is also recommended to encourage leisurely browsing. Small sections could be undertaken immediately using local volunteer labor where available and allowed. Country Store before
Making Memories
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emorable brands involve more than just visual sense. Smell is perhaps the longest lasting and most evocative for mem-
ory. Appropriately, the delicious scent of barbeque welcomes the traveler to Glenville. Nothing could be more representative of the emerging Glenville brand than this comfort food associated with informal gatherings of friends. On many evenings, the smoky ambiance is complemented by the sound of live bluegrass performed on the decks of The Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant.
Parallel entertainment opportunities can be developed in Glenville.
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loyd, Virginia (http://www.floydvirginia.com/calendar.html) has built a powerful image around bluegrass and might serve as a model for further development of this venue in Glenville:
The famous Friday Night Jamboree is held at the Floyd Country Store, downtown. The show starts every
Friday at 6:30pm with an hour of bluegrass gospel music. At 7:30pm, dancers hit the floor, flatfooting and clogging to the music of regional Bluegrass or Old-Time bands. The music and dancing continues until at least 10:30pm. If the crowd is willing, at 10:30pm one of the jamming groups that can be found picking outside or upstairs in the store will play for the crowd until around 11:30pm. Oddfellas Cantina hosts a number of live events each month. Every 1st Friday is Irish night, each 2nd Thursday is Old Time night with Phil, and every Sunday night is open mic. At the Cafe del Sol Coffee Shop, the last Saturday of each month is ‘Open Mic Music’ night, and the third Saturday each month is ‘Open Mic Spoken Word’, both at 7:00 P.M. Arts, crafts, farmer’s markets and wine events round out the Floyd agenda.
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Community Design Team
Expanding the Franchise
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lenville has a strong background in many areas, but especially in bluegrass music and cultural heritage tourism. Developing both of these into a series of year-round events would leverage existing strengths.
Fully developing a presence in the proposed cultural heritage trail would require further collaboration with Glenville State and a sharing of resources. GSC could benefit from the exposure of a bluegrass music trail through a recurring annual installation of works of art on campus. The CDT team was shown an example of local student works in the exceptional gallery space that already exists on campus. Both GSC and the Glenville community would benefit from featuring both historic elements and youthful talent throughout the summer. We understand that a new outdoor farmer’s market is already successfully in place May-October. Christmas season would be ideal for hosting an arts and crafts show/sale indoors, featuring local and student works, to provide additional revenue and sustain exposure. Other entertaining folk-life related activities, especially those featuring the sense of touch (e.g. petting zoo, spinning/weaving, timbersport events, river activities, etc.) might be considered as well. Country Store after
Medium-term Initiatives More extensive projects targeting the already built environment will be initially more costly as well as more vulnerable to flood damage. As work progresses with flood mitigation, five projects surfaced as worthy of early consideration. These were proposed by the community during the team visit and/or identified by the CDT team as having potential.
Performance Space
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ne area that has been considered for landscape design is the corner loca-
tion beside the Smokehouse BBQ restaurant, formerly occupied by a car dealership. Because of its central location, proximity to the restaurant, and remaining two walls and concrete floor, this site would be ideal for an outdoor performance space. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
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Hotel Veranda
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lenville State College or GSC has recently purchased the motel by the river downtown and plans to give it a face lift. In keeping with the “friendly� theme, it would be an excellent idea to add deep porches with
abundant seating (rockers and benches) and flowers to serve as a front porch for the town. The building has little character as it stands. If possible, it would be useful to incorporate a current interpretation of period architecture 1900-1930 to reinforce the folk life image. Architects with the Division of Design & Merchandising would be glad to return to Glenville, take measurements, and develop sketches for consideration.
White Block Building
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racketing the river is a two-story white block building currently for sale. One interesting option for this building would be to turn it into a dance pavilion featuring traditional music and dances on Friday and/or Sat-
urday nights. Bands from the college and local community could provide entertainment. Ideally, only minor renovations to this structure, such as construction of an outside pavilion space, painting and cleaning would be necessary. These services could perhaps be donated by the Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center, college groups, volunteers, or other service organizations. Dancing is enjoying a revival at the moment and might prove to be a substantial draw. In the 1960’s, groups of students from Charlotte, NC used to drive some distance to Athens, GA to a warehouse dance pavilion that featured clogging. This writer can still feel the vibrations when remembering those times. A large open space of that type would allow other uses as well as providing additional points of interaction for local community members and visitors.
