Paving at City Park won’t impact Harvest Moon Festival
A crew from Brown Asphalt perform scratch and leveling work before an asphalt overlay Friday morning near the fountain at Parkersburg City Park as resurfacing and asphalt work is being done throughout the park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Sisters-in-law Regina Kelbaugh, left, and Cinda Parsons walk with Parsons’ great-nephew Cainan past a Brown Asphalt truck in Parkersburg City Park Friday morning. The park was still being used by a number of walkers as the company worked on a paving project. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A crew from Brown Asphalt perform scratch and leveling work before an asphalt overlay Friday morning in Parkersburg City Park. Crews have been doing resurfacing and asphalt work throughout the park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A crew from Brown Asphalt perform scratch and leveling work before an asphalt overlay Friday morning near the fountain at Parkersburg City Park as resurfacing and asphalt work is being done throughout the park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Sisters-in-law Regina Kelbaugh, left, and Cinda Parsons walk with Parsons’ great-nephew Cainan past a Brown Asphalt truck in Parkersburg City Park Friday morning. The park was still being used by a number of walkers as the company worked on a paving project. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A crew from Brown Asphalt perform scratch and leveling work before an asphalt overlay Friday morning in Parkersburg City Park. Crews have been doing resurfacing and asphalt work throughout the park. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG - Road paving at Parkersburg City Park is expected to finish up in time for this weekend's Harvest Moon Festival.
Crews with Brown Asphalt have been working at the park resurfacing and repaving all of the areas with asphalt, said Eric Jiles, finance director for the City of Parkersburg.
The over $350,000 project has been underway for a couple weeks.
"Some of the areas were crumbly and needed to be redone," Jiles said, adding he doesn't recall the last time that kind of work was done around the park.
The new pavilion will not be ready in time for this weekend's festival, but Jiles said officials are anticipating doing a grand opening ceremony sometime in October.
Officials are going through the final "punch list items" of things to handle in the building and waiting on getting the occupancy certificate from the West Virginia Fire Marshal's Office, he said.
"It is almost there," Jiles said. "It is looking really nice."
He believes the area will be impressed when they see the finished building.
City officials do not believe the paving work will affect the Harvest Moon Festival this weekend at the park near the band shell, Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said.
"As paving proceeds at city park the contractor is aware of the event Saturday and Sunday," he said. "There will be no active paving on Saturday and Sunday during festival hours."
He believed the only significant disruption would have occurred Friday which would primarily impact the vendors setting up for the festival where an alternate access route was provided and communicated to vendors and organizers.
"Paving is supposed to be done (Friday), so normal park routes are supposed to be open (Saturday)," Wood County Recreation Executive Director Jared Bloxton said.
Wood County Recreation is putting on the annual festival Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 am-7 pm. Admission is $5 a person with children, five and under free. There will be live entertainment, craft vendors and more.
Wood County Recreation is estimating 1,000 to 1,500 people will attend the festival.
"The weather looks great so that should help," he said.
The city wants people to come out to the festival this weekend.
"The city encourages residents to come out and enjoy the festival at city park this coming weekend," Joyce said.
Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com