The Kanawha Gateway is supporting an effort to develop a regional Quilt Trail. Residents
of the region and visitors will be able to pickup maps and brochures that will identify the
locations of these squares. The pictured quilt square is located along WV Route 62 in the
Buffalo Historic Square.
Hometown Park
With Hometown Park use by local residents plans are to eventually develop it into a rest
stop along the Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail. During the summer of 2010, the Kanawha
Gateway provided support to Putnam County Parks to install over 500-feet of subsurface
drainage. Plans are to either construct a comfort station or install a pre-caste concrete
facility.
New Signs
Signs, similar to the one in this photo, will be designed and installed at the Winfield Locks
and Dam. They will tell the story of locks and dams along the Kanawha River.
New VISTA in Buffalo
Jessica Michal will be serving as an Americorps VISTA with the Kanawha Gateway Heritage Area for the next year. She grew up in the Gallipolis area before earning degrees in history and library science from Kent State University. Before coming to West Virginia she worked for the Phillips County Museum and H.G. Robinson Historical House & Gardens in Eastern Montana, where she helped develop a number of different historical preservation and museum outreach projects. She has experience with grantwriting, exhibit research and development, website design and maintenance, brochure design, and fund raiser set up. Her primary duties with The Kanawha Gateway Heritage Area will be staffing the Buffalo Welcome Center, writing the Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan, and recruiting volunteers for different projects.
Barbara Leaving
Barbara Fellenstein served as the Kanawha Gateway’s first summer college intern during
the period of June – August 2010. Barbara has completed her freshman year at Davis
and Elkins University where she is a student athlete on the cross country team. Having
previously lived in Panama and Louisiana, as part of a military family, she now calls
Fredricksburg, VA home. Barbara’s primary duties were to staff the Buffalo/WV Route
62 and research the history of locks and dams on the Kanawha River. She also helped with
the construction of the new Buffalo Public Library, Hometown Community Park drainage
system and restoration of a storage barn at Valley Park in Hurricane.
Progress on Buffalo Library
After breaking ground in the fall of 2009, construction of the new Buffalo Public Library
has been moving along nicely. Being put under-roof in the early spring of 2010, the
exterior of the future library is being bricked and the interior is ready for painting. The
Putnam County Career Center has provided invaluable support to the project, including
framing the walls at the school and installing the rough plumbing prior to pouring the
interior slab. Much of the work has been completed by volunteers. Plans are to have the
library open to the public in the late fall of 2010.
