Volunteers gathered at Edith Barill Park on the Star City waterfront on Tuesday to revitalize the green space for the community.
Mary Wimmer, from the Morgantown North Rotary Club, spearheaded the idea of working together, which she said has been going on for a couple of years.
“Just wanting to stabilize the riverbank. That’s where it all started,” she said.
The rock along the river was eroding and falling into the waterway. Wimmer also said there were only wild plants.
“We really wanted to make the park look really good and it’s a multiphase project,” she said.
The first undertaking was putting together the kayak launch, which went in last year. This year, the group wanted to work on the riverbank. Topsoil and plants are on the to-do list.
“We’re going to add more rock below and try to keep the bank more stabilized. That’s a big part of today’s work,” she said.
Wimmer said there are $7,000 worth of plants to be planted.
“Another area we’re working on are the memorial trees. There are four of them that died and we have a new one that’s going in, too. Plus we’ve got brand new plaques that are gorgeous that we’re going to be putting in ‘cause the old ones are faded and some of them are bent,” she said.
Volunteers have also taken down trees that were blocking the view of a pavilion in the park.
“We’re basically trying to get the park revitalized one step at a time,”
she said.
The volunteers still need to work on drainage issues in the parking lot as well as resurfacing. Wimmer said there are bids for that and the decision process is underway as to what to do. Grants from several organizations and the Town of Star City helped make much of the work possible.
Wimmer said there has been wonderful cooperation between groups, including Morgantown North Rotary, Morgantown Area Paddlers and Star City Public Works.
She also thanked Pizza Al’s for providing lunch.
Justin White of Premier Landscaping, Sara Saurino, a landscape architect, and volunteers have helped make this work possible, Wimmer said.
Wimmer said the park is the town’s green space and also one of the best access points to the Mon River.
Wimmer said the park is the town’s green space and also one of the best access points to the Mon River.
“To attract people to get them outside is a major goal of Rotary,” she said.
Next year, Morgantown North Rotary aims to add a second pavilion to the park, where they can hopefully have farmer’s markets and other activities.
Wimmer, who is retired, said she’s always been interested in volunteer work. She said she really enjoys seeing things come together.
“I think it’s really good for people to get out and volunteer. I just encourage the public to look around and find something and say, ‘You know, I’m going to volunteer to make that happen,’ ” she said.