Retail Establishment
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everal locations were identified that might be suitable for a brand name discount retail clothing store. This might even take the form of a combination retailer selling apparel items, disposable products like cosmetics
and beauty products, housing a clothing exchange program. Perhaps these retail businesses could be combined with a coffee/tea house to serve the college community, local residents, and tourists, thus providing affordable, fashion clothing in an inviting atmosphere in the downtown area. No apparel retailers selling this type of merchandise currently exist in Glenville, forcing college students to purchase clothes from their hometowns or surrounding areas. The retail establishment could be staffed by students seeking internship or Career College credit, at least initially.
Growth of Glenville State College
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lenville State College currently plans to expand by about 300 students over the next several years. New dorms on campus and attractively renovated common areas go a long way toward successful recruitment
and retention, but the college cannot complete this task alone. The short and mid-term initiatives mentioned thus far offer a community match with the college endeavor. With upgrades in place, the community would be more appealing to lifetime residents as well as to students and their parents.
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Community Design Team
Greenspaces
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he CDT Team was told before the conclusion of the visit that funds had also been allocated to turn the existing grav-
el parking lot into a greenspace. A park in this location would provide a very attractive focal point for the town.
Longer-term Initiatives A variety of longer-term, higher-priced and more complex projects were identified for further consideration. Many of these extend beyond the boundaries of the historic downtown but all have major implications for its success. Flood Control
E
conomic viability is severely impacted by recurring flooding. Ongoing and increasing efforts to control this situation are
vital to the survival of the downtown.
Affordable Housing
A
shortage of quality affordable housing in the Glenville area allowed other locations to benefit from the new employment
created by the Federal prison just two miles outside of town. Families that might have taken up residence in Glenville now live, shop, and pay taxes elsewhere. Lack of high quality affordable housing was also mentioned as an issue in recruiting medical personnel to the area and faculty to the college.
New Commerce and Industry
A
dditional employment would certainly be desirable for this area and multiple opportunities for recruitment of large
employers have been identified in prior studies. Any further efforts in this direction can only be strengthened by a town with a strong identity and a growing sense of vitality. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
25
Connections
Oldest stick built house in Glenville
Connecting the community Ronald Eck & Mark Franz
T
o this point, the report has dealt with a variety of connections. This section
addresses physical connections within the community, including roads, streets, sidewalks and trails. A brief section regarding recommendations for the addition of a community skate park is also included.
28
Community Design Team
Main Street
C
learly, a key focus in any community is Main Street.
As a
number of studies have already been conducted and plans
have been developed over the years with respect to Glenville’s Main Street, the Team did not intend to develop another plan. Figure C1 shows a cross section of Main Street as it existed on March 28, 2009. During the visit, the CDT Team viewed drawings for the Vision Plan, developed by a consultant several years ago. The plans include several sectional drawings of Main Street showing widths of various features. Specifically, the plans show 6 to 9-foot wide sidewalks, two 6-foot wide parking lanes and two 13-foot wide traffic lanes. The Team also heard several comments during the weekend about a wider Main Street.
Figure C1. View of Main Street. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
29
As noted, the Vision Plan calls for a wider Main Street. In fact, the proposed 13-foot wide lanes are one foot wider than the lane widths used on an interstate highway such as I-79. With cars parked on both sides of the street, the current travel portion of Main Street is relatively narrow. Comments about sideswiping vehicles and damaged mirrors confirm that this is indeed the case. While widening Main Street would reduce the recurring damage to vehicles, it is important to note another impact of wider streets, i.e., higher traffic speeds. With 13-foot wide lanes, the speed of traffic will increase. Higher traffic speed introduces other safety issues and is not consistent with the pedestrian-oriented streetscape suggested for Main Street. It is recommended that the Main Street cross section consist of 9-foot sidewalks, 6-foot parking lanes and 10-foot travel lanes. For the most part, this is what currently exists on Main Street. Such a cross section will help keep speeds down. The actual travel width of the street depends on how close to the curb vehicles park. To improve motorist behavior in this regard, minimal paint striping is suggested. Figure C2 illustrates how angle or T-shaped markings define the width of the stall as well as the length. This small reminder should improve parking behaviors so that drivers will park closer to the curb. In turn, this will have the effect of widening the travel lanes a bit. Such a street cross section is appropriate for a downtown area. When vehicles are parked on both sides of the street, relatively low speed vehicle operation is maintained. It is appropriate in this type of street environment for a vehicle to have to slow down or stop occasionally to let a vehicle pass in the opposite direction. The T’s or angles mentioned above could be marked on the street (at 6 feet from the curb) with white paint at each parking spot. This effort would not require much paint. The Glenville Street Gang has demonstrated the ability to mobilize a team of workers for an afternoon project. With a similar effort, the parking stalls could be marked in one afternoon.
