New Initiative Makes Waves in Pulaski
Healthy food. Busy streets. New bike trails. Any town would welcome these additions to their communities. But how do you incorporate that change in cooperation with your residents? Enter the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) initiative which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Northern Border Regional Commission.
According to the EPA's website, The Local Foods, Local Places technical initiative is all about supporting "community-driven efforts to protect air and water quality, preserving open space and farmland, boosting opportunities for local farmers and businesses, improving access to healthy local food, and promoting childhood wellness."
When you tie those goals back in to the Town of Pulaski, several things have already been in the works even before the LFLP initiative chose us as a recipient. For example, the YMCA of Pulaski County has added multiple programs. Inside the facility, they've implemented child care facilities to give parents in Pulaski a trustworthy option for when the kids can't tag along. Outside the facility, community gardens have been planted. Once these gardens are given time to grow and flourish, residents of Pulaski will find fresh veggies available at their fingertips. They even have a children's garden, where kids that haven't experienced gardening get a chance to learn the process of maintaining a garden. They even pick the snap peas straight off the plants for a quick snack!
Elsewhere in the Town, there are other things planned in the coming months as well. One big project is the restoration of the Calfee Training School. The Calfee Training School has been around since 1938, when the first school burned down. It was shortly rebuilt in 1940 and continued to serve Pulaski's African American community for many years until 1966, when segregation ended and Pulaski County integrated their school systems. There are plans to restore the school and transform it into a multi-purpose location for the Town. Along with a child care center, plans are to include a community center for other organizations to utilize for meetings and events. There are also plans to memorialize those who attended and taught at the school as renovation on the building itself progresses.
There are a plethora of projects also in the works throughout the Town of Pulaski both big and small. A new middle school is being constructed on route 11, and bee gardens have been added to Heritage Park to attract more of the pollinators to our area. There are also plans to add to our already booming Tuesday Marketplace!
Judging from the diversity of programs, buildings and events being added or updated, the Town of Pulaski is heading for an even brighter future; let's hope that streak continues for years to come.