West Virginia Development News [Archive]

seicer

June 14th, 2007, 08:54 PM

:banana: This is a huge project!

Mountaineer details plans for expansion (http://www.hsconnect.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=14673)
Mountaineer details plans for expansion, Herald Star, June 14, 2007

The Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort is "moving forward" on a master plan to develop more than 2,000 unused acres that it owns around the existing resort, while waiting on the table games vote on the June 30 election. The master plan includes a links-style golf course on a closed quarry south of the existing site, a 1,500 car parking garage, a 250-room addition to the existing Grande Hotel, and a renovation of a circa-1800s apple barn into a "historic" restaurant. Bike and equestrian trails, skeet shooting, archery fields, public fishing and boating docks, and the construction of upscale single-family homes, condos, and retail would also be included.

It is expected to create 700 new jobs along the 3 miles of undeveloped riverfront property.

For the gravel pit that is closed, Mountaineer has received a "letter of intent" for mining the land. Shelly and Sands Inc. would like to reopen the pit to supply road building aggregate, and in return, Mountaineer would receive royalties and return the land to its original contour in preparation for the golf course. Near the golf course would be two neighborhoods. One would contain 170 units at the river's edge, and 90 at the upper ridge site near WV 2.

The existing 8,000 sq. ft. apple barn would be renovated into a period restaurant brewery. It is located along the Ohio River, and would feature a wrap-around iron balcony for outdoor dining. Discussions are ongoing with a Columbus, Ohio company to open an "Irish Pub".

The 250-room hotel addition to the Grande Hotel will replace the 1960s lodge-style structure -- which was originally part of the Waterford Park Inn. The new building would follow the architecture of early 1900s Chicago. On the north side of the new hotel would be a multipurpose building that could host a variety of functions.

In the 'village' would be retail shops and a gas station, and offices and apartment complexes on the upper floors.

For outdoor enthusiasts, there will be 100 spaces for RVs and an adventure sports area. A 7,000 sq. ft. lodge would be the center hub and feature and outdoor gear and refreshment shop. Besides a skeet course, shooting range, and an archery field, it would feature an off-road course for 4x4.

seicer

June 14th, 2007, 10:09 PM

Dow to raze office building (http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007061458/Dow-to-raze-office-building/)
Dow to raze office building, by George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail, June 14, 2007

Building 701, the original office building at the South Charleston Technical Center from 1949, will be demolished. The demolition is part of a long-term business plan it is developing with West Virginia University for the technical center. The tear-down will reduce the overall cost of operating the campus. The building overlooks the Kanawha Turnpike, Interstate 64, the South Charleston rail yards, and the Union Carbide-Dow Chemical's South Charleston plant.

The five-story office and research structure contains 105,000 sq. ft. of space. There are three floors of laboratories and offices, an office penthouse and a full basement.

Representatives from WVU and Union Carbide Corp-Dow met with the building's tenants on April 12 and announced plans to tear down the building and move them to Building 740 -- a newer building from the 1960s -- and all relocation expenses are being paid by Union Carbide-Dow. Building 740 is five floors of laboratories, offices, and has a full basement -- with 130,000 sq. ft. of space.

Interior abatement work on Building 701 will begin on July 1, and exterior demolition will begin in the fall. The main tenant of Building 701 was Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center, which moved to the building in January 2005 and refurbished some of the labs.

In 2001, Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide, however, a down turn in the chemical industry occurred after the deal closed and the West Virginia operations went through many downsizings. Several buildings in the tech center were torn down in 2006, including Building 791 -- the cafeteria. In March 2006, Union Carbide announced that it was to donate 58 acres at the park to WVU, but it has not yet taken place. Dow is currently working on the transfer agreement, and the university would likely build an integrated campus at the park. WVU would relocate its Charleston extension and extended learning programs to the park, and would probably be called the "WVU Charleston Research Campus".

seicer

June 16th, 2007, 08:44 PM

Pullman additions planned (http://www.heralddispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/NEWS01/706160332/1001/NEWS10)
Pullman additions planned, By JEAN TARBETT HARDIMAN, Herald-Dispatch, June 16, 2007

Pullman Square will be gaining new restaurants and retail over the next month. Benny's Cheesesteak will open next week near the former site of the Uno and West Virginia Bistro. It is the second location for the Columbus-based restaurant that sells Philadelphia-style hoagies, wings, wraps, beer, etc. Uno Chicago Grill is also making a return, coming back to its former location at Pullman. It will be under the franchise of Rick Rose, who owns some Bennigan's restaurants in Ohio, and under Mike Bartrum, a retired NFL player. The restaurant sells Chicago-style pizza and could open by July 30.

Uno originally opened in 2005, but the original owners were used just a few months layer for not paying the builders, suppliers, and utilities. The owners changed the name to the West Virginia Bistro in 2006 and was headed by Jack Whitter (the powerball winner) -- however, another lawsuit was filed after the company complained that the Bistro owed thousands for rent and other closed. It closed in February 2007.

Empire Books and News has changed owners and is now managed by Bill Dargusch and Metropolitian Partners, the private arm of Pullman Square. John Gaylord, the previous owner, has started up other stores and has been making changes. Empire Books will undergo a slight remodeling, shifting the layout to something more user-friendly, putting an emphasis on bargin books and expanding the children's section. It will also put a stronger focus on local authors and schedule more book-signings. A coffee bar could be reintroduced soon as well.

Along with that, Heels will be making its debut in July. It is owned by Deneene Chafin, who owns the adjacent Inspired and Runway Couture. It will carry brands not known in the area and will compliment the existing stores.

Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries could open in August, and construction on the Community Trust Bank could begin 'anytime'.

seicer

June 19th, 2007, 07:40 PM

Capitol Is Still On The Market (http://www.news-register.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=20761)
By CASEY JUNKINS, Wheeling News-Register, June 16, 2007

A third potential buyer is now looking at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling, while the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is looking at three potential new homes. The symphony moved its season finale out of the Capitol after 23 fire code violations discovered in May. They do not plan on any future performances at the theater while Live Nation owns it. The three potential buyers include the city of Wheeling, Diamond Entertainment and Production Co. Inc. (E. Liverpool, Ohio), and an unnamed party. The three potential locations for the orchestra includes St. Joseph's Cathedral, where the season's finale was held, an unspecified local church, and the John Marshall High School Center for Performing Arts.

seicer

June 19th, 2007, 07:46 PM

Study of civic center options OK'd (http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007061939/Study-of-civic-center-options-OKd/)
Charleston Daily Mail, June 19, 2007
Archived threads (http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=37409)

The Charleston City Council approved a $60,000 contract Monday to a team of consultants to decide whether it makes sense to expand or replace the Charleston Civic Center. The seven-part feasibility study will take approximately three months to complete.

Expansion of the current facility might be difficult because the center is landlocked. The city has been looking into the purchase of Beni Kedem and Fifth Quarter, but the property might not be for sale. Other sites include the underused city parking structure at the Greyhound bus terminal, the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, and other nearby properties. If a new hotel is built with ballroom and meeting space, the center might not need expanding; four developers have approached the city for an upscale hotel near the civic center.

The site of the former hotel at Kanawha Blvd. and the Elk River is so far the best location for a new civic center, but the owners are not willing to sell.

seicer

June 19th, 2007, 07:55 PM

Town strategizes to preserve character (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=10041)
By LAUREN HOUGH, The Journal [Martinsburg], June 14, 2007

The town of Shepherdstown has realized that growth is inevitable, but that it can also be smart, with a mix of compact, high-density homes and buildings that compliment -- rather than replicate -- what already exists. The visition is a possibility through the use of SmartCode, a planning strategy that emphasizes community involvement, mixed-use buildings, and interactive neighborhoods.

Members of the public were invited to learn more about SmartCode during a day-long educational presentation. The 'unified land development ordinance for planning and urban design' was unveiled in a town-wide information meeting open to the public. It emphasizes community vision, local character, conservation of open lands, transit options, and walkable and mixed-use neighborhoods. Shepherdstown, a community of 250, is already "smart." For instance, next to single family homes are student rentals, behind which are businesses and affordable housing. It allows a mixture of a ages and socioeconomic levels. Residents can also walk anywhere.

SmartCode enforcement strives to maintain such mixtures (above), while preventing suburban sprawl by building higher-density structures that can serve commercial and residential clients, while encouraging the protection of green space and the town's historic character.

The town is hoping to see SmartCode development on 19 acres of land recently annexed into the town on the east. The developer has already agreed to build using SmartCode guidelines.

seicer

June 19th, 2007, 08:51 PM

Construction on Avery Street Project to begin (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=17480)
By WAYNE TOWNER, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, June 16, 2007
Location of the project (http://maps.ask.com/maps?ml=lt%3D39.27048%7Clg%3D-81.55237%7Cal%3D0%7Ccx%3D-7601232%7Ccy%3D-3985913%7Czm%3D2%7Cvt%3D1~lt%3D39.26667%7Clg%3D-81.56167%7Cad%3DParkersburg%2C%20WV%7Csd%3D0%7Cdm%3D0~#1)

After three years of planning, the Avery Court project began June 17. It is located on Avery Street between 11th and Cornwall Streets, and will include 76 market-rate one-, two-, and three-bedroom townhouses and condominiums. Initial construction includes the installation of new utilities; site work will consist of grading, paving, and the construction of retaining walls, steps, and concrete walks. That will take 90 days. Construction will also begin on the construction of some model homes to show what they will resemble when all of the units are complete. The units are aimed at active seniors, empty nesters, and young professionals who want a downtown living environment. It will feature a health club, pool, meeting and recreation areas, and a 'maintenance-free' lifestyle.

Financing on the residential development is coming from the Avery Court Redevelopment District that was created in August 2005. It is also the first city of Parkersburg Tax Increment Financing project.

The project stems from its initial approval by the Parkersburg Municipal Planning Commission in April 2004. Ground was broken in November 2005, but changes had to be made after the Parkersburg Fire Department expressed concerns that it could not fit its largest fire trucks in the areas. As a result, the original design of 83 duplex units and a large 50-unit building in the rear was scrapped for two 24-unit facilities.

It will take two to three years to complete the development. It is hoped that the project will spur further restoration and development projects in the downtown area.

seicer

June 20th, 2007, 07:14 PM

Veto threatens MU progress (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/NEWS01/706200322)
By Bryan Chambers, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], June 20, 2007

Construction of two new residence halls, a student recreation center, and an engineering building could come to a halt if Marshall University cannot proceed with the abandonment of two alleys. Mayor David Felinton vetoed legislation authorizing the abandonment. Last week, the Huntington City Council voted 9-0 to sell to Marshall for $10,000, the alleys behind the old 20th St. Baptist Church site, and the alley between the two parking lots from 3rd Avenue to the old Weiler Steel property.

$10,000 is the amount that Marshall's appraiser valued the alleys. But Felinton states that the appraisal, by Rolston and Co., is $184,000.

"The city is setting a really bad precedent if it sells these alleys to Marshall for only $10,000. It could force us in the future to practically give away or extremely undervalue properties that we sell to Marshall or the hospitals. I fully support the construction of new facilities at Marshall. At the same time, I have an obligation to the residents of Huntington to be a good steward of public funds."

-Mayor Felinton

The mayor is willing to sell the alleys for $97,000, the midpoint between the two appraisals. The City Council will have a chance to override Felinton's veto during its meeting on Monday. Only eight of the council's 11 members are needed to override it, however, only 10 will be voting (one is on the MU's board).

seicer

June 25th, 2007, 06:26 AM

About half of $225 million development projects incomplete (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/200706216)
By Sarah K. Winn, Sunday Gazette-Mail [Charleston], June 22, 2007

In 2004, the West Virginia Economic Development Grant Committee awarded $225 million to 47 statewide economic development projects. Jump forward to 2007, approximately $186 million of that has been spent, however, nearly half of the 47 awarded projects remain incomplete.

