“Ask not what your park can do for you, but what you can do for the park.”

Paraphrasing former President John F. Kennedy, Earl Springer of Morrisons Cove Memorial Park’s board of directors oversaw the stakeholders meeting Jan. 19 in the Kenneth and Gladys Weaver Banquet Hall at the park.

Approximately 119 people from the Cove and surrounding areas were in attendance for the meeting, which was organized by Memorial Park’s board of directors.

“We are here to focus on the future of the park, not the past,” Springer said.

The board viewed the meeting as an opportunity to engage the community in a discussion regarding ways to ensure the survival of the park.

“It’s great to see this kind of attendance,” said Luanne Eckenrode, who is in her fourth year as board president. “It shows you care.”

Showing their support for the park, representatives from Martinsburg Elementary School were on hand to present monies raised from a Jan. 20 read-a-thon. Kathie Nogle, fifth-grade teacher, and students Rachel McCready and Jarod Dick, presented $8,000 to Eckenrode on behalf of the school.

When Nogle announced the amount, the crowd stood with applause in appreciation of the students’ devotion to the park.

“That’s great. What do you say?” asked Eckenrode, who was choked up with emotion. “These kids care about this place.”

Read more: Residents Urged to‘Step Up to the Plate’ for Park

Prior to retiring from Room 136 at Northern Bedford Middle/ High School to get a look at the latest PlanCon sketches, superintendent Scott King addressed the members of the board and the attending citizens at the Jan. 17 meeting of the Northern Bedford Board of Directors.

King re-assured the community of the prospects of going through with the PlanCon project despite the district losing its architect after the original building plans were deemed to have not met the necessary building codes.

“We have a good team and we need to keep in mind that they are working for us,” King said. “The ESCO project is moving forward and we were blessed to be able to use a very good firm with a solid reputation.”

King suggested that the district “make a positive out of a negative.”

In addition to amending the original plans to turn the existing gymnasium into a two-story facility, the board members were also made aware of pressing mechanical issues within the 50-year-old building.

King said, “Maybe the fact we couldn’t build a second story, maybe it’s really a good time to step back.”

Read more: Northern Bedford SB to Face Some Tough PlanCon Decisions

Harold “Jeff” Brennecke III has been elected to serve as a member of the Spring Cove School Board. He returns to the board to fill the unexpired term created by the departure of William Replogle last month.

Brennecke, of Roaring Spring, was chosen from a field of four candidates following a nearly hour-long interview and voting session during the board’s regular monthly meeting held on the evening of Jan. 16.

The eight seated members unanimously selected Brennecke during a second round of voting during a straw poll process. A motion was then made to nominate the candidate for the position, and he was approved. Karen Greenwood swore Brennecke in, allowing him to take a seat with the board.

Brennecke was appointed to the school board in 2010 but lost his re-election bid for a seat on the board in November.

Read more: Brennecke Returns to SC Board