Certainly, not everyone will
comply with the painted marks but, overall, parking behavior might improve and people would park closer to the curb. Widening the travel lanes, as proposed in the Vision Plan, means that sidewalk width would have to be reduced to 6 feet. One Figure C2. Examples of angles, T’s and plus signs used to mark on-street parking stalls.
30
Community Design Team
of the limitations of a 6-foot wide sidewalk is that there is no width left for buffer space between the street and the sidewalk or to
Figure C3. Components of an Ideal Sidewalk.
locate pedestrian amenities. However, a 9-foot wide sidewalk (as currently exists) would permit a 5 to 6-foot wide walking zone, leaving a 3 to 4-foot wide strip for benches, lampposts, vegetation, information kiosks and other amenities. This can be done attractively, for example, by providing a smooth concrete walking surface with a brick or paver block buffer strip. This concept is illustrated in Figure C3 and shows the importance of having a clear pedestrian zone. The Team learned that Glenville applied for, but did not receive a Transportation Enhancements grant for streetscape work on Main Street. As has been mentioned previously with regard to other projects, the community could consider undertaking some of this effort independently in the near future rather than waiting for grant funds. For example, a significant portion of the downtown sidewalk construction could be done using the resources that are available locally. The work could be done in stages, perhaps 100 or 200 feet at a time, whatever is manageable. Glenville’s own Street Gang has demonstrated the community’s ability to work together, and that same energy can be put to work on the streetscape project. The West Virginia Local Technical Assistance Program (WVLTAP) can provide technical assistance in terms of sidewalk design, concrete mixes, slab thickness, and the amenities associated with the project.
Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
31
In implementing these improvements on Main Street, it is important to consider other elements of walkability to make downtown friendly to pedestrians. These include amenities such as public art, public spaces, directional signs and public rest rooms. The information presented earlier, concerning sprucing up storefronts and facades, is also part of walkability. If there is an attractive inviting environment, people will come, walk around and hopefully spend money. The physical activity involved with walking also promotes wellness, as discussed in a previous section. Another Main Street issue discussed during the visit was parking meters. Based on visual observation, it appears that most of the meters are functioning. What was not clear was the level of enforcement. Typical questions often raised in communities about parking meters include, “Should we even have meters? Or should we do away with the meters? Should we charge for parking? Should we have free parking?” Based on limited time in town, it is recommended that the meters be retained, at least for the immediate future. If the meters were removed, college students might park on the street all day to go to class or other campus activities. Such long-term parking would tie up the curb space that should be “turning over” on a regular basis during the day to serve downtown establishments. A key advantage of meters is that they promote turnover. Although it is recognized that meter feeding is a phenomenon that takes place, theoretically, the goal is to promote turnover of on-street spaces downtown. As noted earlier, given the time demands during the visit, the Team was not able to take an in-depth look at parking in town. If further study of parking demand and usage is desired, the staff of WVLTAP at WVU can be contacted.
Pedestrian/Bicycle Connections
A
number of transportation and recreation issues that involve physical activ-
ity relate to certain health issues discussed previously. One of these issues is the need for a safe and efficient pedestrian connection between downtown/campus and the Hayes City area. During the visit, citizens called attention to the non-motorized travel demand between these destinations. However, due to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure between these areas, travel on foot on existing roads is neither pedestrian friendly nor safe. A pedestrian and bicycle
connection between downtown and Hayes City is recommended. A trail along the river would reduce vehicular conflicts, eliminate steep grades and offer attractive views.
32
Community Design Team
Although specific routing and land ownership issues would need to be resolved, such a trail location appears to have potential. A multi-use trail would be eligible for Transportation Enhancement/ Recreational Trails funding. Both funding sources require 80/20 matches (state/local share). Figure C4 shows the river corridor between downtown and Hayes City. As the orange lines depict, the trail would closely follow the stream between downtown and Hayes City.
Figure C4. River Corridor Between Downtown and Hayes City Could Serve as Trail Connection.
