Pickin' in the Park, a musical program for local Bluegrass, Gospel and Country Music musicians to come together for "pickin' and grinnin'" sessions, is held Thursday and Saturday evenings at Chief Logan State Park, is heavily attended by senior citizens, tourists and guests of Logan County.
Previously gathering at any unused picnic site, Pickin' in the Park had been granted use of the former horse stables. Using donations, organizers had upgraded the stables to include several exit doors, wood flooring, a stage and a concession stand. The use of the building allowed the program to continue inside year round. In July, the West Virginia Fire Marshal inspected the building and closed it due to the building not being up to state fire code.
Kirkendoll confirmed that, even though some work has been completed or is nearing completion such as drywall and electrical work at the building, the rest of the work being done by county employees will be delayed for a few months due to multiple reasons.
Kirkendoll said county employees are currently working double time on the new Judicial Annex at the old mercantile building to get things ready for a new family court judge to start work by Jan. 2, 2009.
In addition, the court staff is currently somewhat short handed due to a family health crisis and other health related issues.
"We anticipate getting it done in a timely manner," Kirkendoll said recently. "However, the county is working on the second Family Court Judge's office. We have to have that done by Jan. 2 because the state Supreme Court has given us a deadline on it."
Kirkendoll said he understood many people had been upset because the project at the park was taking longer than some people had expected, but the county had to prioritize the family court project first due to the state's requirements.
Kirkendoll said that the county remained firm in its commitment to the Pickin' in the Park repair project as well.
"Some people are upset that we have been delayed, and regrettably, that does happen," he explained. "There have been a great number of people involved in this project and we do believe it is a very worthwhile project. I am committed to it and to getting it done. The county is short handed right now and we have employees working on the other project, which is regrettable. There is also the issue of some of our employees being off sick and others having family members in the hospital. We also have about 24 projects on the board right now we are involved with. But hopefully we can get the Pickin' in the Park project completed soon. We just ask the public to bear with us because it won't be completed as soon as some people or we would have liked."
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