Deadline looms for applications » Local News » The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia
LEWISBURG — as the deadline nears for the submission of applications for the Boy Scouts Community Service Initiative, the Citizens Conservation Corps of West Virginia is holding workshops around the region to encourage individuals and organizations to propose projects. During the 2013 National Jamboree, slated for the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Fayette County, the Boy Scouts of America will send out troops of scouts into a nine-county area to assist with community service projects. In all, 40,000 Boy Scouts will perform 300,000 hours of community service over a five-day span. “every civic organization in Greenbrier County should at least submit something,” noted Larry Klein, one of the county’s committee members. Klein made that statement during a Thursday evening application workshop at the Greenbrier Valley Visitors Center. Roy Grimes, who is serving as the “champion” — or community service coordinator — for Greenbrier County, took workshop participants through the process to file an application electronically. To access an online community service application, go to the CCC’s website at www.wvccc.com. On the site’s home page, click on “Programs” to reach a drop-down menu which includes “Reaching the Summit Community Service Initiative.” Clicking on that will lead to a fact sheet page, which includes a “Project Application” prompt in a menu to the left. Grimes urged potential applicants to be sure to include both e-mail and telephone contact numbers on the application. CCC official Rob Wooton said, once the application is submitted, the agency’s media director enters it into the CCC system, and an electronic confirmation of receipt is issued to the sender. Then, a personal contact is made within a few days to arrange a date and time for a project site inspection visit. those site visits are important in that, in the course of the face-to-face discussion with the project supervisor, the CCC inspectors may offer suggestions and answer questions pertaining to the service project. Wooton said he had personally visited seven Greenbrier County project sites the previous week. “Greenbrier County is right in line with the other eight counties that will host community service projects,” he said. “each county is developing their own process.” Grimes said among the projects on the drawing board for Greenbrier County are a playground for the Child and Youth Advocacy Center, restoration of the old Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Blue Bend and clearing away trees that have fallen across the Beartown boardwalk, closing the popular tourist attraction. of that last project, Grimes cautioned that the scouts will only be able to carry away the tree-related debris, not operate saws to dismember the trees. Jo Weisbrod, who attended the workshop on behalf of Trillium Performing Arts Collective, said her organization is proposing a project in which the scouts will assist with the ongoing renovation of the historic Lewis Theatre in Lewisburg. a community-based performing arts organization and school, Trillium is based at the Lewis, which was purchased by three members of the Trillium board, acting as ALL Arts LLC, in 2007. the theater contains 100 old seats, in addition to a newer section of seats, Weisbrod explained. the backs of those old seats are in dire need of painting. “What we propose for the scouts to do is to remove the backs of the chairs, spray paint them, let the paint dry for an hour, and put the backs back on the chairs,” Weisbrod said, noting she estimates the project should take a team of 16 scouts two days to complete. “it will help the Lewis Theatre, but also support Trillium and the Boy Scouts,” Weisbrod noted. Joan Browning, special assistant to the mayor of Rainelle, said that community has several projects in the pipeline for the Boy Scouts, including implementing ideas fostered by the WVU Community Design Team, which recently evaluated Rainelle. Among Rainelle’s projects are proposals to clear the vegetation from Sewell Creek and replace it with more eco-friendly plants, and to tackle the old East Rainelle school gym and cafeteria to convert the space into a workable community center. One of Rainelle’s projects — a walking trail around Greenbrier Hills Golf course — recently received a financial boost in the form of a $50,000 Recreational Trails Program grant from the state Division of Highways. Browning said she was encouraged by Wooton’s description of several trail-related proposals for the Boy Scouts to assist with. she believes the Rainelle trail, as a “phased” recreation-related project, fits well into the Community Service Initiative’s paradigm, since work will continue on the overall project for years to come. “I also want to go back to Rainelle with the idea of targeting some of our dilapidated buildings for demolition,” Browning said, referring to another of Wooton’s suggestions of project ideas. Wooton also emphasized that each project proposal needs to include a contingency plan which would be implemented in case of inclement weather. “I’m hoping for five beautiful, sunny days,” he said. the National Jamboree starts July 15, 2013, and community project selection will begin in earnest in January. other counties which will host community service projects are Fayette, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming. For assistance in preparing a Greenbrier County project application, contact Roy Grimes at 304-667-2914 or by e-mailing roy. grimes@greenbriercounty.net. the deadline to submit a project application is March 31. — E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com
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