During the August meeting of the Alderson City Council, Mayor Travis Copenhaver revealed the Town of Alderson has received the planning report for the Strategic Reuse Plan of the Opportunity Center property, formerly the Alderson Elementary School.
At present, there are several users of the facilities on the property. The former school currently houses a local food pantry that prepares and distributes food to residents, a dog grooming business, and a medical business. The main building is occupied by The Greenbrier County Family Support Center. The football field on the property is used for a fireworks show on the Fourth of July, and provides green space for community recreation.
The project is divided into three phases and is expected to be spread over six to eight years from the date construction begins. The date construction will proceed is yet to be determined.
Phase One will be the initial site improvements. These include improvements to the wayfinding system, renovations in the community center and the main building, as well as their parking lots, an updated playground, and landscape work.
Phase Two will include continued site structure, site plantings, parking lot, and sidewalk expansions and improvements, permanent restroom facilities, cafeterias, and outdoor recreation areas as well as spaces for private parties and community events.
Phase Three will see the construction of an amphitheater, an adaptive exercise area, and splash pad. According to the plan, saving these developments for the last phase allows flexibility to decide if these are appropriate uses of the site.
The purpose of the planning report is to prepare a preliminary strategic reuse plan for the former school property so the property continues to serve as a community asset, and so local decisionmakers have a clear direction on how to reuse the property. The plan will help guide future decisions for the project. The purpose of the planning report is to prepare a preliminary strategic reuse plan for the former school property so the property continues to serve as a community asset, and so local decisionmakers have a clear direction on how to reuse the property.
The plan will help guide future decisions for the project. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) is assisting the Town of Alderson with this reuse initiative with grant money and technical assistance.
Mayor Copenhaver also advised the current water plant project is 90% complete.
In other business, the council discussed an issue of temporary signs being placed improperly or left up too long in the town. Alderson has an ordinance governing signage and the town will remove signs posted by businesses not licensed in the town. Residents are also asked to remove temporary signs (yardsale, etc.) after the advertised event has passed.
