POINT PLEASANT — For the next year, Mason County will welcome two AmeriCorp VISTA workers to the area.

Beth Cole, 22, of Baltimore, Md., and Kate Humphrey, 22, of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., recently arrived in and will spend the upcoming months working in Mason County as well as other areas in the Kanawha Gateway program as part of their AmeriCorp VISTA program.

According to Lowell Wilkes, project coordinator of the Kanawha Gateway program, the girls will work on several projects during their stay. The primary project that Cole and Humphrey will focus on will be construction of the scenic byway, which will run through Nitro, Point Pleasant, Mt. Alto and Ripley.

“We have been approved under the National Scenic Byway Program, so 30 to 40 percent of their work will be helping with the corridor management plan,” Wilkes said. “We are trying to take what we’ve done well in Mason County and move it to the rest of the corridor, like helping with the Buffalo welcome center.”

Another project that Cole and Humphrey will work on is a business guide for those wishing to start a business in the Mason County area. According to Wilkes, the girls will pretend that they are two people seeking to put a business in the area. As they go through the process, such as obtaining a business and occupation tax, they will record information in a book. Upon completion of the process, the book will be available as a guide for those who plan to open a new business in the area.

Cole and Humphrey will also work on area projects as the need arises.

Wilkes said that the girls will more than likely spend time working at the West Virginia State Farm Museum, Point Pleasant River Museum and Krodel Park’s Fort Randolph. They also plan to help with the progress of the Mason County Quilt Barn Trail.

In addition, they will help the tourism center with various events, such as the upcoming Battle Days festival in October.

“As AmeriCorp VISTA (Cole and Humphrey) will develop projects to get AmeriCorp teams to come in,” Wilkes said.

Humphrey said that she was happy to be in the area and that she looks forward to getting work done.

“I am anxious to get going on projects,” she added.

Cole agreed and said that she was looking forward to working in Mason County as well.

“I’m really excited to be working here. It seems like there is a lot to do,” she said. “We are excited to work with the community — that’s what VISTA is all about — to be able to help volunteers take over (projects). It is more about empowering the community.”

AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front line in the fight against poverty in America for more than 80 years.

VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or government agency, and work to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups and more.

For more information on AmeriCorps, visit www.americorps.gov or call 800-942-2677.