1. Twin Falls Resort State Park: The West Virginia Division of Natural Resource has received just 8% of its $3 million grant. The project has its funding in place, and is currently in the construction phase. The contracts should be awarded in late summer, with a completion date of 2008.
2. The Riverfront Park in Parkersburg could be completed in December 2008, but it is awaiting news to see how much federal funding it will receive.
3. The Moorefield Wastewater Treatment Plant could be complete by November 2010, but is held up for the same reason as (2).
4. The West Virginia University Fire Academy at Jackson's Mill is just over 27% funded and has a completion date of August 2007. WVEDA sent out $106,000 to the project.
5. A business park in Putnam County is 28% funded and should be complete by December 2007.
6. A public theater and marina in Morgantown received 40% of their total funding. The theater still lacks construction contracts, although it should be complete by May 2008. The marina should be done by the end of the year. The $13.9 million project was given nearly $244,000 in May 2007.
7. The Man Area Hospital project has received half of its funds, helping bring the closed facility out of bankruptcy. It is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
8. An industrial park outside of Davis in Tucker County should be complete by August.
9. The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute at West Virginia University is 58% funded and received $614,000 in May. It is scheduled for completion in July 2008.
10. The South Charleston’s biotechnology incubator has received just shy of 60% of its funding. The project coordinators are waiting in order to purchase the appropriate research equipment for tenants.
11. In Berkeley County, a pedestrian walkway to the restored roundhouse in Martinsburg should be complete by September. The $2.75 million project has received 71% of its total funding, including $96,000 in May.
12. An office building project in the technology park in Fairmont has received 71% of its initial $14.75 grant, including $319,000 in May. The project should be complete by the end of 2007.
13. Construction of a recreation center at Chief Logan State Park is going forward, but has contracts still in the bidding process. It has received nearly 77% of its $10 million grant, and should be complete by July 2008.
14. The Square at Falling Run, a mixed-use development located near West Virginia University, has issued nearly $4 million of its initial $5 million grant, but it still lacks some funding and construction contracts. Work will continue once tax increment financing bonds are issued in September or October. Some of the housing units should be complete by the fall, with a total completion date in December.
15. A parking garage in Clarksburg is under construction, receiving 84% of its $4.3 million grant. In May, the WVEDA gave the project $508,000. It should be complete by August.
16. In Beckley, soccer fields and an airport are under construction. Respectively, they should be complete by September 2007 and June 2008.
17. A conference and wellness center in Hampshire County has received 96% of its funding should be complete by August.
18. The Belington Industrial Park in Barbour County and Wolf Creek Park in Fayette County received their final grant money in May.
19. The new terminal project at the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport is nearly complete. It may be returning about $6,000 in unused funds.
20. The Tri-Cities Power Authority's hydroelectric generation facility at Bluestone Dam is currently in design stages, and was issued a $1.67 loan -- approximately 67% of its initial $2.5 million request. WVEDA will be reimbursed if a bond issue is passed; if not, it will be converted into a grant.

(Not mentioned is the success of Pullman Square in Huntington, which utilized its funding for a new lifestyle center in the downtown.)

seicer

June 26th, 2007, 03:56 AM

ATVs boost town economies (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007062328)
Sunday Gazette-Mail, June 24, 2007

Gilbert, in the heart of a new tourism mecca, is being boosted by ATVs. The town of 400 in southwestern West Virginia is seeing unprecedented growth in the way of a new 30-suit hotel, restaurants, and other associated development. It is near the Hatfield-McCoy network of trails, which stretch for 550-miles that are open to four-wheelers, motorcycles, and bicyclists. It is named after the two infamous families who carried on a 12-year feud in the area. The trail system was built to attract tourists and increase business in nine economically depressed counties where coal and timber were once king. Eight of the counties have a poverty level below the state average of 16.2% and six have unemployment rates higher than the state average of 4.6%. Between 2000 and 2005, the trail generated $7.2 million in direct spending and created at least 146 jobs in a nine-county area, according to an economic impact study by Marshall University. Over 100,000 riders have so far used the trail -- which is envisioned as a 2,000 mile system when complete.

Out of a study of 391 trail riders in 2006, half were repeat visitors, and more than half had bought a three-day permit.

The growth can be seen everywhere. In Man (Logan County), more than 20 businesses have opened near a trailhead. Man has a population of only 600. In nearby Boone County, the trail has created ten businesses; the county has only 65 miles of trails, however, local officials are discussing expanding a water park near the trailhead to include hiking areas, a fishing pier, and sports field. The Hatfield-McCoy Retail Center will also be in the county -- a 2,000 sq. ft. facility that will ship orders for trail items across the country, and create 10 jobs when it opens in fall 2007.

Many believe tourism is the savior for the region. The trail was partially patterned after the 900-mile Paiute ATV Trail in Utah. Unlike the Hatfield-McCoy trail, which is all on private land, the Utah trail is on public property and runs through 16 rural communities.

seicer

June 26th, 2007, 06:39 PM

Council overrides veto (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/NEWS01/706260357)
By Bryan Chambers, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], June 26, 2007

Not all that surprising, but quick :unsure:

On Monday, the Huntington City Council voted 9-0 to override Mayor David Felinton's veto of two ordinances that authorized the sale of two pieces of property to Marshall for $10,000. (See background above.) Felinton vetoed the sale of the properties because he said that Marshall University's appraisal of $10,000 was too low. The MU appraisal valued the properties at 55 cents per square foot. The mayor had a second appraisal done one day before the City Council approved the sale two weeks ago, which valued the properties at $184,000. The mayor last week offered to sell the properties to MU for $97,000, the midpoint between the two appraisals.

MU argued that the appraisal was appropriate because the properties in question were of no use to anyone but Marshall, and that they could not be reused for commercial use. MU also stated that the veto threatened to derail the construction of the residence halls and the recreation center, and delay the new engineering shcool project. The bond insurers for the residence hall and recreation center recently placed additional financial requirement on Marshall, which has pushed the $90 million project to the 'brink of falling apart.' If that had happened, the city would have lost $1.9 million in business and occupation taxes during the construction phase of the project.

seicer

June 26th, 2007, 06:48 PM

Williamstown Train Depot up for sale (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=17648)
By JOLENE CRAIG, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, June 22, 2007

After nearly two decades of work and renovation, the Williamstown Train Depot is up for sale. The depot is closing because the Williamstown Area Development Corp. (WADC) cannot obtain enough money to pay the nearly $2,000/month fee to keep the building open and operating. WADC obtained ownership of the nearly 120-year old building in March 1990, and acquired ownership of the building in December 1992.

In March 1993, the WADC applied to the West Virginia Department of Transportation for federal funds under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficency ACT of 1991 (ISTEA). WADC spent $254,000 in ISTEA funds, and a total of $362,000 to restore the depot. It included three rooms -- which most recently housed a hobby shop, and ice cream parlor, and a train museum. Since the restoration, the depot has been a gift shop and tourist information center. In December 2005, the WADC filed paperwork to have the depot listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, but has yet to hear anything regarding that.

In an effort to bring some revenue to sustain the building, WADC rented two of the building's three rooms to house Depot Hobbies -- a train and hobby shop and opened in December 2005 -- and the Whistle Stop Ice Cream Shop, which opened in June 2006. The ice cream shop has since closed due to the depot's total closure, and Depot Hobbies will remain open until the end of June.

Part of the reason for the sale the lawsuit between the WADC and Sutherlins Limited Liability Co., a division of JLSS, LLC., which owned the land the depot resides on. The litigation ended in May 2005, when the WADC agreed to purchase the land. The depot was nearly paid off, until a loan had to be taken out to purchase the land.

seicer

July 2nd, 2007, 04:10 PM

Concord’s first new building in 3 decades to be high tech (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007063021)
By James I. Davison, Sunday Gazette-Mail [Charleston], July 01, 2007

The Rahall Technology Center of Southern West Virginia will be Concord University's first new building since 1972. The new facility will be fully operational by the fall. It will feature a 24-hour computer lab, the university's first, along with a state-of-the-art auditorium, teleconferencing capabilities, and classrooms equipped with plasma televisions and surround sound. It will also feature more offices and meeting spaces. It will also be home to a Small Business Development Incubator, and be the permanent home to the school's four-year-old Entrepreneurial Studies Program. The building's design resembles some of the campus buildings that were constructed in the 1940s. To demonstrate the technology in the new structure, a person will be greeted by a voice-recognizing holographic person in the lobby. :blink:

Construction began three years ago at a cost of $11.5 million, and is named after Representive Nick Rahall (D-WV) who helped obtain $3 million in Housing and Urban Development grants.

seicer

July 2nd, 2007, 04:18 PM

Parcel for park near Clay Center to cost CURA $591,000 (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007062845)
By Andrew Clevenger, Sunday Gazette-Mail [Charleston], June 29, 2007

A Kanawha County jury awarded Barbara Selman almost $591,000 on Thursday for her land bought by the city as part of a planned gateway greenspace park in downtown Charleston. The jury took two hours to deliberate, and decided that the fair market value for the 12,182 sq. ft. parcel on Washington St. E. was $48.50 per square foot. An appraisal from the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, however, had put the value of the land at $30 per sq. ft., or about $365,000.

In June 2006, CURA invoked eminent domain to buy Selman's lot which is opposite of the Clay Center as part of a plan to create a small park. CURA had already bought the neighboring parcels, but Selman had refused to sell. Selman was unhappy with the price CURA offered, so the case was taken to court.

seicer

July 3rd, 2007, 08:16 PM

Roundhouse being transformed (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=10365)
By NAOMI SMOOT, The Journal [Martinsburg], June 29, 2007

The Martinsburg Roundhouse Center is slowly being restored to its former glory. Initially constructed in 1848 as a service center of sorts for trains traveling the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, it suffered extensive damage at the hands of Colonel Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and his troops. The B&O restored the facility in 1866 and continued using it until the 1980s. Shortly after it was closed, it was vandalized.

In April 2000, after nearly 10 years of abandonment, members of the Berkeley County Commission agreed to purchase the property and hand it over to the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority for care and reconstruction. The group has since been given $7.5 million to $8 million for the cause.

A new office was recently constructed inside the main roundhouse building. A pedestrian bridge is also under construction -- which spans several active railroad tracks. Once complete, it will allow visitors to walk from the nearby Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention and Visitors Bureau to the roundhouse. It is expected to be complete in time for this year's Rail Days festival. Other work includes new windows in the first of the two roundhouse buildings, and inside the building is a caboose that was previously office space. The caboose is slated for repairs and will serve as an illustration of the many railroad cars that were once inside the building. Other cars might be added in the future.

In the Blacksmith shop, which is adjacent to the roundhouse, artifacts are starting to accumulate for a future museum. Work has also been completed in the nearby Bridge and Machine Shop. The second floor of the building sports new floors, windows, and has been completely renovated. It was most recently the site of a Martinsburg Main Street mixer. The 10,000 sq. ft. room may be hosting more social events in the future, and could be converted into offices later as an on-going revenue source.

The agency has applied for a $1.3 million federal grant for 2008 that will further renovations on the room and the building. The money will go towards a two-story addition on the rear, which will contain restrooms, heating, and air conditioning equipment. Additional funds will be sought, especially for the second roundhouse building that is still in disrepair.

Most of the money in the past has been spent on renovations. A decent chunk of the funding has come from Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV).

seicer

July 3rd, 2007, 08:36 PM

Trial will put Kanawha's historic courtroom in spotlight (http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007070365/Trial-will-put-Kanawhas-historic-courtroom-in-spotlight/) (w/ photograph)
By Matthew Thompson, Charleston Daily Mail, July 3, 2007

Courthouse #4 in the Kanawha County Courthouse is unlike any other in use in the county. It is reminiscant of the classic courtrooms in the old television shows like Perry Mason and Matlock. It features 45-foot ornate plaster ceilings, arched doorways, eight chandeliers, and a wall of windows on its western side. And for the first time in 20 years, it will be the host of a criminal trial.