Figure C5 illustrates that for a significant portion of the length, there is a terrace next to the river. Although subject to occasional flooding, the relatively level nature of the terrace makes it appropriate for a trail. The trail surface would need to be properly armored to withstand flooding and maintenance would be required after major storm events. It is envisioned that as is the case in other communities, local groups such as the Bicycle Club at the College could help maintain the trail. Figure C5. Relatively Level Terrace Along Little Kanawha River. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
33
The Team heard comments and saw first hand some of the safety and traffic conflict issues with respect to pedestrians and motor vehicles on Mineral Road. The road handles a significant amount of vehicle traffic as well as foot traffic to and from various destinations. Given the narrow pavement width and lack of sidewalks, conflicts are inevitable. One obvious solution would be to install sidewalks along the roadway. However, sidewalk installation is complicated by utility lines, steep slopes near the road and right-of-way or property issues. During the site visit, the team was unable to spend sufficient time on Mineral Road to complete an assessment, but if there is further community interest in examining pedestrian safety issues, the WVLTAP can return for this purpose.
Ordinances and Regulations
D
uring the visit, the Team did not have an opportunity to review the munici-
pal sidewalk ordinance. However, the Mayor provided excerpts from the code immediately after the visit. Based on the material provided, the team is able to offer the following observations: Although there is no date on the reviewed portions, it is clear that the document is extremely old. For
example, Section 29 states “That the horses attached to any road wagon or other loaded wagon or vehicle, shall not be unhitched or detached there from on Main Street.” Section 34 states “If any person drag logs or heavy timber of any kind upon or over any of the streets or alleys of said town, he shall be fined not less than one nor more than 5 dollars for each offense.” The ordinance also requires that every male resident between the ages of 21 and 50 work for up to two days on the roads, streets and alleys of the town. While this would be a great way to get the resources needed to implement some of the projects proposed here, it may not be enforceable or even legally possible. On a more serious note, it is clear that the ordinance regarding sidewalks and streets needs to be brought into the 21st century! The sidewalk ordinance should specify design standards for new construction, e.g., width, cross slope and surface type. Note also that the current ordinance specifies a sidewalk cross slope of 4.2 percent which exceeds the maximum cross slope of 2 percent allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Sidewalk ordinances should also define sidewalk maintenance actions and responsibilities. While the current ordinance makes it clear that property owners are responsible for sidewalk maintenance, it refers only to “cleaning” the walks. It is not clear if this refers strictly to debris and trash or whether snow removal is also included. Surface discontinuities such as holes, spalled concrete and changes in level should also be addressed in the maintenance section of a sidewalk ordinance. WVLTAP can assist in providing suggestions and draft language and/or reviewing versions of a revised and more modern sidewalk ordinance.
34
Community Design Team
Additional Road and Street Issues
F
or a brief period of time, Glenville had a street sweeper. Given the relatively high initial operating and maintenance costs, a
street sweeper is not economical for a municipality the size of Glenville. There are simply not enough miles of street to make it worthwhile or practical to acquire a street sweeper. In addition, with Glenville’s demonstrated ability to mobilize people to clean streets, this would be the recommended approach. That is, the Street Gang and other citizens could periodically clean up Main Street. An annual community Clean Up Week might encourage folks in other neighborhoods to do the same for their streets.
The money that
has previously been allocated for the street sweeper could be used as the match for the streetscape or other projects where matching funds are needed. The newspaper photograph of the Street Gang at work on Main Street showed what appeared to be anti-skid (abrasive) material being swept off of the roadway. This material, which accumulates on roadways during the winter snow removal season, interferes with surface drainage, clogs pipes and detracts from the aesthetics of the streetscape. Research at WVU has demonstrated that natural brines can be effective anti-icing agents, either alone or in combination with conventional snow removal and ice control materials. Using natural brines in combination with conventional rock salt, the City of Morgantown has eliminated the use of abrasive materials on winter roadways and the problems associated with the use of these materials. Given its location with respect to oil and gas production, it seems logical that Glenville could explore the potential of using oil and gas well brines in its winter maintenance activities. This has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of material on roads and streets. Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
35
Bridges are also an important aspect of connections in and around Glenville. This area has several historically significant bridge structures.
The Duck Run Suspension
Bridge outside of town (shown in Figure C6) is significant for several reasons, including both the construction techniques used and its length. The Duck Run Bridge represents an additional asset as a tourist attraction.
Figure C6. Duck Run Suspension Bridge Near Glenville.
