Greenbrier East students help revitalize state park

GREENBRIER COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Many Greenbrier County homes and businesses were affected by the devastating flooding in 2016, and Greenbrier State Park was no exception.

Ever since then, students at Greenbrier East High School have stepped in to lend a helping hand.

“They take care of a lot of projects for us,” said Ken Plumley, Maintenance Supervisor for Greenbrier State Park. “They’ve put rooves on some of the cabins- the picnic bathroom. Some of the cabins they’ve built decks on too, so it is very good help for us. It is...”

This week, construction students and JROTC members at Greenbrier East were out replacing an old walking and biking bridge on one of the park’s trails.

“It is very good to get the young kids out from the schools and to get hands-on work to take care of stuff and see what needs to be done in our forests and parks,” Plumley added.

Greyson Hosey and Alyssia Ratliff, both with JROTC, were members of the crew. Hosey was part of the construction, while Ratliff helped man the coffee. They say they enjoy helping their community and hope their work sparks visitation to the park.

“It’s really nice to serve your community, you know, it kinda just does something for you as a person,” Hosey explained. “It helps you. It kinda like warms your soul almost because, you know, helping people is generally good.”

“Me and my family like to go camping a lot, and we, you know, like to be outside, so it’s nice to be doing something that I can help other people enjoy that,” Ratliff added.

School personnel at Greenbrier East say that close to 30 students completed the bridge project in two days.

Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.