Town to Host Community Input Meeting

Ah, fall weather. It always puts a smile on my face, as I'm sure it does for millions of others around the world and here in the Town of Pulaski. While the leaves change and weather cools, we have so much in the works for the coming months, especially when it comes to activities and facilities in the pipeline for outdoor recreation.

As a kick-starter to those planned new activities and facilities, we have a Community Input Meeting scheduled to take place here in the Town this Friday, November 22nd at the historic Pulaski Train Station. As is the case with just about anything and everything the Town proposes, the community's voice and input is incredibly important; after all, if the community doesn't enjoy and appreciate what we've got coming up, who is the benefactor?

Now let's dive into the details. First off, let's talk about the skate park. The Town has one skate park already, located within the larger Macgill Park. While this is a great resource for anyone looking to hang out with friends and have fun on the ramps and rails, we felt the need for a bigger, better, and dedicated park for skateboarding. Thus the reason for this new skate park. It'll also give those skaters their own standalone space, instead of having to share a facility with people who may not have any interest at all in sweet skateboard tricks.

Another topic of discussion at the Community Input Meeting this Friday will be a pump track. If you're like me, you have no idea what a pump track is; I had to google it after I was filled in on what the meeting items would be. But I'll spare you the effort and lay it all out for you. A pump track is a bike circuit (a racing term for the course you ride on) designed to be used by riders "pumping", or generating momentum by up and down body weight movements as opposed to pedaling or pushing. If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, just look for ‘pump track' on YouTube. You've probably seen videos of people riding bikes on what looks like a very bumpy dirt path, and that's basically what a pump track boils down to. Anyway, back to the Town's plans. As it stands, the pump track is currently slated to be erected near a portion of the Dora Trail. When you factor in the skate park, it and the pump track will provide a robust variety of entertainment for active fun-seekers in the Town of Pulaski.

One more big item that's up for discussion at the Input Meeting is the further expansion of the Pulaski's walking and biking trails. A big portion of the Town is already supported by the existing trail system, and extending and expanding those trails is something we're very excited about. We always welcome more opportunities for our citizens to have more options available when it comes to ways to get some daily exercise in, and our trails are a prime example of that. Along with providing great scenic views, perhaps the biggest plus to them is that anyone can use them. Young, old, out of Town, it doesn't matter. A big part of what makes these extensions possible is the Pedal Pushers project, which was selected for a Virginia Main Street Affiliate Grant totaling $7,000. In addition to the health and recreation benefits, the new sections of trail will connect cyclists and pedestrians to high-profile attractions in the area, as well as several outdoors-focused businesses.

All in all, we have what promises to be a great meeting scheduled to share with the public in an open house format. Families will be able to move through the historic Pulaski Train Station, checking out everything that we'll have on display for discussion. We look forward to seeing you all there! Don't forget, the meeting is this Friday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the Pulaski Train Station. Stay tuned to our Facebook page as well for a couple more updates before Friday.