Connellsville Caboose Welcome Center
• In July, the SCA Trail Town Outreach Corps received a grant from the Sprout Fund Seed Award to retrofit an unused caboose at the northern trailhead of the GAP in Connesllville into a Welcome Center.
• The various volunteers will be contributing to this project in the following ways:
o Creation of mural/welcome center sign by two local artists, Laura Koposko and Jessica Lotman
o Preparing the caboose for painting by students from the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center
o Painting of the caboose by the Connellsville Street Department
o Detailing the caboose by the local Hobo Club
o Building of stairs for the caboose by students from the Connellsville Area Career and Technical Center
o Gathering brochures, menus, and other promotional materials for the brochure holder inside the caboose
o Installing large maps of the GAP, of the City of Connellsville, and of the Connellsville Bike Loop inside the caboose
o Installing a narrative about the history of the caboose, the railroad, and the rails to trails project inside the caboose
• We thank the City of Connellsville for allowing the use of the caboose and the Yough River Trail Council for their continuing support. This project supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.
The Sprout Fund enriches the Pittsburgh region’s vitality by engaging citizens, amplifying voices, supporting creativity and innovation, and cultivating connected communities. Founded in 2001, Sprout facilitates community-led solutions to regional challenges and supports efforts to create a thriving, progressive, and culturally diverse region. With strong working relationships to many community organizations and regional stakeholders, The Sprout Fund is one of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s leading agencies on issues related to civic engagement, talent attraction and retention, public art, and catalytic small-scale funding.
-Emma Strong
