The ceremony took place on a grassy plateau, sandwiched between a beautiful, massive flower bed and a keenly landscaped cliff, which looked down the mountain and across Locust Lake State Park. It was the perfect place to exchange wedding vows; secluded and peaceful.
My band played the reception, which happened across the parking lot in the main building. It had a simple yet classy ski lodge look which fit the mountain scenery very well; a sea of forest green with a golf course laid carefully in and around it.
After hours of dancing, dinner and speeches, the celebration ended with hugs, thank you’s and congratulations. The day was everything a wedding should be.
It was also the last scheduled event to ever be held at Mountain Valley Golf Course, just outside of Barnesville, PA.
The golf course, restaurant, pro shop and everything else closes at the end of October.
A few months earlier, a major zoning change had been disguised, asked for and granted. Soon after, the 108 acre property was sold.
Developers paid $15 million to acquire the land on which they intend to build a massive industrial park. Rumor has it that the place will basically be a series of gigantic Amazon warehouses.
These same developers had already razed the mountain about a mile down the road, to create yet another industrial park project.
Local residents are angry, sad and frustrated. They believe their community leaders betrayed them; even duped them on purpose. That seems to be true.
But it might not be over yet.
A sustained, well-funded and highly organized legal fight could shrink or derail the project. It’s a long shot, but one worth taking.
Arguments can be made for or against e-commerce and everything that comes with it, including the massive warehouses it requires. But so many aspects of the Mountain Valley situation seem tragic, shameful, preventable and even shady. We can and should do better.
To learn more or get involved, visit this link.
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