The Court Street Bridge downtown (Figure C7) is also significant and, like the Duck Run Suspension Bridge, is in disrepair. The bridge was recently placed on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s “endangered structures” list. These structures represent links to the past but can also serve as present day physical connecting links within the community. For example, if restored for pedestrian use, the Court Street Bridge can connect downtown with the previously mentioned green space and/or recreational opportunities across the river. The Team urges that efforts be continued to seek resources to restore these bridges, at least for foot traffic. There is a pipeline on the Court Street Bridge, but it is not clear who owns it. If the bridge were to come down, the pipeline might need to be relocated, at some expense to the owner. Therefore, it might be in the interest of the pipeline owner to explore ways to preserve the bridge, including sharing in the costs of its restoration. Figure C7. Court Street Bridge in Downtown Glenville.
36
Community Design Team
Community Skate Park
T
he need for activities for the youth of Glenville was also mentioned during the presentations. It appears that middle school and high school students would benefit from a skateboard park. While an accessible location
would need to be identified and a design determined, funding sources for such projects are available. The Tony Hawk (professional skateboarder) Foundation makes two or three skate park awards annually. In Summers County, Hinton received a Tony Hawk Foundation award to help fund their skateboard park. Other West Virginia communities have also received grants. Grant application information can be found at www.tonyhawkfoundation.org. Rob Dyrdek, is another professional skateboarder who started funding skate parks through his professional sponsor, DC Shoes. Similar to the Tony Hawk Foundation, they assist in funding skateboard parks. Additional information on his program can be found at www.skateplaza.com. Still another potential funding source for a skate park is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This is a federal program and each state has a representative. The West Virginia OJJDP state representative is Elizabeth Wolfe, Program Manager. She can be contacted at 202-514-0582 and elizabeth.wolfe@usdoj.gov. We did not receive input relative to skate park location and time did not permit an evaluation of potential sites. Clearly, the park should be conveniently located for the young people that would use it. With respect to both location and design of a skate park, it is critical that the users (i.e., the young people) be involved in the planning and design of the facility. In terms of construction of the skate park, components such as wood ramps and metal rails may lend themselves to a collaborative effort with the vo-tech school. This could provide an opportunity for the vo-tech students to see their work actively improving the community, thus promoting a sense of pride.
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37
Taming the River
Taming the river
Restoration Efforts on the Little Kanawha
Ashley Kyber & Janel Bedard
I
t is a truism that a great asset can also be a great liability. So goes the story of the cultural and ecological history of the Little Kanawha River in Glenville, WV. Just as packet boats once brought goods and services up the
Little Kanawha to Glenville, serving as an economic base for this community, so the flooding of the Little Kanawha has also been the community’s greatest challenge to economic growth. The CDT team recognizes the on-going debate about how to tame the Little Kanawha, while still urging the community to embrace the Little Kanawha as the basis for economic growth, a destination for tourism, and a possible location for a retirement community. Of course, there are considerable challenges to living with the Little Kanawha. Due to the degradation of the native riparian habitat, the river has lost its natural capacity to ease its own flooding. In order to provide longterm viability for any development in Glenville, this environmental degradation must be addressed. The riparian habitat is the natural ecosystem surrounding the banks of the river from the center of the river to the 100-year flood plain. In its undisturbed state, this ecosystem has dense vegetation with layers of plant growth ranging from groundcovers (eg. ferns) and wildflowers (eg. trillium), to shrubs (eg. witch hazel, sumac, and red-twig dogwood) and trees (eg. willow, sycamore and birch).
40
Community Design Team
These plant materials not only provide habitat and food for aquatic species, waterfowl, songbirds and woodland wildlife of varying species, but they also mitigate flooding. This is due to the natural ability of plants, specific to this ecosystem, to absorb water and act as a natural sponge to soak-up floodwaters. Additionally, these plants set out extensive root systems, which physically hold the riverbank soil in place, thus preventing erosion. Because our native river systems in the United States have been degraded over centuries of development along river corridors, it is common for people to fail to recognize a healthy riparian habitat. Community members and visitors may actually think of a healthy waterway as being “messy” and unkempt. Many people prefer lawn down to the river’s edge for recreation and visual appeal. This “cleaning-up” of native plant materials in an attempt to have a neat bank actually encourages more severe and frequent flooding. Such is the case in Glenville, as the Little Kanawha’s banks are eroded so severely that they not only lack vegetation but also have steep banks and severely eroded cut-outs at all storm water inflows. If not addressed, the banks of the Little Kanawha will continue to erode thus creating further challenges for development. There is a cost-effective and visually appealing restoration that could be undertaken by Glenville in order to restore the buffer zone of the Little Kanawha. Thus, a balance between the river and the town could be reestablished.
