RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — The community of Ravenswood and residents of Jackson County are welcoming in a newly-revamped space for people of all ages and abilities to come and play, participate in physical activities, and host recreational events.
Dignitaries with the City of Ravenswood and the Jackson County Community Foundation, along with Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Renewables officials came together on Tuesday, March 19 to hold a dedication ceremony of the new Veterans’ Park Playground in Ravenswood.
BHE Renewables also presented a check for $100,000 going towards the projects’ overall cost.
Ravenswood Mayor Josh Miller said the entire city is thankful for the contribution from the BHE Foundation.
“This donation shows BHE’s commitment to this region, and this donation will ensure our kids and grandkids will enjoy this playground for decades to come,” Miller told MetroNews affiliate WMOV Radio. “What an amazing day for our community.”
After breaking ground on the Veterans’ Park back in March 2023, President and CEO of BHE Renewables, Alicia Knapp told WMOV Radio out of Ravenswood that the opening event for the park was showing just how long-awaited it was for the community.
“You can see it sparks some joy for the kids in the community, and during today’s ceremony you could see one of the kids on the ground and enjoying the park,” said Knapp.
Adjacent to Ravenswood City Hall and the public library, the park features a playground, a skate park, adult fitness equipment, badminton and volleyball courts, a picnic area with grills, and a walking path.
Many features of the park’s equipment are ADA handicapped accessible, as city officials aimed to design the park so that it’s accessible and inclusive for everyone. Knapp said it’s great to see such inclusivity the space has to offer.
“All of the thought that went into making sure that kids of different ages, others in the community, folks of all different levels of ability can come here together and play here together is just really remarkable,” she said.
Some other equipment features include accommodations for those with visual and sensory issues.
The project was an effort to update the original Veterans’ Park there with new and modern equipment. Those efforts began when the previous playground, which was built in 1999, had reached the end of its 20-year-long lifespan.
After making the announcement for the project to build a new solar power plant in Ravenswood last year, Knapp said the renewable energy production company, BHE is happy to be a part of the community.
“It’s really great to be a part of a community that thinks about its citizens,” she said.
Construction on the $300 million solar power plant is currently underway at the former Century Aluminum plant in Ravenswood. Knapp said development at the site is going well.
“TIMET you can see if you head over that way, they’re well underway with their construction, and for the solar-powered microgrid we’re doing some clearing right now, and so both projects are moving along quite nicely,” Knapp said.
BHE will construct the solar and battery storage project, and Titanium Metals Corp., Inc., or TIMET will use the solar energy to produce titanium products– creating the initial work towards what will eventually become a global aerospace manufacturing hub.