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It’s not okay to let towns fade away.
All over the United States, high schools close when rural populations drop. It’s called “consolidation” by administrators and it’s decided by crunching the numbers, but what it means in real life is that these community hubs, that had brought people together for sports games, school plays, and PTA nights, are no longer. What happens next is that towns die.
That’s what happened when Calhoun County High in Grantsville, West Virginia was shut and abandoned in 1998. But it’s not okay to just let towns fade away.
So Houners are getting together to save our town!
In 2021, the Calhoun County High class of 1982 formed The 1982 Foundation and purchased the school to turn it into a thriving community center, a hub to bring the county together again. A model for rural America.
The Calhoun County Community Center will be a self-funded mixed-use space with meeting rooms, areas for summer camps, a child care center, a gym, a café, and Airbnb units. A swimming pool, like the one that used to be there for the community, will be built on the grounds adjacent to the center.
We are not wasting any time!
We are not wasting any time!
We are moving ahead quickly on construction efforts. An intensive focus has been on the pool so that we will have a space for the community to enjoy the facility while the rest of the construction takes place on the main building.
“Slow” is not a word in our vocabulary!
It’s not too early to host events
While the construction and planning efforts for the building have been underway, The 1982 Foundation also has been hosting community events on the Center’s grounds, including Our Annual Christmas event and our Spice Dinners that run from April-October. It has been so exciting to see so many neighbors together, sharing and having a great time!
The future’s so bright we gotta wear shades
In all seriousness, so much is happening that the only way to stay on top of all of it is to join our Facebook group. We post there every single day. So join us and let’s Make Calhoun Great Again! We owe it to the Houners of today and to those who will come after us, choosing to live, work, and raise their families in our beautiful piece of heaven in West Virginia.
Check out our Facebook group
It’s not okay to just let towns fade away. In 2021, The 1982 Foundation purchased the Calhoun County High School in order to turn it into a thriving community center.