Fundraising Goal Met For Pocket Park Purchase
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
WATER VALLEY – The Water Valley Main Street Association is expected to close Friday on the purchase of the corner lot at Wagner and Main Street known as the Pocket Park. The purchase follows a months-long fundraising effort to raise $60,000 with the Water Valley Area of Chamber of Commerce donating the final $11,100.
Former Main Street Board President Charlie Dyer provided the update about the acquisition during the monthly Board of Alderman meeting on Feb. 4.
“We have finalized the funds to purchase the Pocket Park, the funds are in place,” Dyer told city officials.
Dyer credited the Main Street board, Kagan Coughlin, Main Street board member Hallie Thomas and others for the fundraising effort.
“We also worked with the Chamber, they wrote us a check for $11,100 that helped us seal the deal with the funding,” Dyer added.
Water Valley Mayor Tommy Reynolds, also a contributor, noted that with the exception of the Chamber, all donations came from private donors.
“And the Chamber gets some support from the city, but a lot of their funding comes from private funding. I don’t know where else in this area you would have people willing to do that,” the mayor added. “I appreciate Main Street (Association) taking a leadership role.”
When the transaction is completed, the Main Street Association will donate the property to the City of Water Valley and it will be managed as a city park, similar to the other parks in the city. The property was purchased from Dick Marchbanks, who has allowed the use of the property for the Pocket Park for a decade.
Other Main Street Association activities reported by Dyer in his final appearance at the city meeting before stepping down as president includes:
• The Water Valley Wine Down is scheduled Friday, Feb. 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 with 10 different stops. Dyer reported that professional wine representatives will be stationed at each stop.
“Professional wine reps to tell us about the wines samples they are trying out. We will have South African wines, South American wines, a lot of different wines. It should be a lot of fun. We hope to have 200 to 300 people,” Dyer added.
• The second annual Casey Jones Music Fest is scheduled March 22. The lineup includes for free music, an antique car show, kids zone, cornhole tournament, 5K run/walk and other activities.
• Dyer reported Main Street Director Keli Lindsey resigned from the position.
“It is a lot of work, this is our busiest time of the year right now,” Dyer noted about the position. “It is a full-time job with part-time pay. But we are going to move along, we have a lot of volunteers who are stepping up.”
