Barren Fork overlook completed:Breakfast Rotary holds dedication ceremony

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

City officials, members of McMinnville’s Breakfast Rotary Club and others gather Tuesday to celebrate the formal dedication of the club’s overlook project along the Barren Fork River. (Amy Satterwhite photo)

It took 800 man hours, $10,000, lots of concrete and metal, and more than a year to finish, but the overlook at the dam on the Barren Fork River is finally complete.

Members of the McMinnville Breakfast Rotary Club formally dedicated the project to the city Tuesday after going to great lengths to make it happen. The effort was made in conjunction with Rotary International’s 100th anniversary.

“Our club talked about several ideas, but we finally decided on the overlook at the Barren Fork River Dam and that’s all Joe Anish needed,” said past club president Peggy Bratcher of the project, which borders the Barren Fork Greenway near the old power plant. “He got the ball rolling.”

While the project was a club effort, Anish, Terry Kidd, Keith Bouldin and Brent Craven were singled out as volunteers who dedicated an extraordinary amount of time or equipment helping to rehabilitate a worn-looking area into a place where visitors can gather, relax and take in the water spilling over the side of the dam.

When volunteers began working there, the overlook site basically consisted of an eight-foot hole that boasted washed out gravel and a cracked retaining wall that had toppled.

Workers not only created a recreational area and a new retaining wall, but strengthened the integrity of another concrete wall that lies perpendicular to the dam.

The club’s successful venture was celebrated by city officials Tuesday after a ribbon cutting ceremony at the overlook entrance.

“I know what was there and what’s there now,” Mayor Royce Davenport said among a crowd of roughly 75 people. “We’re way ahead of the game.”

Anish thanked a number of individuals and businesses for donations and expertise, noting Bouldin’s contribution of equipment. Parks and Recreation director Carlene Brown said efforts are under way to lengthen the Barren Fork Greenway to Rocket Park if a grant is received.

She also thanked club members for their efforts, noting the overlook project has served as a catalyst for public discussion about the greenway’s extension.

It’s a beautiful thing,” she added of the overlook. “Thousands of people are going to enjoy it and will never get to tell you, ‘Thank you.’ Just remember when you say your prayers at night that somebody is thanking you for this hard work. It’s beautiful and it will be enjoyed for a long, long time.”