In order to make this
happen, the Glenville community would have to marshal its considerable community resources and make riverbank stabilization a priority.
Glenville, West Virginia | March 2009
41
Wattle fences are an example of short retaining walls constructed of living cuttings. They are used to provide slopes to support plant growth where over steepened slopes are preventing plant establishment. On steeper slopes, wattle fences are constructed closer together. Wattle fences have been successfully used on slopes as steep as 70 degrees.
Typical successional pattern in the buffer zone, going from open ground through an herbaceous stage to a shrubby stage and on through the pioneering conifer stage to a climax conifer stage.
42
Community Design Team
T
he team highly recommends that the City of Glenville and Glenville State College recognize riverbank stabilization, riparian buffer zone restoration, and other flooding prevention measures as top priorities in any
redevelopment planning. For this reason the CDT provides the following specific suggestions: • Create a Little Kanawha Task Force to initiate a community watershed association and a riverbank stabilization plan of action. • Recruit members for a community watershed group that would undertake a stream assessment with the assistance of WVU’s Division of Resource Management and The Eastern Regional Coal Roundtable. • Recruit the assistance of the Glenville State College Natural Resources Degree program to make a long-term redevelopment commitment to the City of Glenville and the Little Kanawha. Faculty and graduate students can develop research initiatives, course work, and service-learning opportunities focusing on stream-bank stabilization. • Contact Glenville State fraternities, sororities and clubs, local and county schools and local church groups to participate in service learning and service labor towards stream-bank stabilization efforts. • Team with Canaan Valley Institute to create the first educational vocational program at Calhoun Gilmer Career Center to train youth in stream-bank stabilization construction techniques and Rosgen-Method stream restoration construction techniques.
T
he CDT offers its continued assistance in achieving these goals in Glenville.
The community can also make contact with several agencies that can provide assistance in these endeavors including The Canaan Valley Institute, The Eastern Regional Coal Roundtable, WVU faculty members such as Charles Yuill who has an ongoing assessment project on the Little Kanawha and the WVU Natural Resource Analysis Center. During our visit we were introduced to several community members interested in spearheading work on the Little Kanawha, most notably Dr. Carl Armour, a Glenville retiree. He has extensive experience with riparian initiatives acquired during his service in the western USA for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. As the community begins work on the watershed, a list of these additional contacts is provided in the Appendix on page 51.
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Green Spaces
2010 Vision for Town Park by community members. Original design by David Millard and model by Joe and Patricia Wilmoth.
Parks Green Spaces for Glenville Ashley Kyber & Janel Bedard
T
he city of Glenville, WV, like most turn of the century riverfront communities was built with its back toward the river; that is, the river was seen as an economic resource rather than a scenic economic asset. Given
this history, the CDT encourages Glenville to consider the Little Kanawha riverfront in a new light, as the main resource by which the community of Glenville can link its past to its future. Historically, the Little Kanawha River not only provided an economic base for Glenville in the form of riverboat (packet boat) transport of goods and services but also served as a water source for regional subsistence farming. Today, however, destination tourism, retirement community living and community educational life are all additional viable forms of regional economic development and aspects to be considered when making development decisions. To make Glenville more attractive to Glenville State College students and faculty, professionals in the healthcare field, and tourists and retirees, the community should invest in creating more green spaces for passive and active recreation. These green spaces are an important community feature that can enhance the quality of life for both current and future residents.
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Community Design Team
To develop these strategies for economic development, the CDT encourages the City of Glenville to invest in two types of green spaces, with three properties in mind. The CDT recommends two park spaces for the central business district. The first park space is the concrete front on the corner of Highway 33/119 and Main Street, and the second is the lot adjacent to the Commonplace building that is currently used for off-street parking. The CDT also recommends long-term strategies to acquire properties along River Street for a future riverfront park. These three park spaces would all have differing uses but together they would provide full outdoor-living amenities to prospective college students, professionals, and current city residents. The WVU Landscape Architecture Program is interested in providing further assistance to Glenville in the development of all its parks. This could include designbuild opportunities as cross-state university collaboration between WVU and Glenville State College students.