The courtroom was part of the original courthouse design in 1892. the facility underwent major expansions in 1917 and 1926. In 1981, to house the judicial system and ease courthouse crowding, the county began work on the seven-story Judicial Annex across Virginia Street. Courthouse #4 has not been used for a trial since 1983. Since then, it has been used for press conferences and memorial services for lawyers, and as a place to administer flu shots to county employees. In 1987, the former County Commissioner Doug Stump painted the walls and ceiling of the courtroom with help from county jail inmates, who also removed the drop ceilings, stripped paint to uncover original woodwork, repaired moisture damage, and recreated ornate arches behind the judge's bench. And in 2006, a $2.1 million, eight-year restoration project was completed on the courthouse itself. That included wiring and plumbing upgrades, new security systems, and updates to the handicapped accessible restrooms. On the exterior, the tile roof was replaced, the masonry and sealing restored, and the exterior lighting upgraded for security purposes. And even more recently, county crews installed new sound equipment, carpet, and seat cushions in Courtroom #4.

seicer

July 10th, 2007, 08:43 PM

WVU gets makeover (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007070812): Construction nearing completion
By James I. Davison, The Charleston Gazette, July 9, 2007

Oglebay Hall: The building's $23.5 million renovation keeps in context with its old-style architecture, while adding the amenities of a modern facility. A firm was hired that specializes in historic preservation. The structure, built in 1918, housed the School of Agriculture until the restoration began in spring 2006. When the building reopens in August, it will be home to the forensic and investigative science program. It will also have eight general-use classrooms, two teaching laboratories, and office space. A new addition will have two lecture halls, two large auditoriums, and a rooftop parking deck.

Pedestrian bridge: A new pedestrian bridge connects Oglebay Hall to the Business and Economics Building. It spans University Avenue and is expected to carry about 1,000 people an hour.

Brooks Hall: Brooks Hall, on Beechurst Avenue, reopened last week after 20 months of a $28.8 million overhaul. The original building was a 1950s-era institutional building that was "dark and heavy." The renovated structure is still in the same architectural style of the original, but it is not the same on the inside and out. It now contains "smart classrooms" that have state-of-the-art technology, including new projection video screens, sound systems, and a personal response system. A new glass addition to the structure allows more natural light into the building, which saves electricity and "cheers people up." The building originally opened in 1951 and was home to the biology department. When it reopens officially in the fall, it will be home to the Department of Geology and Geography.

Other projects include,
1. Colson Hall at WVU's downtown campus is undergoing an interior renovation. When it reopens in January, it will be home to the English Department. The $8.5 million project will give the 1925-era structure new classrooms, faculty offices, and meeting rooms.
2. A new structure at High and Prospect will house massive air conditioning units. It will also connect the chemistry lab building at Propsect by creating five floors and 17,000 sq. ft. of new research space.
3. The engineering building on the Evansdale campus is in the early phases of a $12 million addition. The project is scheduled for completion in May 2008.

seicer

July 10th, 2007, 09:16 PM

WVU buildings go green (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007070813) (with photograph)
By James I. Davison, The Charleston Gazette, July 09, 2007

Newly constructed or renovated structures are increasingly going "green" at West Virginia University's campus -- a trend mirrored nationwide. At Brooks Hall, the roof is covered in green plant life. After a 20-month $28.8 million renovation, the roof sports four- to six-inch-tall plants called sedums that help absorb rainwater and helps cut down on storm runoff. The natural flora also offers an extra level of insulation and keeps ultraviolet rays from destroying the roofing material -- extending the life of the roof by up to 20 years. The roofs, however, have to be fertilized and weeded.

Brooks Hall is one of several that are receiving "green" upgrades. At Oglebay Hall, the renovation project added expensive air handling units (also at Brooks) that maximize the use of moderate outside air temperatures, as well as air that has already been cooled or heated.

“When you exhaust air out of the building, it goes through this unit. So the heat leaving the building preheats the air coming in. You get every last little bit of energy you can before you blow it out the building.”

Both Oglebay and Brooks use thermal-pane windows that allow lots of natural light into the classrooms, hallways, and offices, but keeps out the extreme heat or cold. The natural light saves energy, and helps keeps the buildings compliant with the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard of an environmentally sound building. In all of WVU's building projects, it is trying to meet the EPA's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards (LEED). The target for all new construction is to meet the LEED-standard.

LEED structures also use recycled materials wherever possible and consume less water. Low-flush toilets and efficient windows help conserve utilities. They may cost more money in the short-term, but offer savings in the long-term.

seicer

July 16th, 2007, 06:21 AM

Besides all of the articles regarding the new two-way Washington Street (one block!)... here is something interesting regarding their premier riverfront park --

$2 million could put roof over part of Haddad Park (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007071328)
By Paul J. Nyden, Saturday Gazette-Mail [Charleston], July 14, 2007

Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WVa) announced on July 13 that he has added $2 million in federal legislation passed last week by a key Senate committee to help the city of Charleston make improvements to the Haddad Riverfront Park. It will be in the 2008 fiscal year’s Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, and will move to the Senate for its consideration. The park is the centerpiece of the city's downtown events, which includes Friday night concerts and the annual Regatta festival.

The Mayor, Danny Jones, said that the improvements will probably include constructing a retractable roof over riverfront seating in the park. Other improvements will make the park a destination for those on their lunch breaks or evenings. Work on the roof could begin sometime this fall or winter and be ready by next year.

seicer

July 18th, 2007, 06:54 PM

West Virginia Building sold (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/NEWS01/707180346)
By Bryan Chambers, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], July 18, 2007

Last week, Jesse Wellner, a real estate investor from New York City, purchased Huntington's tallest building for $3.2 million from Huey Perry. The West Virginia Building hasn't changed ownership since 1981, when it was sold for a mere $500,000. Wellner has been looking to purchase the building for a while. Four years ago, he discussed purchasing the rooftop for wireless infrastructure.

The West Virginia Building has 41 apartments with 100% occupancy. It has remained full and vibrant since Pullman Square was first opened in 2004. Five attorneys, a psychiatrist, an in-home care service for the elderly, a company that conducts studies for occupational rehabilitation purposes, the Village Collection, and a Verizon wireless store all occupy the building as well. There are currently no plans to change the use of the structure, and rents should remain stable for the short-term. The apartments have all been remodeled within the past 20 years, and all of the businesses are on long-term leases. But Wellner has stated he plans to market the building to more Marshall students and faculty.

--
West Virginia Building history (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/NEWS01/707180347/1005/NEWS10)
Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], July 18, 2007

The West Virginia Building is 220 feet tall and has 15 floors. It is the tallest in Cabell County and the second tallest in the state. It was constructed in 1924 by Robert Archer, a contractor hired by the Union Bank and Trust Company. The bank occupied the building, then known as the Union Bank and Trust Building. In 1943, the building went into receivership and was purchased by a group of Huntington Businessmen. Eddie Kyle, a Realtor and one of the buyers, renamed the structure the West Virginia Building. Eleven years later, in 1954, the building was sold to a New York City entrepreneur for $700,000, only to be sold again one year later to the West Virginia Building Associates of New York for $1.2 million.

In 1975, the building was nearly put up to public auction when the association failed to make the final $100,000 mortgage payment. By then, the building had been for sale for a year and there were no interested parties. The downtown area was suffering and it was a fairly bad sign when an association couldn't bring in 10 percent of its original purchase price. Just one day before the auction was scheduled, Dr. J. Evan Sadler, a Huntington pathologist, purchased the building for $250,000. It was sold again in 1981 to Perry-Monroe-Perry Ltd. for $500,000.

seicer

July 19th, 2007, 05:51 PM

Mollohan secures Riverfront Park funds (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=18416)
By Jody Murphy, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, July 19, 2007

A congressional spending measure passed Tuesday in the House that includes a million dollars for the Army Corps of Engineers to continue work on the city's Riverfront Park project. Although there was money to finish the project's engineering and design, the Corps never had authorized funding for construction. The project is a 50-50 match project between the city and the Corps, where each side is expected to come up with about $5 million. The park is slated to include a riverboat landing, a plaza overlooking the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, a seating area, a picnic area with restrooms, a fishing pier, and walking trails.

The money will become available in October, pending Senate approval, and then the project will go out to bid. Construction could begin by the end of 2007.

The city still has a pending Section 108 loa for $2.1 million of the park project. The loan is a commitment against the city's Community Development Block Grant money. If the loan is approved, the city will pay back $185,000 for the next twenty years out of its annual grant. The loan is currently in the hands of a Housing and Urban Development office in Washington D.C., and that the loan has received "favorable reviews." The loan, in conjunction with a $3 million grant from the state's Economic Development Authority, will allow the city to meet its 50% obligation on the project.

seicer

July 20th, 2007, 01:06 AM

:banana:

History wins over development near Harpers Ferry (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/NEWS01/70719027/-1/NEWS13)
Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], July 19, 2007

Historic preservation groups were claiming victory after local officials rejected the rezoning of more than 400 acres of abandoned quarry property Thursday that is adjacent to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The vote was 3-2 against any commercial development on the Old Standard Quarry site. The developer, Old Standard LLC, wanted to construct low-rise office structures, a 150-room hotel, and a 22,500 sq. ft. conference center on the property.

“Today’s vote reflects deep and broad support for protecting the historic character and natural beauty of Harpers Ferry."
Erin St. John, a field representative for the National Parks Conservation Association in Washington D.C.

The developer's representative, J. Michael Cassell, stated that the county commission made a "fundamental error" when it had assumed that the land would be rezoned or it wouldn't. On the contrary, he stated, it will be rezoned or it will be in the existing zoning plat -- heavy industry and high-density housing. He went on to add that the "shortsighted NIMBY attitude is not going to prevail in the end."

Opponents of the project feared that the traffic congestion and the destruction of the county's serene, historical character would ruin Harpers Ferry for good. Harpers Ferry lies at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. In March 2007, the Civil War Preservation Trust named the battleground one of the nation's 10 most endangered sites. It was added after a developer dug three-foot-wide trenches for water and sewer lines that would serve thousands of new homes on the quarry site.

seicer

July 23rd, 2007, 02:18 AM

Interest building in riverfront (http://www.heralddispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070722/NEWS01/707220370)
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, The Herald-Dispatch, July 22, 2007

HUNTINGTON -- It's a hot, sunny afternoon at Harris Riverfront Park.

A couple of people are walking along the sidewalk, and a few more chatting around a picnic table. The playground is empty, the bathrooms are locked to the public, and the activity is generally sparse.

Outside of special events, such as festivals or Pops concerts with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, foot traffic at Huntington's most scenic, historical natural resource is very light. But some residents are starting to think about the possibilities for development at the banks of the Ohio River.

They're concerned about the lack of visibility and accessibility of the river from Pullman Square and downtown. They want a performance space that's not as vulnerable to the weather. They know the value of the 15-mile floodwall, which was built after the 1937 flood left 6,000 people homeless. But they wish it looked better. They wish it didn't cause Huntington residents to forget the valuable commodity they have on the other side.

Mayor David Felinton said he'd like to put together a master plan within the next year with developments that community members would like to see at the park.

"I've been working with (state Delegate Dale Stephens, D-Cabell), and he's going to make it a priority to be able to get some money from the Legislature for Riverfront Park, which we'd like to put toward developing a new master plan for the park," Felinton said.

"In the next few years, there will be a lot of changes with the bike trails, and we'd like an updated master plan developed by the community that will address new recreational opportunities looking into the bike trails, as well as reflecting an updated downtown with Pullman Square, development at 9th Street and in a few years, 3rd and 4th avenues as well."

There are currently no long-term plans for the park, he said, although the city is making some efforts to clean up the park, including the recent clearing of Tent City, a settlement created by the homeless along the riverbanks just west of Harris Riverfront Park.

Signs of life

Already, one success story exists on Huntington's riverbanks. If you're looking for people along the river, you'd best go a little to the east of the park, and walk across the boardwalk toward Holderby's Landing restaurant.

Right now, this is where the daily action is, particularly on a Wednesday night when WKEE-FM has live remotes, or any weekend. You'll see people of all ages listening to music and enjoying a meal or a drink on the deck, where they can see the sunset beyond the Robert C. Byrd Bridge.

For owner Dave Duffield, the restaurant is not an effort to make money. The Huntington attorney says it's about the river.

He wants to celebrate it, and not just the nice scenery. He wants to celebrate its history, how it brought people and commerce to this area. He wants a museum of river and rail history, more tour boats to dock in Huntington, and for schoolchildren to come and learn about the roots of their town.

It's not just a river, it's the Ohio River, where Collis P. Huntington, George Washington and James Holderby traveled, Duffield said. It's a place where river and rail connect the East to the Midwest and beyond.

"We have a rich cultural history here," he said. "We have so much to show and tell with our unique opportunity in Huntington. ...Water is where all life begins and flourishes, and it draws us to it."

Let's build on that, he says.

There's a "cannot do" focus sometimes in Huntington, he said, "and I'm not about that. At least we're starting to listen."

