Festivities were underway at the grand opening of the Coal River Group's Science and Education Center. Various bands played throughout the day on a stage set up on the lawn.
ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- The Coal River Science and Education Center officially opened its doors to the public Sunday at Meadowood Park near Tornado.
Dozens showed up at the grand opening to celebrate a new era of cleanliness for the previously not-so-clean Coal River. The center will serve as a research facility for scholars, citizens, and sightseers interested in how to maintain the beauty of the river.
The center was funded through a legislative grant and local fundraising and built exclusively with the help of volunteers who laid the groundwork, built the structures, and provided the wiring and plumbing. The Alternative Energy Building was built next to the education center and is solar powered.
"There are things we can do to fix this river," Coal River Group co-founder Bill Currey remembered telling his friend Bill Queen after they both took a floating tour on the river several years ago. "He said, 'This river is fantastic.'" Queen died in a car crash in May 2007 on his way to fish in the Greenbrier River.
Currey and Queen started the group in 2004. Since then, they made several efforts to clean the river, promote recreational opportunities to stimulate the region's economy, and preserve and interpret the river's history.
The group recently lobbied state and federal legislators to approve $20 million to fund a program that will bring 1,700 residents in the Tornado and Lower Falls areas a public sewer system that does not dirty the waters of the Coal. The commercial sewer systems were apparently operating incorrectly, and depositing waste into the river, Currey said.
The group also holds several cleanup efforts for the river. Currey holds four major efforts for the Kanawha portion of the river every year. The affiliated branch of the group in Boone County, which houses most of the river, also has four major cleanups every year, not including numerous cleanups sponsored by Boone County commissioners.
During last week's floods, which ravaged much of the Southern West Virginia counties, Curry said there was hardly any trash in the Coal River at all.
To encourage recreation, the group opened the Walhonde River Trail, which allows people to canoe from St. Albans down through both branches of the Coal River. The concept of the trail was inspired in part by Currey and Queen's initial fascination with the river during their own floating tours and fishing trips.
ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- The Coal River Science and Education Center officially opened its doors to the public Sunday at Meadowood Park near Tornado.
Dozens showed up at the grand opening to celebrate a new era of cleanliness for the previously not-so-clean Coal River. The center will serve as a research facility for scholars, citizens, and sightseers interested in how to maintain the beauty of the river.
The center was funded through a legislative grant and local fundraising and built exclusively with the help of volunteers who laid the groundwork, built the structures, and provided the wiring and plumbing. The Alternative Energy Building was built next to the education center and is solar powered.
"There are things we can do to fix this river," Coal River Group co-founder Bill Currey remembered telling his friend Bill Queen after they both took a floating tour on the river several years ago. "He said, 'This river is fantastic.'" Queen died in a car crash in May 2007 on his way to fish in the Greenbrier River.
Currey and Queen started the group in 2004. Since then, they made several efforts to clean the river, promote recreational opportunities to stimulate the region's economy, and preserve and interpret the river's history.
The group recently lobbied state and federal legislators to approve $20 million to fund a program that will bring 1,700 residents in the Tornado and Lower Falls areas a public sewer system that does not dirty the waters of the Coal. The commercial sewer systems were apparently operating incorrectly, and depositing waste into the river, Currey said.
The group also holds several cleanup efforts for the river. Currey holds four major efforts for the Kanawha portion of the river every year. The affiliated branch of the group in Boone County, which houses most of the river, also has four major cleanups every year, not including numerous cleanups sponsored by Boone County commissioners.
During last week's floods, which ravaged much of the Southern West Virginia counties, Curry said there was hardly any trash in the Coal River at all.
To encourage recreation, the group opened the Walhonde River Trail, which allows people to canoe from St. Albans down through both branches of the Coal River. The concept of the trail was inspired in part by Currey and Queen's initial fascination with the river during their own floating tours and fishing trips.
The Father's Day opening of the river center was especially sentimental for Dan Bowes, who owns West Virginia Solar and installed the solar paneling on the Alternative Energy Center.
"My dad would be in his glory knowing that I'm involved in this," he said. Bowes' father died the week before. Both of them spent much of their lives enjoying Coal River.
Dave Mills, who spent years in construction, volunteered to work on the center as soon as he heard a building project was underway, and assembled the front door, and did trim work for the main building. The legacy of the river is very important to him, he said.
Currey's ultimate goal for the building is for it to become a catalyst to encourage future generations to want to preserve the coal river. So far, he is happy where the project is going, he said.
Festivities throughout the day included music by several local bands including River Me Timbers, The Backyard Dixie Jazz Stompers, Blues Crossing, and Jim and Valerie Gabehart's bluegrass duo.
Mark Atherton also brought his guitar and played songs he wrote specifically for the Coal River. He wrote "I am the River" and "Saturday Summers" as a tribute to the good times the river has given him over the years, he said.
Reach Zac Taylor at Zachary.Tay...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.