The Town Park
T
he visualizations and ideas represented in this segment were completed after the CDT visit, and thus, were not a part of the original community slideshow. This park space is proposed for the parcel of land adjacent
to the Common Place Restaurant building where there is currently a parking lot. It is the unanimous agreement of the CDT team that downtown Glenville has adequate parking without this additional lot and that weekday parking can be found through cooperative agreement with downtown churches, the college’s Conrad Motel, and vacant lot owners for any additional parking needs created by the establishment of a park on this site. The purpose of this park would be to provide outdoor seating for the Common Place Restaurant, a performance and craft space for the summer Folk Festival, as well as a covered space for music. The individual park features are listed in the annotations to the following drawing. A preliminary design for Town Park by Ashley Kyber: 2009
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Smokehoue BBQ Restaurant
The Corner Park
G
lenville State College has already provided some ideas for this city park and it is with acknowledgement of this prior
work that the CDT supports this collaboration to revitalize historic Cornerpark before
downtown. First, it is classified as a post-industrial space or brownfield and must be treated according to EPA regulations of contaminants often found on such properties. This classification is not to be considered a detriment to the parcel of land becoming a park; it is in fact an attribute that can help Glenville obtain funding to build the park. The West Virginia Brownfield Assistance Program headed by Patrick Kirby is such a program and provides mini-grants to communities to work on redevelopment of such sites. Contact information is available in the Appendix on page 51.
A vision for the Cornerpark.
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Community Design Team
Given the nature of the site and its classification as a brownfield, the original concrete remaining from previous use must be left intact. Thus, any park must be built on top of this surface and cannot penetrate it in any way. The CDT recommends that this space be considered as a city plaza with plantings added to the site above-grade in large planters. These planters could be built to the height of three to four feet with a seating edge on some or all of the exterior edges. The planters could contain small trees, shrubs and perennials. The interior of the site can be built up as a plaza space or outdoor dining and performance space for the Smokehouse BBQ restaurant next door. Additionally, this space can be used as a prime performance space for the summer heritage folk festival. In order to help soften the appearance of this plaza-based park with the neighboring buildings, a “living wall” could be added to the existing brick and siding facades facing this lot. Ideally, these living walls would be constructed of piping, anchored to the buildings in a grid-like pattern, enhanced by a pioneer mural. The piping structure could be constructed by students from the county vocational tech program as part of a welding or plumbing program. The team further recommends that the youth of the county be involved in the education programs to build these parks and aid in the revitalization of the downtown historic district.
River Street Waterfront Park
T
his park would provide active and passive recreation for tourists and community members alike and would be the largest park in a network of city green spaces. Waterfront recreation on this site would include a wading,
fishing and paddling “rock beach,” sport fields, riverside walking trail and fitness loop. This is the longest-term park development option of the three park spaces envisioned by the CDT, but perhaps the most important to the rejuvenation to the town and county community as a whole. In addition, there are other obvious large challenges to this development that must be considered. The major concern is the fact that this land is currently the rental district and home for many low-income families in Glenville. The need for adequate, flood-safe and clean low income housing is also a major issue in Glenville. The CDT recommends that the local government reconsider the housing along River Street and determine if it is substandard for occupancy and look for HUD grants or other means to relocate and house this population of renters on higher ground. For the purpose of this initial visit to Glenville and this report, we have provided no visualizations of this park. However, as stated above, the WVU Landscape Architecture program may provide further assistance in visualization of these ideas. Please contact Ashley Kyber, CDT Design Director and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture to continue this design dialogue.
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Closing Remarks
T
he Community Design Team sees a bright future for Glenville. Included in this report are many options and suggestions for a vibrant Glenville. Also included are examples of projects that community members, work-
ing together, have completed or are currently in the works. It is important for Glenville residents to decide which projects they will move forward at this point and which recommendations to set aside for the future. There are goals that can be realized in a short term period, with the help of citizens and local organizations. Other projects may be more long term and require future planning. Here are some possible short and long term goals for the community: These are short term actions: •
Continue holding Health Fairs for the community
•
Use the Internet to promote Glenville
•
Continue power washing and painting downtown storefronts
•
Plan riverbank stabilization and other flood control measures
•
Contact WVLTAP for sidewalk design assistance
•
Add attractive spring plants to flower boxes
These are long term actions: •
Begin streetscape work on Main Street
•
Establish a visitor center
•
Reconstruct sidewalks
•
Attract more folk life related activities
•
Develop green spaces (i.e. Town Park first, followed by Riverfront Park)
•
Assess need for additional medical staff
•
Begin Little Kanawha flood control measures This report represents a collaboration of ideas, shared between the Community Design Team and Glen-
ville community members. We see opportunities for continuing this collaboration in the future. Bringing any of these ideas to fruition ultimately rests in the hands of the citizens of Glenville. It is the hope of the CDT members that the visit provided an encouraging first step on the path towards more citizen-generated change in Glenville. It takes a great deal of work and commitment to achieve all the goals a community sets for itself, but Glenville is more than capable and willing to put forth the effort. Hosting a Community Design Team Visit was just the beginning.