Some people do have ideas about how the riverfront can be improved. Community members shared several with The Herald-Dispatch.

"First of all, they have to keep it clean, and people will go down there," said Parker Ward, a local Realtor who went to an American Red Cross fundraiser there last weekend. It had a luau theme.

"It's like Pullman Square -- they keep it clean, and people go," he said. "I think if it was cleaned up, they'd have more functions and fundraisers. It has to make a better first impression."

Other residents talked about a better connection between the riverfront and the rest of downtown.

While it does cut off the city's view of the river, the floodwall is not disposable, Ward said.

"They have that big floodwall there for a reason," he said. "They're going to have to keep that."

Floodwall improvements

The Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Committee hopes to secure $18,000 from the Cabell County Commission for an enhancement project for the floodwall. It's planning on purchasing concrete art forms to decorate the wall.

As opposed to painting a mural, concrete art forms (examples of which can be viewed at www.concreteartforms.com) wouldn't need a fresh coat of paint as years pass, and would be easier to keep clean of graffiti, said Joe Randolph, vice chairman of the local YPC.

The YPC has been looking at the project for two years, and that first $18,000 would get it off the ground, Randolph said.

"It's a small step with large implications that this could be the start of something great in Huntington," Randolph said. "The floodwall for a long time has been an eyesore, and this is a way to do something that will be everlasting."

Chris Tatum, assistant county manager and a YPC member, said the Young Professionals hope they also can get some money from the city and from private donations for the concrete artwork.

"It's a natural fit," Tatum said. "It's something that's different and could be a real defining part of the Pullman Square area. ... I think once people see that we're a group of young people concerned about the future of our area and reputation of our area, they'll buy into it. There's a lot of potential here, and the YPC group just wants to maximize the potential of the area and keep people at home."

Randolph and Tatum said the YPC chose this project from many the committee had considered. They wanted to start with something that city residents look at every day, before venturing inside to the park area, Randolph said.

"The river is a welcome sight, and right now we have no entrances that say, 'Welcome to the Riverfront,'" he said. "We're trying to make it inviting for visitors and people who live here, not like a wall that's in Berlin."

The transition from Pullman to the riverfront needs work as well, others said.

Last summer, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall announced that he had secured $500,000 for a pedestrian walkway stretching from Pullman Square over Veterans Memorial Boulevard to the riverfront. But no announcements have been made about the initiation of such a project.

Riverfront activities

In the meantime, activities will continue at the riverfront. The Big Sandy Superstore Arena books them. The riverfront is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and leased to the city of Huntington, which in turn has the arena manage and book events there.

The next big event is Huntington Rib & Music Fest, set for Aug. 9-12.

The rib festival is going to be bigger than it has been in a while, said A. J. Boleski, general manager for the arena. It will feature .38 Special; The Platters, Coasters & The Drifters Show; and country artist Chris Cagle. It also will have carnival rides, an air show and fireworks, among other attractions.

"We're trying to make it closer to what the Regatta used to be, but not that big," Boleski said.

For festivals, Boleski is thinking that more tall carnival rides -- a Ferris wheel, for example -- might help so that folks at Pullman, on the opposite side of the floodwall, have a better chance of seeing that there's something going on at the river. He also thinks a traffic light at 10th Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard would help.

Along with the annual events already established at the riverfront -- such as X-Fest, Ribfest and the Pops concerts -- some new events are in the works, he said, such as a motorcycle rally-type event and a blues festival.

Performance space

A performance space that doesn't face so many problems with the rain could be helpful, too, said Boleski. The Huntington Symphony Orchestra's executive director, Laura Evans, agrees with that.

The orchestra has one more Picnic with the Pops show planned for the summer, the "Dancing Under the Stars" show on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Evans suggests that as the city moves forward with planning development, it should bring in a consultant.

"I'd like a consultant of some sort to come, take a look at the riverfront, look at the design and say, 'This works, this doesn't,'" Evans said. "Whatever we do, I'd like it to be able to weather the river and still be a beautiful park."

While a walkway connecting the downtown to the river could be a big help, Evans thinks it would be best to put money into the park itself first.

"Unfortunately, that floodwall creates a barrier, and it's like, 'Out of sight, out of mind.' And unless something spectacular is going on over there, people don't feel a reason to go," she said. "But I feel we have to work harder to make that space even better. If you could spend the money on making it a more inviting space from the railroad tracks even, then (it would be more worthwhile to build a walkway). I'd rather put the money into the park itself before putting it into making a walkway into a park that's not that well-maintained."

But going beyond that should not be considered too lofty a goal, Duffield said.

"If James Holderby and George Washington, with axes, can build a civilization for you and I," he asked, "can we not build a ladder over that wall?"

seicer

July 25th, 2007, 09:18 PM

Land slated for development (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=10822)
By Naomi Smoot, The Journal [Martinsburg], July 25, 2007

If a 1,100-acre community is approved, the small community of Gerrardstown could be home to Henshaw Orchard, home to 3,550 residential units on the site of an apple orchard. National Fruit Product Company previously owned the land along WV 51 in Berkeley County, but sold the property last year following a merger with Winchester, Virginia-based NFP Holdings LLC.

The development plans include 300 apartments, 705 townhomes, 234 duplexes, 1,381 single-family homes, 630 residences for active adults (???), and 300 convalescent care units. The total should be more than 3,000 new residences that could house approximately 8,875 people. That's 60% of the population of Martinsburg, home to just 14,792 (2000 census). It is far larger than any project approved recently in the county's southern end, where in 2006, only 138 new residential units had final plat approval. An additional 374 units were granted preliminary plat approval.

Along with the residential units, it will contain a 300,000 sq. ft. shopping center, 100,000 sq. ft. of office space, and a 15,000 sq. ft. day care. Around 40.7 acres of the 1,100 acre community will be "open space."

seicer

July 25th, 2007, 10:12 PM

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007072422

[Personal comment: Just adding lanes on the exteriors of the Interstate 64 bridge over the Kanawha River at Fort Hill will be one major undertaking in itself...]

New lanes, underpass could ease traffic mess
# DOH plan would add lanes to I-64 bridge and underpass at Oakwood
By Jim Balow
Charleston Gazette
July 25, 2007

An underpass beneath Corridor G could relieve congestion at the Oakwood Road light and improve safety at the dangerous intersection, state Highways engineers say.

Extra lanes and a new westbound “slip ramp” on the Interstate 64 bridge at Fort Hill could fix the design flaws that force drivers to weave between lanes to get on and off the highway between downtown and the Oakwood exit.

Consultants for the state Division of Highways have come up with a host of ideas to improve traffic flow along a four-mile stretch of Corridor G (U.S. 119) from MacCorkle Avenue to Davis Creek and I-64 from Washington Street to the Oakwood Road interchange.

Now DOH wants your input. They’re hosting a public meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at George Washington High School.

They’ll have handouts that summarize the HDR Engineering Inc. Phase I traffic and design study, with three foldout maps that show all the proposed changes for the short-term, mid-term (10-20 years) and long-term.

State and federal highway engineers also will be on hand to answer questions, because as Deputy State Highway Engineer Jim Sothen said Tuesday, “It’s going to be in a foreign language” — not literally, but the maps and summary do need some explanation.

There will not be a formal presentation, DOH spokesman Brent Walker said. People can read the handouts and maps, ask questions and make comments. You also can submit written comments to the DOH through Aug. 30.

The consultants started their research in 2001, when the DOH defined the scope of their study. They gathered data, such as traffic counts, for about a year starting in late 2002 and used computers to do traffic simulations.

They sent the first draft of their study to the DOH in May 2004. State and federal highway engineers have been reviewing the ideas ever since.

“There are a lot of recommendations,” Sothen said. “They’re broken down into three sections.”

Section A is the I-64 segment — mostly the Kanawha River bridge. Section B runs along U.S. 119 from MacCorkle nearly to Ashton Place (Emerald Road) and Section C covers the last stretch of U.S. 119 out to Jefferson and Davis Creek roads.

Within each of those areas, the consultants propose a series of improvements. Some can be done almost immediately and at little cost, such as adding extra lanes in critical areas along Corridor G to relieve congestion. Mid-range projects would cost tens of millions of dollars, while the bill for long-range ones could easily top $100 million.

None of the projects are scheduled or have even been adopted by state officials, Sothen and Walker emphasized. Those decisions will be made after the public comments are in. And all are subject to availability of funds, which must be shared with the rest of the state.

One short-term idea, mentioned during a previous public meeting about Lucado Road, would be to add a third southbound lane from Lucado Road toward downtown, past Oakwood and Hickory Road I-64 entrance ramp. Another would be to add a second left-hand turn lane southbound at Ashton Place.

A third short-term proposal might ease the weaving problem westbound on the I-64 bridge and fix another dangerous situation, said Project Manager Dirar Ahmad of the DOH Engineering Division. Where southbound traffic on I-77 joins westbound I-64, the left lane of I-64 merges with the slow lane of I-77.

“We would force all I-77 traffic to merge into the left lane, because all studies show traffic is much heavier on I-64,” Ahmad said. “All it takes is a sign.”

Mid-range projects get more creative, such as the plan to build an underpass near Oakwood Road. The proposed underpass, to be built between Oakwood and Lucado roads, would handle traffic from both of those roads and eliminate cross traffic at both intersections.

You could still turn right on Corridor G toward downtown from Oakwood and the high school, but if you wanted to go to Southridge you’d have to turn left on a new frontage road, drive under the highway and merge onto Corridor G south.

Many of the mid-range goals, including the underpass, could be built for $30 million to $35 million, Sothen and Ahmad agreed, but they declined to speculate on the prospects for securing those funds in the next 10 years.

The most expensive long-range improvements include new lanes on both sides of the I-64 bridge. (The plans call the westbound lane a new bridge, but it might be attached to the existing bridge.) It would carry traffic from the Virginia and Lee street on-ramps to I-64 westbound and the Oakwood exit.

In addition, a “slip lane” or ramp would be built from the right side of the new westbound bridge, carrying traffic heading west onto I-64 to connect with the highway below Fort Hill. This would keep entering vehicles from weaving into traffic getting off at the Oakwood exit.

After the public comment period ends, state and federal highway engineers will discuss the ideas with the consultants and come up with a list of projects, Sothen said. Even short-range projects are two to three years off, he said.

“We’re not even in preliminary design. When you do that, there are all sorts of options. We’re in the very early public stages.”

seicer

July 26th, 2007, 03:52 AM

Rahall helps city officials to think BIG (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_205213841.html): $2.21 million in federal funds secured for project
By Amelia A. Pridemore, Register-Herald Reporter, July 25, 2007

Overview map (http://maps.yahoo.com/broadband#mvt=m&q1=Beckley%2C+WV&trf=0&lon=-81.189995&lat=37.775405&mag=2)

A $2.21 million 'down payment' on a $24 million project will help revitalize downtown Beckley. On Tuesday (July 24), Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation is releasing $2,210,000 in federal funding secured for the Beckley Intermodal Gateway project, a project estimated to cost $24 million. The secured funding will help develop BIG, which is an economic and transportation improvement project. The project has been made possible through an earmarked $20 million from the Federal Transit Authority, and the city's financial support of 20% in matching funds.

BIG consists of a new parking garage, small cultural center, new city hall, new police department, walking trails, and gardens on a five-acre site between Neville Street, Leslie C. Gates Place, Prince Street, and Robert C. Byrd Drive. Ideas have been discussed of including a bus terminal under the parking facility, and a farmers market.

Officials from Beckley recently visited Roanoke, Virginia to see firsthand the work there to modernize its downtown and attract more people.

seicer

July 28th, 2007, 07:23 AM

Some updates...

Moe's Southwest Grill is returning to its old location supposedly. Same for Uno's Chicago Grill (long story). And a new retail store just opened the other day.

Bank being built at Pullman
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], July 26, 2007

The infamous black wall at Pullman was torn down Wednesday (July 25) to make way for temporary fencing. The corner lot, at Third Avenue and Tenth Street, will be the first Huntington branch of Community Trust Branch and the 80th for the bank, which is based in Pikeville, Kentucky. It could be open as early as mid-November and will sport a train-station motif in keeping with Pullman Square's overall theme. The bank will face the 3rd Avenue and 10th Street corner, and will have space for two retail tenants.

