By Sarah Richardson
Island Park in Ronceverte continues with a series of upgrades after a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new splash pad location near the entrance of the park earlier this week. Ronceverte Mayor Deena Pack, Senator Stephen Baldwin, members of the Ronceverte City Council, Public Works employees, Parks and Recreation committee members, and others gathered at the site to mark the occasion.
“We applied for some money to do something for kids and get a splash pad here, and it’s going to be 10 times the size of Lewisburg’s, thank you very much, and we are really excited about it.” Sen. Baldwin joked as he explained some of the details behind the splash pad’s construction.
Mayor Pack said that Sen. Baldwin was “being a little modest” when explaining the financial details behind the project. “We would not be able to do this project without the funding that he was able to secure for us.” She added that the timeline had been pushed back to due supply chain delays, but they are shooting for an opening in time for warmer weather in 2023. Pack recognized numerous community members including the city’s street crew who worked to remove the old concrete pad at the site, and thanked Steve Williams who attended special training in order to operate the splash pad safely.
“We are all just really excited, and it’s just one of the first steps of a lot of new things happening in Ronceverte.”
Ashley Vickers, the Director of the Greater Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce, added, “This place is turning around, and it is Ronceverte’s time to shine. This administration and all the workers in the City of Ronceverte, you are doing a fantastic job.” She hinted at upcoming economic developments within the city, stating, “I know we have a couple of bars and restaurants that are about to open up, so the sky’s the limit for Ronceverte and I’m excited about this project.”
