Out with the old, I’m with the new
By: Jaron Harper
Spring is in the air, and with it comes some changes and upgrades to the City of Parsons thanks to the unanimous votes that took place at the city council meeting. Some of these passed upgrades include safety tree removals, an upgraded sewer and water system being planned for construction, and the projected Pocket Park that has already started to take shape on First St.
There is also plans to remove some of the buildings in town that hold no workable purpose, starting with the unused building that sits next to the light in town. Therefore, Spring cleaning is taken to a new level again this year as the city council members announced the return of “Spring Cleaning Week” that will take place on either the first or second week of May. Prepare your junk and unwanted items for that time, however note that there is a small fee for tires.
The Council members voted to shine some light on different sectors of the community, as they also unanimously voted to declare the month of April 2023 as Fair Housing Month, National Sexual Abuse and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, and National Donate a Life Month. The City of Parsons also plans on sponsoring the Randolph Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center Champions for Children Fundraising event that will take place on April 28, at the Elks Club in Elkins.
Finally, the city council meeting also offered some insight on the changing tourism patterns of Tucker County, as the Executive Director of Tucker County Convention and Visitor Bureau, Jessica Waldo, payed a visit to inform the board of some of her departments stats since the reboot of life after Covid-19.
Waldo stated that we they seeing spikes in winter tourism due to the opening and reliability of the new and improved winter experience made possible by Timberline Mountain, as the ski resort was able to produce snow and open for the Thanksgiving week visitors this year. The success of Timberline and other challenges such as the #TakeonTucker scavenger hunt resulted in over 22 online impressions, 50,369 individual web clicks, and most importantly, an 18% increase in overall vacation rental occupancy by a total of 18% compared to last year. With these changes in influx, these improvements and upgrades coming to Parsons are sure to aid in the appeal the city has in the tourism that passes through, while also focusing on the quality of life for the community that lives here.