Bill Dargusch of Metropolitan Partners, the private-developer of Pullman Square, was asked if he was happy to see the black wall come down. "Are you kidding me?"

Construction will begin next week on the foundation and will have six to eight employees.

seicer

July 29th, 2007, 05:50 AM

Stately W.Va. Capitol bedeviled by repair woes (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070728/NEWS01/70728017/-1/NEWS13)
The Associated Press, July 28, 2007

West Virginia's 75-year-old state Capitol continues to sprout up new and costly problems as officials labor to repair and maintain the building and campus.

Just recently, when workers were scrubbing the 314,000 cubic foot exterior, the Indiana select buff limestone began to pull away from the Capitol's steel skeleton. Steel pins, holding up the facade, are deteriorating. The needed repairs will more than double the cleaning project's $1.5 million cost. It is only part of the five-year master plan for restoring the 54-acre Capitol Complex that already has $166 million budgeted in remaining costs.

One such renovation plans includes the Capitol's basement cafeteria, shut down last year after a poor health inspection. The state is set to award a contract for the renovation within the next few days, which will include an upgrade of switching and other gear that had vastly deteriorated. The original cost was $700,000 to $800,000, but that has balooned to more than $3 million.

The campus parking structure, at 788-spaces, was built only eight years ago. But upon recent inspection, engineering inspectors commented that it "looked like it was 25 years old." The inspectors randomly tested ten of the structural welds. Eight failed. The engineers stressed that the garage is safe, but repairs must begin immediately.

As for the interior of the Capitol, massive chandeliers that normally hang above the House and Senate Chambers and the Rotunda feature frayed wiring and decaying ties that hold thousands of pounds of rock crystal.

But there are some good news: 63 of the 64 campus elevators have been rebuilt. Four boilers from the complex steam plant will be replaced with five new units. Repairs to the ornate parapets were completed, restoring the gold color. New underground pipes were constructed to deliver heat and air conditioning to most buildings on the campus.

The renovated chiller plant is working so well that the pipes inside the Capitol now sweat from the colder water. The pipes will eventually be removed and replaced by air ducts.

seicer

August 2nd, 2007, 08:56 PM

Gerrardstown project raises questions (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=10884)
By Naomi Smoot, The Journal [Martinsburg], July 27, 2007

The talk of the town is literally revolving around a planned 3,550-unit residential development on 1,000-acres at an apple orchard. The development, known originally as Henshaw Orchard, was recently renamed to Orchard Mill. It could contain 8,875 new residents.

There are many concerns regarding the proposed development, including increased traffic congestion on two-lane highways such as WV 51. It already takes as long as 20 minutes to travel four miles from Gerrardstown to Inwood during the morning rush-hour. There are also schools that are nearing capacity, and the inclusion of a new development could produce overcrowding situations. Others are worried about the environmental impacts of the development, although the developer noted that orchards are home to "contaminants like arsenic."

These comments are not only coming from the residents, but from county commissioners. The Berkeley County Planning Commission have not yet set any dates for public meetings, and it could be some time before it even reaches this phase. It might not even be constructed due to the softening housing market. Other projects throughout the county are either being constructed at "a snails pace" or have been canceled.

seicer

August 2nd, 2007, 09:38 PM

City Backs Off On Capitol Buy (http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/51285.html)
By Casey Junkins, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, August 1, 2007

The city of Wheeling originally made an offer to buy the Capitol theater, but backed off when the city learned that two private groups were interested in purchasing it (see later article). Wheeling officials are working with potential groups and are willing to work with them, because of the connecting effect that entertainment is one of the keys to downtown revitalization. The goal of the effort by the city is not to compete with private enterprises; if a private group has interest in the Capitol, then the city will utilize its resources elsewhere.

the city previously made an offer to purchase the Capitol, but it was refused. The asking price is $850,000, not including repairs or renovations. One councilman stated that the city should consider donating the hall to a local community arts organization because there would be no profit made from the Capitol.

The estimated cost to renovate the building and bring it into compliance with city fire codes is between $3 and $5 million.

seicer

August 2nd, 2007, 09:43 PM

Dentist Says He's Made Capitol Deal (http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/51318.html)
By Casey Junkins, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, August 1, 2007

Dr. Manny Velez, a dentist who has lived in the Wheeling area for 35 years, purchase the Capitol theater with two other local partners. The other partners include Theresa and Jim Childers of Bellair who operate Centre Cup Coffee in Centre Market. The purchase price was less than the $850,000 asking price.

The deal should be closed in September, and the theater could be operational by October. Entertainment that could be included in the future include "'70s and '80s artists, along with local artists and events."

seicer

August 10th, 2007, 11:56 PM

Greenbrier opens doors (http://www.heralddispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070806/NEWS01/708050319/1005/NEWS10)
By Curtis Johnson, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], August 6, 2007

The Greenbrier reopened earlier this year, a four-star, five-diamond resort in Greenbrier County. Some policy changes came along with the reopening, including one that prevented non-registered guests from accessing parts of the resort and courtyard. Now, room reservations and tea times are no longer required to visit the four restaurants, three golf courses, 35 shops, carriage rides, spa, and bunker tours. The policy was put in place in January 2004 to spring 2007 -- until new management was put in place.

--

Cold War-era bunker helps Greenbrier thrive (http://www.heralddispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070806/NEWS01/708050308/1005/NEWS10)
By Curtis Johnson, Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], August 6, 2007

Project Greek Island was designed as a top-secret bunker aimed at protecting members of the U.S. Congress and President. Today, it is a public relations "machine" that draws visitors of all types to the The Greenbrier. The bunker was planned by Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration, and was designed to provide a place for Congress to continue full operations in the case of a catastrophic event or nuclear attack that destroyed Washington, D.C.

The bunker included 153 rooms in 44 separate locations and remained secret for more than 30 years. It was kept at full-operation status until The Washington Post revealed its identity in 1992. The resort began giving public tours in December 1995. It had "several good years" before interest began to wane, but was revived after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The bunker has daily tours that includes views of the power plant, communications center, a 25-ton blast door, underground medical clinic, and dormitories.

seicer

August 11th, 2007, 12:12 AM

Fenton to close in October, leaving Blenko as lone glassmaker in state (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070810/NEWS01/708100352/-1/NEWS13)
Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], August 10, 2007

Overseas competition, a rise in natural gas prices, and a dwindling consumer base have forced Fenton Glass in recent years to downsize. On Thursday, it announced that it was closing. The 102-year-old company will immediately lay off 25 of its remaining 150 employees, and cease taking orders at the end of the month. Glassmaking operations will end in September and the company will close by the end of October.

Fenton is known for handcrafted, handpainted art glass. It survived three waves of economic troubles that has closed all but one glass maker in the state -- including Fostoria and Pilgrim.

Fenton Art Glass President George Fenton's grandfather started the company in 1905. Nine family members still work for the company. They have been trying to restructure the business for a while and move forward, but all options were exhausted.

The company was once known for its hobnail milk glass, an opaque white, bubble-covered glass that helped the company survive the Depression, and was produced into the 1980s. In the 1970s, Fenton developed carnival glass, and in 2004, the company was selling "color" pieces.

The gift shop, owned by another company, will remain open. Future plans include creating a glassmaking exhibit.

seicer

August 14th, 2007, 06:24 PM

Morgan County Courthouse design altered (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=11192)
By Sherree Casper, The Journal [Martinsburg], August 11, 2007

A new, scaled-down plan for the Morgan County Courthouse will be unveiled Thursday at a public meeting. The architect, Thomas M. Potts, redesigned the courthouse to just two levels that will connect to the Morgan County Magistrate Court and family court building. A third floor can later be constructed if funding becomes available. The new two-level courthouse will be more economical, as the original design for the 40,000 sq. ft. structure would have been $11 million. The new 30,000 sq. ft. design would cost about $10 million.

The courthouse will open from Washington Street, and will connect off the west wall of the magistrate court. Tax, county clerk, and assessor's offices would be on the first floor, with the circuit clerk and prosecutor's offices on the second floor. The main circuit courtroom would be on the second floor, with the commission office on the first floor.

The county will have approximately $3.5 million to $4 million from insurance money. County officials are hoping that they can receive a $5 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture, but will not be able to apply for it until October 1. A debt capacity study is currently underway. Under the USDA loan, the county would repay $300,000 for 30 to 40 years at an interest rate of 4.25%. U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is also seeking $1.7 million in federal earmarks for the rebuilding project.

Currently, county offices are located in mobile offices located in the downtown not far from the original courthouse. The county sheriff's department is sharing space with the county's rescue squad building, and the prosecutor's office is in a former school building near the Board of Education offices.

The Morgan County Courthouse was destroyed by a fire on August 8, 2006.

seicer

August 24th, 2007, 06:34 PM

Morgan courthouse plans unveiled (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=11379)
By Sherree Casper, The Journal [Martinsburg], August 20, 2007

Two plans for the proposed Morgan County Courthouse were unveiled last week. The two-story versions of the courthouse were on display, as well as a possible three-story structure that would be possible if more funding becomes available in the future. A minimum of 40,000 sq. ft. is required, taking into consideration county staff space to record keeping. A final design could be developed within the next four weeks. The project's timetable has the date, however, at February 29, 2008. A project bid could be had on April 26, 2008, and completion on December 30, 2009.

It will cost approximately $9.9 million for a two-story courthouse, $11 million for a two-story courthouse with a top shell, and $12.9 million for a completed three-story courthouse. the price tag for the original 40,000 sq. ft. courthouse project was $13 million.

The county will have anywhere from $3.5 million to $4 million from insurance money towards the rebuilding project. A $6 million loan could be granted from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a $9 million zero-interest loan from the state Legislature. U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is seeking $1.7 million in federal earmark funds.

The Morgan County Courthouse was destroyed in a fire on August 8, 2006.

seicer

August 30th, 2007, 07:10 PM

Volunteers pitch in at Keith
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, The Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], August 29, 2007

On Tuesday night, dozens of volunteers gathered at the Keith-Albee theater to clear out the old concession counter, old video games, and debris in the basement. The lobby will be transformed into a reception area, sans the concession stand. Carts will be used for concessions for the time-being, and new carpet is being donated by Alex Vence, owner of the Galleria next door.

Some of the volunteers included 35 Marshall University rugby players and coaches.

The theater has events planned that includes the Marshall Artists Series, several Broadway productions, national acts and an international film festival.

It has been one year and a half since the Greater Huntington Theatre Corp. closed the Keith-Albee movie theater, and about a year since the newly formed Keith-Albee Foundation took over its uncertain building. The foundation is currently awaiting the completion of a feasibility study on changes it needs to make to become a state-of-the-art, competitive performance space.

So far, the theater has installed a state-of-the-art sound and projection system that was used in the "We Are Marshall" premiere, and is installing new pulley system for the November production of "Peter Pan." The pulley system alone costs $200,000, and is funded by the premiere's proceeds dedicated to the theater.

triadcat

September 4th, 2007, 07:32 PM

:banana:

History wins over development near Harpers Ferry (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070719/NEWS01/70719027/-1/NEWS13)
Herald-Dispatch [Huntington], July 19, 2007

Historic preservation groups were claiming victory after local officials rejected the rezoning of more than 400 acres of abandoned quarry property Thursday that is adjacent to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The vote was 3-2 against any commercial development on the Old Standard Quarry site. The developer, Old Standard LLC, wanted to construct low-rise office structures, a 150-room hotel, and a 22,500 sq. ft. conference center on the property.

The developer's representative, J. Michael Cassell, stated that the county commission made a "fundamental error" when it had assumed that the land would be rezoned or it wouldn't. On the contrary, he stated, it will be rezoned or it will be in the existing zoning plat -- heavy industry and high-density housing. He went on to add that the "shortsighted NIMBY attitude is not going to prevail in the end."

Opponents of the project feared that the traffic congestion and the destruction of the county's serene, historical character would ruin Harpers Ferry for good. Harpers Ferry lies at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. In March 2007, the Civil War Preservation Trust named the battleground one of the nation's 10 most endangered sites. It was added after a developer dug three-foot-wide trenches for water and sewer lines that would serve thousands of new homes on the quarry site.

Good that they are preserving this area. Harper's Ferry is indeed a very historical area.....and its beautiful too. Harper's Ferry played a prominent part of the Civil War.