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Community Design Team
Appendix - Resources
Professor Charles Yuill Chair, Landscape Architecture Program Little Kanawha River Basin Landscape Assessment West Virginia University P.O. Box 6108 Morgantown, WV 26506 cyuill@wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-5674 Eastern Regional Coal Roundtable 300 Front Street, Room 19 Mullens, WV 25882 www.easterncoal.org Phone: (304) 294-1005 Natural Resource Analysis Center Room 2009, P.O. Box 6108 Agricultural Sciences Building West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 www.nrac.wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-4832
Canaan Valley Institute 494 RiverStone Road Davis, WV 26260 www.canaanvi.org Phone: (304) 259-4739 Ronald Eck WV Local Technical Assistance Program WVU Civil Engineering P.O. Box 6103 Morgantown, WV 26506 ronald.eck@mail.wvu.edu Phone: (304) 293-9931 Patrick Kirby, Director Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center PO Box 6064 Morgantown, WV 26506 patrick.kirby@mail.wvu.edu Phone (304) 293-2867 ext 5459
Community members and WVU Landscape Architecture students are collaborating to design the next project at Glenville Town Hall.
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Acknowledgements
The Community Design Team would like to thank the following individuals:
The CDT also wishes to thank the following organizations:
John Bennett Mary Lee McPherson Sheree Henderson Don Kelble David Millard Donna Waddell Jim Bailey
Glenville State College Gilmer County Senior Center Holt House Minnie Hamilton Health Systems Conrad Motel Best Western Common Place Restaurant Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant Foodland Family Resource Network DiCarlo’s Pizza Visions, Vessels, and Victory, Inc.
Residents of Glenville who opened their homes to CDT members:
The CDT appreciates the speakers who made presentations that helped the team better understand the community, its goals, and objectives:
David Millard Charlene Delude Dan and Pat Johnson Denny Pounds Stan and Paula Mazogotti Fred Warlborn
Peter Barr, President Glenville State College Tashua Allman, Mayor Barbary Lay, Administrator, Minnie Hamilton Health Systems Sadie Kelble, Folk Festival Committee Larry Chapman, County Commission, Glenville EDA Jim Bailey, Historical Society Rose Frazier, Day Care Representative
Glenville Application Committee:
Miranda Stump and Lisa Miller welcome visitors to the Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant.
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Community Design Team
Glenville Community Design Team
Jennifer Selin, CDT Coordinator P.O. Box 6108 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 304-293-5582 jennifer.selin@mail.wvu.edu Barbara McFall, CDT Team Leader Associate Professor of Interior Design Director, Division of Design and Merchandising P.O. Box 6124 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 304-293-3482 barbara.mcfall@mail.wvu.edu Nancy Melton, Recruitable Community Coordinator Shawn Balleydier Brandon Carman Division of Rural Health and Recruitment 350 Capitol Street, Room 515 Charleston, WV 25301 304-558-4382 nancy.c.melton@wv.gov
Ronald Eck, CDT Team Leader Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Emeritus and WVLTAP P.O. Box 6103 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 304-293-9931 ronald.eck@mail.wvu.edu Ashley Kyber, CDT Team Leader Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture P.O. Box 6108 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506 304-293-5534 cyberkyber@gmail.com Mark Franz Graduate Assistant, Civil and Environmental Engineering P.O. Box 6103 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506
Michael Castle Real Estate Development 1117 University Ave. Morgantown, WV 26505 304-284-0123 castle@phoenixgroupwv.com
Holly Lentz Program Chair and Assistant Professor Fashion Design and Merchandising P.O. Box 6124 West Virginia University 26506 304-293-3534 holly.lentz@mail.wvu.edu
Stephanie Frost Doctoral Student, Public Health Sciences West Virginia University 304-393-5374 sfrost@hsc.wvu.edu
Janel Bedard Graduate Assistant, Community Development West Virginia University 716-523-7098 jbedard@mix.wvu.edu
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