Nice to see the other things going on or being developed in WV.:)
WV is very quiet and under-the-radar...I think they like it that way ;)

Evergrey

September 4th, 2007, 07:45 PM

any news on what's going on in Weirton or elsewhere in the Northern Panhandle, seicar?

seicer

September 5th, 2007, 05:15 AM

Outside of the Capitol renovations and some general "renovation" news, there isn't much in the way. Morgantown has a lot of new projects, especially near the WVU campus and along the riverfront, but I don't have access to the newspaper's archives there.

ohpenn

September 5th, 2007, 05:14 PM

Well if Charleston had their way (and they do) not much would happen with Wheeling and Weirton. They are happy to tax them for southern counties’ benefit and they loved it when Weirton Steel was the largest employer in the state and filled Charleston’s coffers, but the State had little interest in investing in the Northern panhandle and even with the half assed “savior” of gambling you have to drive on a 2 lane road and literally on the edge of the Ohio river to get there. Charleston is a fucking joke.

seicer

September 5th, 2007, 05:20 PM

Gee, that's a nice commentary.

The region is served well by the interstate highway system, and by a network of other roadways. Interstate 77 to Interstate 70, and Interstate 79 to Interstate 70, adequately serve the region quite well. There is also an interstate bypass of the Wheeling Tunnel, and freeways along the river both in Ohio and West Virginia. Ohio Route 7, for instance, is a mostly developed freeway paralleling the northern panhandle, thereby removing the need for a similar freeway in West Virginia.

It saves the state money for other, much needed projects.

seicer

September 5th, 2007, 05:52 PM

Riverfront park a piece of revitalizing downtown (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=19795)
By Jody Murphy, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, September 2, 2007

A proposed riverfront park in Parkersburg could have a large impact on the future development of the downtown in Parkersburg. Studies done by the U.S. Army Corps of engineers say that the new riverfront park's traffic will quadruple, increasing from 50-100 users today to 250-500 users during peak times. One study, conducted in 1996 when the idea of a riverfront park was proposed, says that the park's daily average of users will jump from 75 to 375.

Point Park is a public day-use recreation facility built in 1981 between the river and the floodwall by the Corps. It is operated and maintained by the city of Parkersburg. The existing park features a boat landing, a plaza, picnic tables and benches, lights and a parking area. It also serves as a landing point for the Blennerhassett Island Historic State Park tour boats.

Once the $10 million expansion is completed, the park will also include a riverboat landing, a plaza overlooking the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, a seating area, a picnic area with restrooms, a fishing pier and a walking trail. The park will also house events like the Taste of Parkersburg and the Parkersburg Homecoming Festival.

The city is hoping that the development of the park will lead to an open-air market, similar to seven-day-a-week Charleston's Capitol Market. The Capitol Market features a farmers market, fresh fruits and vegetable vendors, fish and meat markets, wine shops, and a restaurant.

ohpenn

September 5th, 2007, 07:04 PM

Gee, that's a nice commentary.

There's no use in sugarcoating how Southern WV feels about the Northern panhandle, it's exists to be raped for the idiots in office down there for use downstate.

seicer

September 5th, 2007, 11:38 PM

Okay... can we get back on topic of developments in the Mountain State, rather than biased, unsubstantiated personal commentaries on who is "raping" who?

ohpenn

September 5th, 2007, 11:44 PM

Okay... can we get back on topic of developments in the Mountain State

Sure.

rather than biased, unsubstantiated personal commentaries on who is "raping" who?

Everyone is biased, but that doesn't change facts. Apparently you are not aware the history related to that part of the state. I am. I am not straying away from development news. I was merely making a comment - a point and it's rather significant.

seicer

September 6th, 2007, 02:02 AM

I've heard the rumours, but they are wholly unsubstantiated, once again. It's appearant that you wholly disapprove of how the state functions, and the deliverance of state monies to areas were the population resides. Plenty of money flows into the southern part of the state panhandle -- for instance, in the construction of the money-losing Tamarack, or the belated and wholly unncessary King Coal Highway/Delbarton Connector/Coalfields Expressway. Outside of the Bluefield and Beckley regions, I can't find much of anything in the way of new developments, attributed to the area's poor economic conditions onset by coal mining and isolation features.

But please, let's keep the "facts" which are wholly unsupported and uncited elsewhere. I haven't found one reliable article that supports the very notion of one section of state raping another.

DCKenny

September 6th, 2007, 02:20 AM

I went to West Virginia for the first time in my life it's really different coming from DC it's cool there in the summer. I wish I could of took some pictures when I was there. I was in the northern panhandle the city of Keyser I don't know what to consider this state part of the south or Mid-Atlantic even the mid-west. Maybe West Virginia should be it's own region.lol Overall the state is beautiful.

ohpenn

September 6th, 2007, 07:05 PM

I've heard the rumours, but they are wholly unsubstantiated, once again

Well if you heard unsubstantiated rumors that what you heard. Some of us know.

It's appearant that you wholly disapprove of how the state functions, and the deliverance of state monies to areas were the population resides.

Yes as it it is not delivering monies to areas where population resides. The state has no major cities, only towns and 2 of the 5 or so largest have been screwed by the state considering their historic disproportionate giving to the state of tax dollars. It's not unsubstanitiated "rumors," it's history, and the contempt for Northern Panhandle is amazing.

seicer

September 7th, 2007, 07:01 PM

[Personal note: I am not wholly opposed to this project, as it is considered infill development, with Interstate 81 lying to the north and Martinsburg directly to the south.]

Project touted as ‘town center’ (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=11781)
By Michael C. Lewis, The Journal [Martinsburg], September 6, 2007

Meridian Pointe, a 54-acre residential and commercial project, is planned along the proposed Raleigh Street extension.

Martinsburg’s Planning Commission voted Wednesday to approve a plan for the development along Lutz Avenue, parallel to Edwin Miller Blvd., in space recently annexed by the city. It is near Interstate 81. The goal of the development, as put by the investors involved in the project, is for a well-planned community that would compliment the proposed Raleigh Street extension.

The gateway project would bring an estimated 2,000 new jobs to the area and cost developers more than $100 million to construct. It would offer more than 400,000 sq. ft. of lease space for commercial and retail companies, as well as a hotel. The goal is to create an environment conductive to the high-tech industry. The residential portion of the project would include a mix of condominiums, corporate apartments and villas, an extensive system of interconnected parks and open space, and playgrounds, clubhouses and a pool. One emphasis will be on extensive landscaping and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks.

The developers are proposing to build a single north-south boulevard that would connect the existing southern end of Lutz Avenue with the new Raleigh Street extension, which would provide motorists with an alternative to West Virginia Route 9 between Interstate 81 and downtown.

Eagle Empire

September 7th, 2007, 11:51 PM

Anything going on in Morgantown?

seicer

September 8th, 2007, 01:31 AM

^ I don't have access to their archives, so what I read is pretty much limited to WVU's newspaper or web-site. I do know they have nice infill and redevelopment projects ongoing in the downtown and riverfront, and on campus.

Evergrey

September 8th, 2007, 02:01 AM

I I was in the northern panhandle the city of Keyser I don't know what to consider this state part of the south or Mid-Atlantic even the mid-west. Maybe West Virginia should be it's own region.lol Overall the state is beautiful.

Keyser is in the Eastern Panhandle.

DallasTexan

September 8th, 2007, 03:29 AM

ok, all of West Virginia is poor. No one hates each other.

seicer

September 8th, 2007, 04:45 AM

Pretty much, sans the Metro valley. It's interesting to note, that since West Virginia has seen its population remain relatively stable, you wonder why there is so much growth in the Metro valley (and near Morgantown). Then you look at how far many areas have depopulated, with some counties losing 50% of their population over the past 50 years. (McDowell had 90,000+ in 1950, dropping to just over 23,000 today)

triadcat

September 8th, 2007, 06:27 AM

I have known quite a few people originally from West Virginia here in the Triad. I had a geography teacher in high school from WV, knew a few families from WV and quite a few others orig. from WV. Many of them are in blue-collar jobs here. WV is still losing people to close by states because much of their economy is based on coal. Pretty state; not so progressive though.
WV is like how NC was back in the 1800's. NC was known as the "Rip Van Winkle State" in the 1800's.......it was "asleep" economically, socially, politically and culturally. West Virginia now holds that title.

seicer

September 10th, 2007, 07:23 PM

Officials focusing on downtown Parkersburg (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=19994 )
By Jody Murphy, Parkersburg News and Sentinel, September 9, 2007

Downtown Parkersburg once was rife with vacant storefronts and blocks of demolished buildings. But business expansion and redevelopment has spurred a resurgence. The construction of the city's riverfront park will boost tourism and promote the waterfront, and soon, new housing will help complete the regeneration of the city's downtown area.

The city's riverfront park plans are the latest designs in a scheme to revitalize the downtown. Elsewhere, the Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital was recently expanded. The new Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield building has been proposed, along with the new Federal Government Public Debt building, and several residential areas.

The new Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield building will be located at Seventh and Market Streets, adjacent to the company's current headquarters. It will more than double the space of the current building's 57,000 sq. ft., and house 760 employees. It will include training and conference rooms, an in-house printing facility, a data center and a walk-in customer service center. It will also feature a public corner plaza that will have decorative paving, landscaping, outdoor seating and a fountain; the plaza could also house a restaurant or retail center. The former building, once a Union Trust Bank dating to 1903, will remain standing. It could be converted into upscale condominiums and retail.

Housing projects include Avery Courts and several more that are planned. Other renovations and expansions in the downtown area include the YMCA building, the Actors Guild Playhouse, the Parkersburg Art Center and the Smoot Theatre.

Evergrey

September 20th, 2007, 10:27 PM

http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/500015.html?nav=515

Real Estate Agent: No Deal On Capitol Music Hall Sale
By CASEY JUNKINS

POSTED: September 20, 2007

WHEELING — Real estate agent Carl Nix is looking to draw up a new deal for the Capitol Music Hall, as a previous agreement to buy the venue has fizzled.

“Well, I guess it’s back to the drawing board,” Nix said Wednesday.

Also, city officials who previously expressed interest in acquiring the venue on behalf of Wheeling said they may now take another look at the theater.

Mayor Nick Sparachane said the city had expressed interest in acquiring the property, but backed off when they learned of serious private interest in the venue earlier this summer.

In August, Wheeling dentist Dr. Manny Velez announced he — along with Theresa and Jim Childers of Bellaire — had signed an agreement with Live Nation to purchase the Capitol from Live Nation.

Nix, an agent with Harvey Goodman Realtor, said the contract Velez and the Childers signed July 31 would expire at the end of the day Wednesday — midnight — because the 50-day due diligence period passed.

“If they were going to close on this deal, I would have known it by now, and nothing has come through on it,” he said.

“Therefore, I am assuming they are not going to close on the deal, which means the Capitol will go back on the market,” Nix added.

Velez and the Childers did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

Sparachane said he was surprised to hear the deal had fallen through.

“I was scheduled to meet with the partners at 4 p.m. (Wednesday) with regard to the Capitol, so I guess I know what it is about now,” he said.

Sparachane could not be reached for comment late Wednesday regarding the meeting.

At the time of his announcement about agreeing to buy the Capitol, Velez said he intended to have the venue up and running again by October. Although Velez previously declined to say how much he and his partners offered to pay for the Capitol, he noted it was less than the $850,000 asking price. Nix said the down payments the partners made on the property would be returned to them.

The historic theater, located on Main Street in the downtown, is home to radio stations and a ticket box office. For decades it hosted a variety of musical acts, in addition to plays, musicals and dance recitals. It also served as headquarters for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, which now is scheduled to hold its concerts at WesBanco Arena and John Marshall High School.

Live Nation spokesman John Vlautin previously said the company closed the venue in May due to 23 fire code violations reported to them by the Wheeling Fire Department, including the lack of an adequate sprinkler system.

On Aug. 23, City Manager Robert Herron released a list of repairs and upgrades concerning fire code issues compiled by Fire Department Chief Inspector Larry Helms that anyone wishing to reopen and operate the theater must perform.

According to the report, the existing sprinkler system heads must be updated and tested and a flow switch must be connected to the system; all exit doors must function properly; exit corridors shall be kept cleared; and all exit signs shall be properly lit.

Furthermore, the report requires future design plans be submitted for the following: sprinkler coverage throughout the building; fire alarm system throughout the building; exit and emergency lighting throughout the building; and a complete electrical inspection report.

“No one will be permitted to operate or open the Capitol Music Hall until all of these requirements are met,” Helms has said.

Nix said he did not know if the fire safety requirements discouraged the potential buyers from completing the deal, or if they may have hindered their ability to assemble financing to close on the deal.

Nix said he is already looking at more potential buyers because he thinks the right buyers will be able to complete the purchase.

“Right now, there are two people interested, and I will be contacting them later to see what they think,” he said, noting one party is local and one is not.

Hydie Friend, executive director of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp., said she knows it is important to have the Capitol open and contributing to the city, but realizes it is a tough sale because of the safety issues.

“I knew from the beginning this would be a difficult project for any investor,” she said.

Sparachane said city officials will meet within the next two weeks to “see what we can do.”

“We are working on a lot of things in the downtown area right now, so we will take a look at this,” he said.

Councilman Barry Crow said the city “might be interested in the property.”

“One way or another, the Capitol has to get going for downtown Wheeling, but it also needs to be safe,” he said.

The deed currently on file at the Ohio County Clerk’s office shows that SFX Capital Holdings LLC purchased the Capitol from Osborn Entertainment Enterprises Corp. on Dec. 8, 2005 for $800,000. SFX Entertainment is owned by Live Nation.

http://www.theintelligencer.net/photos/news/lg/500015_1.jpg

seicer

September 21st, 2007, 05:15 AM

Morgantown rentals seek to set new standard (http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007092067/Morgantown-rentals-seek-to-set-new-standard/)
By Kellen Henry, Charleston Daily Mail, September 20, 2007

Morgantown's Sunnyside neighborhood is receiving a facelift with new luxury properties. The neighborhood was once one of the most notorious and blighted in the state. One of the new developments is the $26 million Augusta on the Square apartment complex that replaced substandard rental housing along the stadium loop section of University Avenue and Falling Run Road that is near West Virginia University's downtown campus.

Two of the large buildings are setting a new standard for rental housing in the city. The rental rates range from $445 a month for a bunk bed in a shared bedroom to $915 a month for a single-occupancy apartment, and is more expensive than the $300 to $600 a month that students pay for units elsewhere. The Augusta units, however, are furnished, and include all utilities and Internet access. About 2/3 of the 296 bedrooms in the 156 apartments are filled.

The complex comes with 24-hour security and key cards, and underground parking spaces. It's facade features a brick and stacked-stone exterior that is meant to look like WVU buildings such as the newly renovated Oglebay Hall

The 18-month project was finished in 8.5 months, but work has been ongoing since 1980, when the developers began buying lots and demolishing houses to form the current acreage. Ground was broken in January 2007. $2.5 million dollars in a special kind of financing will pay for upgraded infrastructure surrounding the complex, and allows developers to delay paying the higher property taxes that normally would result from increased property values caused by the development. Instead of paying the higher taxes, the developer devotes that money to debt taken on for the project.

The 29-acres surrounding the development are some of the most valuable in the state, which can fetch more than a million dollars per acre. The land is considered part of the city's "Sunnyside Up" neighborhood revitalization project. Morgantown has invested in the development by amending the city's zoning laws and helping developers obtain a $5 million state economic grant, the special tax financing and other financing through the sale of bonds, and are also part of negotiations with prospective investors, bankers and financers.

--

With the Augusta apartments completed, the developers will begin work on the next phases of the $250 million Square at Falling Run. Within three to 10 years, the developers hope to straighten out University Avenue to provide space for retail shops, a hotel, extensions of university buildings and apartments -- all over a parking garage. The concept has been approved by the city, and work should begin in spring 2008.

Eagle Empire

September 21st, 2007, 09:28 PM

Where is Sunnyside in Morgantown?

seicer

September 21st, 2007, 10:06 PM

I'm not for sure, but here is Falling Run Road at University (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Morgantown,+WV&ie=UTF8&ll=39.637257,-79.955074&spn=0.00599,0.017853&t=h&z=17&om=1).

seicer

September 26th, 2007, 06:47 PM

Byrd on board for preservation of battlefield
By BOB ZIMBEROFF, The Journal, September 26, 2007

Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) has joined along the ranks of a battle preservation group's efforts to call on the National Park Service to conduct a study of the Battle of Shepherdstown. Announced on September 12, just eight days before the 145th anniversary of the Civil War battle that occurred Sept. 20, 1862 and which closed the fighting of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Maryland campaign, the study will help determine the national significance of the battlefield. It is the first step in creating a National Civil War Battlefield Park.

“West Virginia is home to many great landmarks that are a significant part of our nation’s history. I am pleased to be working with the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association to help initiate this National Park Service study.”

-Robert C. Byrd

In October 2004, a group of people gathered to talk about plans by a Maryland-based developer, Wind Song Homes, to build 152 homes on 122 acres at Faraway Farm, where most of the 1862 battle took place. The red brick, 200-year-old Faraway farmhouse still has a cannon ball lodged in its side. The group later organized as the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association Inc. and fought the development. They hope to purchase the property for preservation, and it lies within a 300-acre tract that the group has targeted as the most important part of the battlefield.

Most of the action took place west of Trough Road; there are currently seven homes on the 300 acres that line the road.

Since their initial action, SBPA has raised $644,000 and has secured 84 acres as the core battlefield property through conservation easements. 18 more acres cannot be developed any further, and the Save Historic Antietam Foundation is attempting to purchase 13 acres of what was the Boteler Cement Mill. The Cement Mill property lies parallel to the Potomac near where Union troops crossed the river at Boteler's Ford. The mill started operations in 1829 to provide natural cement for the construction of the C&O Canal.

seicer

September 26th, 2007, 06:48 PM

Visions for downtown discussed (http://www.journal-news.net/news/articles.asp?articleID=12089)
By MICHAEL C. LEWIS / Journal Staff Writer
September 26, 2007

MARTINSBURG — That first three to five years for any new business owner is considered a critical time to determine if the business will make it or break it, and whether the business can contribute to the vibrancy of downtown.

The City Club of Martinsburg invited Elizabeth Via, director of community development for the city of Manassas, Va., to speak on “Economic Incentives for Downtowns” during a Wednesday luncheon at the Shenandoah Hotel.

Via shared her vision to create a vibrant and robust downtown district that encourages business development and creates new choices for residents and tourists alike with the more than 30 guests who shared lunch.

Upon her arrival, Via said she immediately connected to the downtown business district, and noticed like Manassas, Martinsburg has a concentration of restaurants, which provide the largest share of retail revenue in the city.

“I’d kill to have this downtown,” Via said referring to the buildings, architecture and office space. “This would be a joy to work with.”

Via said a historic downtown, like Martinsburg, needs to ask itself “if retail is it,” or should business owners consider moving away from retail and towards more arts and entertainment in downtown. Otherwise, retail business owners could find themselves competing in a no-win battle with sprawling shopping centers, she said.

“You cannot compete with shopping centers, so why try? Find something in downtown that those groups can’t do. Find what it is that could be here,” she said.

In Manassas, a trend has begun toward creating a concentrated arts and retail district that is fostering the growth of not only dine-out restaurants, but also more arts and entertainment venues.

Whatever path is chosen for Martinsburg, economic incentives could be used to promote growth and development in the business corridor.

Real estate property tax abatements, sales tax rebates, qualified targeted industry tax refund and low interest loan programs were just a few of the incentives Via mentioned.

“The first thing we did in Manassas was we drafted a vision for ‘Old Town,’ and we stayed consistent with that vision,” she said, adding it is easy for local governments to put incentive plans together. “Once you put new incentives in place, you constantly have to reevaluate them.”

By linking the tourism zone and the arts district, a city would have two specific areas designated by ordinance allowing local governments to grant tax incentives, she said.

“It’s part of the marketing theme,” Via said of joining the two. “Put incentives where you want growth.”

Randy Lewis, executive director of Main Street Martinsburg, said his organization is trying to build on the arts in downtown, mentioning that part of the problem is making people aware that there is a downtown with restaurants and specialty shops to choose from.

“I thought she gave us good information,” Lewis said. “It has to start with all of us in that room today. We have to work together. Until then, nothing can be accomplished.”

“We have to find our own niche, and we have to have both retail and entertainment,” he said.

For Lewis, it starts with the property owners. It is his opinion that they should screen tenants coming in to open a business and ask them what their plans are for their business.

“We all have to work together with property owners to encourage better businesses downtown and those businesses to stay,” said Lewis, who indicated six new downtown businesses have opened during the summer. “We need to communicate. We all need to sit down and work together to determine our goals.”

seicer

October 11th, 2007, 05:10 AM

Downtown Bluefield landmark keeps new job growth flourishing (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_282195122.html)
By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, October 9, 2007

The former six-story Appalachian Power Company on Bland Street (what a name) is seeing new life and is creating jobs for Bluefield. The recent addition of a new engineering firm with 12 employees brings the number of tenants to 12, and the number of new jobs created to 42 at the now-named Bluefield State College Research and Development Corporation building.

The building provides a base of operations for a variety of businesses and agencies, many of which did not have a previous presence in West Virginia, and acts as an incubator.

The structure welcomed its first two tenants in July 2005. The college acquired the old building a little more than three years ago, and it currently features an auditorium, conference room, classrooms, and a computer training lab available for lease. Several regional organizations also use the facilities within the building for meetings, dinners, receptions, banquets, and training events.

Evergrey

October 18th, 2007, 08:06 PM

WV demographic and economic profile

http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WestVirginia.pdf

seicer

October 25th, 2007, 06:07 AM

City seeks public input on BIG project; meeting set for Nov. 1 (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_296224102.html)
Amelia A. Pridemore, Register-Herald [Beckley], October 23, 2007

City officials will soon have $24 million to spend to revitalize downtown Beckley, but citizen input is needed before they spend it. During October 23's council meeting, David Hafley, vice president/area manager for the Lexington, Ky.-based Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm, updated council members regarding the Beckley Intermodal Gateway Project (BIG). BIG is an economic and transportation revitalization project geared for downtown Beckley.

The plans call for the construction of a new parking structure, a small cultural center, new city hall, new police department, walking trails and gardens to be constructed in a ~5-acre area between Neville Street, Leslie C. Gates Place, Prince Street and Robert C. Byrd Drive. Funding was made possible through an earmarked $20 million from the Federal Transit Authority, and the city must provide 20% in matching funds.

The city is now a certified grantee for the funding, and has received the first wave of federal funds totaling $2.21 million. The funds will cover the planning work currently under way. The city is also working to obtain the remaining non-federal matching funds. Part of the matching funds is the site's property value, appraised at $2,282,000. Because the total estimated non-federal share from Beckley is $5,015,000, the city must obtain another $2,733,000.

The state awarded several million dollars in toll revenue credits to Huntington for the Pullman Square project, also funded via a congressional earmark. The mayor of Beckley has requested the remaining $2,733,000 in toll revenue credits.

seicer

November 9th, 2007, 08:15 PM

Council cleans way for construction project (http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/500607.html?nav=5006)
New development expected to cost $100 million, could bring 2,000 jobs
Michael C. Lewis, The Journal, November 9, 2007

MARTINSBURG — The city of Martinsburg has cleared the way for the construction of a large scale mixed-use business and residential development being touted as a new “town center.”

City Council passed several ordinances Thursday night, two of which amend the city’s zoning map by changing the classification of four unimproved parcels containing about 57.2 acres that will become home for the Meridian Pointe development.

Dubbed the “gateway” of the city, the project is expected to bring in an estimated 2,000 new jobs while costing developers more than $100 million in construction.

Though still on the drawing board, the plans indicate Meridian Pointe will offer more than 400,000 square feet of lease space for commercial and retail companies and include construction of a new hotel.

The development, to be located along Lutz Avenue, parallel to Edwin Miller Boulevard and adjacent to the Raleigh Street extension in space recently annexed by the city, will include an extensive system of interconnected parks, open space, and a trail system for hikers and bikers.

Ordinance stipulations to the planned business portion of the development, or roughly 25.5 acres, are expected to allow for more flexibility in design.

All buildings will have 80-foot maximum height restriction, except for the hotel, which could be as tall as 100 feet and is subject to approval from the fire marshall.

Zero foot setbacks for the front, rear and side yards have been approved for the businesses in this area. Parking will be calculated, in part, using 4.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of useable space.

In the 31.7 acres of planned unit development and planned residential district, density restrictions have been set at a maximum of 500 dwelling units. Height restrictions for those buildings will be at 65 feet, and 15-foot setbacks are required for front, rear and side yards.

The plans for both the planned business and the planned residential districts require favorable recommendations from the city’s Planning Department.

Meridian Pointe is being built by Potomac Professional Services LLC, Court House Square Investments LLC and Meridian Capital Partners LLC.

seicer

November 9th, 2007, 08:16 PM

Fenton continues to produce (http://newsandsentinel.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=21807)
By JODY MURPHY, Parkersburg News & Sentinel, November 2, 2007

WILLIAMSTOWN — A spike in last-minute sales is keeping a 100-year-old glass company running.

When Fenton Art Glass announced it was closing this fall, the company gave dealers an extra three weeks for orders.

According to company President George Fenton, the response was so large the company delayed closing in October.

"We had a very large amount," Fenton said.

According to Fenton, the orders will allow the company to continue production into December.

"Currently, our production in the hot metal department can stay active until the end of November," Fenton said. "The decorating and finishing areas can remain active through most of December."

Fenton, known around the world for its collectible art glass, announced earlier this year it was closing. The announcement shocked government and tourism officials from Wood and Washington counties.

Fenton said company officials are working with others to keep the art glass maker up and running. While nothing definitive has been reached, Fenton said the company’s future is better than it was a few weeks ago.

"We are more optimistic today than we were several weeks ago because of the strong support we have had from our customers," Fenton said.

Keith Burdette, president of the Wood County Economic Development Authority, said his office and the state are working with the company to find ways to keep it running. Burdette acknowledged the company was doing much of that on its own.

"Their going out of business sale — they should probably have one a year," he said. "The response from across the country has been phenomenal. They have had an incredible influx of orders."

Burdette admitted the state’s role in the company’s future is limited.

"We have put together a lot of different suggestions, but the bottom line is this is a family-owned business, not a public entity. The family has to decided how they want to proceed."

Like Fenton, Burdette said because of the spike in sales the company has more options than it had three months ago.

In July, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported Fenton Art Glass owed more than $157,000 in personal property tax and more than $72,000 in real estate tax. Fenton said the company is current on its real estate taxes, but still working on its personal property tax bill.

Burdette said Fenton is the name in the decorative art glass industry and its important to the area and the state to keep the company running.

Burdette said the state’s interest is not just in Fenton, but the West Virginia’s glass making industry. Burdette said the Mid-Ohio Valley was once home to almost 100 glass operations.

"The state is seeing an entire industry — part of West Virginia’s cultural history — lost," he said.

seicer

November 9th, 2007, 08:46 PM

Bridge project hasn’t stalled, officials say (http://weirtondailytimes.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=7673)
Warren Scott, Weirton Daily Times, November 08, 2007

WELLSBURG — Top officials with the West Virginia Department of Transportation told members of a citizens group promoting the development of a new Ohio River bridge between Brooke and Jefferson counties the project hasn’t stalled but will depend on millions of dollars to become a reality.

“If you hear rumors that high officials in Charleston are dragging their feet on this project, that’s not true,” said Jim Sothen, WVDOT deputy state highway engineer for development, who later added, “The rumor we’re slowing down on the project or don’t want it, I can deny categorically.”

Sothen told members of the Ohio River Bridge Task Force the state department is negotiating with HDR Engineering of Weirton to perform an environmental assessment to determine the best area south of Wellsburg in which to build the proposed span.

An earlier study commissioned by the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission and overseen by a volunteer committee of public officials, community leaders and citizens, determined the the best general location for the span would be from an unspecified area south of Wellsburg to the Brilliant area.

Sothen said it’s also not true that $18 million in federal funds allocated by U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., to plan and design the bridge could be used for a bridge in development in Kanawha County.

The federal funds secured by the two senators were earmarked specifically for a Brooke County bridge and can’t be used elsewhere, he said.

Sothen admitted there had been some discussion at the state level of whether to pursue the study because the school of thought under the present administration is to not waste money on studies for projects when there are no funds for construction, as is the case for the proposed Ohio River bridge.

Greg Bailey, director of the state Division of Highways’ engineering division, said during the environmental assessment, the engineering consultant will review the impact of the proposed bridge on various sites, investigating everything from traffic data to wildlife found there.

Bailey said he and other state highway officials hope HDR can begin the study in two to three months. He said it typically takes about two years to complete the environmental assessment.

Sothen said it typically takes 15 months to two years to design a bridge the size of the four-lane span needed to cross the Ohio River, but he noted at least $100 million still is needed for its construction.

He said the $18 million allocated by the two senators is expected to cover the costs for the environmental impact study, preliminary designs and possibly, some easements.

Sothen said the West Virginia Department of Transportation has allocated $600,000 also for the project, and the Ohio Department of Transportation is expected to finalize an agreement calling for it to commit the same amount.

He said Byrd set aside federal funds for several years for the Veterans Memorial Bridge, and federal funding also will be critical for the proposed new bridge, which is expected to cost at least $100 million.

Sothen said revenue for the state Department of Highways has increased only 1 to 1.5 percent, and more than 50 percent of its $600 million budget currently goes to routine maintenance.

Sothen said due to inflation, construction costs rise about $800 million each year, so the cost for the bridge will only increase with time.

Another concern is the advancing age of the Fort Steuben and Market Street bridges. An earlier study commissioned by BHJ found that despite the addition of the Veterans Memorial Bridge in more recent years, there is a strong need for another span, should the older bridges be closed.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has announced plans to close the Fort Steuben Bridge in 2009, saying repairs needed by the 100-year-old span have become too costly.

The West Virginia highway officials were asked whether there are plans to close the Market Street Bridge.

“The only thing we’ve said is when we open the Wellsburg bridge, we’re going to close it (the Market Street Bridge) if it’s still open then,” said Bailey.

Sothen said the state will do what’s needed to maintain its current weight limit of 5 tons, provided the bridge’s deterioration doesn’t accelerate to the point the weight restriction must be further reduced or the span must be closed for the public’s safety.

“I can’t say how many years. We hope it can stay open until the new bridge opens,” he said.

The state highway officials encouraged the group to petition federal officials for the needed funding.

Sothen was asked if the state had considered establishing the span as a toll bridge. He said though toll bridges were not uncommon in the past, they are prohibited by legislation adopted a number of years ago.

He said the issue arose when Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort had proposed a toll bridge in Hancock County several years ago.

Sothen said collecting tolls and forming partnerships with private entities to build the bridge, which would require new legislation, are among funding scenarios that have been considered and not entirely discarded.

Addressing another concern voiced by citizens, Sothen said it’s also not true that BHJ officials haven’t pushed hard enough for the project to be completed. He said John Brown, the planning commission’s executive director, and other BHJ officials frequently have expressed a strong interest in the project’s completion.

He said the planning commission also has made the state Department of Transportation’s work lighter for the project by commissioning preliminary studies showing the need for a new bridge and the best general location.

“You guys have really jumpstarted this project a lot with what BHJ has done,” agreed Bailey.

The two earlier studies were funded by the West Virginia and Ohio departments of transportation.

Sothen’s visit was arranged by state Del. Jack Yost, D-Brooke, who is among the mix of state and local officials and community members in the group.

Sothen said the West Virginia Department of Transportation is willing to send a representative regularly to the group’s meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the Brooke County Public Library.

seicer

November 9th, 2007, 08:53 PM

Parkways receives ‘very good audit’ (http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007110110)
By Tom Searls, Charleston Gazette, November 2, 2007

The state Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority Board received a glowing audit report Thursday.

Only five minor changes, most because of changes in accounting rules, were necessary, auditor John Galloway, with the firm Gibbons & Kawash, told board members.

“This was still a very good audit,” Galloway said.

His firm recommended the board have someone supervise entries in journals, though no problems were found. Greg Barr, the authority’s general manager, will now do so.

The firm also said the board needs a documented review of cash reconciliation and of payroll records, which are made by another firm. Galloway said those records need prior approval before being sent to the other firm to write payroll checks.

The board also needs to institute formal fraud risk assessment procedures and cash-testing, he said.

But the audit found no problems for the past fiscal year, ending June 30.

“The records were in solid condition and ready to be audited,” he said.

“I’m pleased with it,” Barr said of the audit.

Chairman Joe Martin said the board is still working on ways to turn around “operational deficits” of the Tamarack center at Beckley before handing it over to the state Department of Commerce to operate.

The authority owes about $9 million in bond payoffs for the structure.

“We have found a way to pay that off,” Martin said.

The authority will use reserve accounts and cash profits from gasoline and food sales at the travel plazas to payoff the bonded debt.

“The problem is $1 million to $1.5 million operational deficits,” Martin said.

Martin said authority staff has been working with Commerce staff to find a way to make the facility self-supporting. Martin believes that is possible in the near future.

Board members also agreed to continue having United Bank handle their investments for at least another six months. The bank has handled that for three years.

“It’s time to rebid it,” Barr said.

Martin said the authority could join the state’s Consolidated Investment Board, but will take the next six months to evaluate that.

Board members also agreed to continue a contract with The Arnold Agency, a public relations firm, for another six months. That contract is also ready to be rebid.

Ron Hamilton, director of engineering and maintenance, explained new attachments to salt trucks will be able to gauge how much salt is being used, or over-used to treat the highway.

“It’s a tremendous management tool,” he said.

The objective is to cut back on as much salt as possible.

“We can track salt usage down to the truck,” Hamilton said.

Authority members also awarded a $1.9 million contract for full-depth concrete repair to West Virginia Paving of Dunbar.

seicer

November 21st, 2007, 07:02 PM

Part of Bluefield’s history collapses (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_323211153.html)
By Samantha Perry, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, November 19, 2007

BLUEFIELD — Pieces of Bluefield’s history lay scattered across Bland Street Monday in the wake of the partial collapse of one of the city’s most architecturally unique buildings.

About one-quarter of the historic Old People’s Bank Building, located on the corner of Bland Street and Princeton Avenue, collapsed between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Monday morning. Built in 1895, the building was the oldest brownstone structure south of Charleston.

With the block around the building and Bland Street surrounded by vivid yellow “Caution” tape and “Road Closed” signs, city officials worked throughout the day to determine the current stability of the remaining standing section of the structure and to protect the public in the event the building crumpled again.

“We have a structural engineer on the way who will be here tomorrow,” Gerald Steele, city code enforcement officer, said Monday afternoon. The engineer examined the structure about a week ago and is “very aware of the weaknesses in the building.”

Steele said he believes the engineer will be “a pretty good source to give us a quick assessment of what we’re dealing with right now.”

About a 25-foot section on the west side of the 115-foot long building toppled from sidewalk to roof, Steele said, noting, “all the interior part of that section was involved in the collapse.”

Although the roof above the crumbled section did not fall, it is sagging above the collapsed section of the building, Steele said.

Questioned about the possible cause of the collapse, Steele did not hesitate in responding: “The section of the foundation on the right, in the center of the Bland Street side of the building, was in very poor condition due to water intrusion. We knew the building had a severe weak point.”

Chain-link fence, blocking access to the sidewalk around the building from pedestrians, was installed around the structure within the past year.

The city was in the process of obtaining the building from the Redeeming Life Church, and had received a grant of more than $100,000 to stabilize the structure, Bluefield Mayor Linda Whalen said.

“Of course I’m heartsick,” Whalen said. “I’m just so disappointed. We have been working well over a year trying to take possession of that building.”

Because the legal process of transferring ownership had not yet been completed, it appeared Monday the building was still owned by the church, Bluefield Manager Mark Henne said, citing a conference with the city’s attorney.

“To the best of my knowledge the process has not been completed,” Henne said. Because of this, “the church, it seems, would still have ownership.”

“While we were waiting to get ownership, we were doing what we could to protect the public,” Henne said. “And that is our main role now. Our public works and building code officials are looking to see what we can do to secure that area.

“Any more movement on that building and it could fall ... forward or backward,” Henne said.

Although there is a possible danger to Princeton Avenue, Henne said officials did not believe the structure would fall in that direction. Although one lane of Princeton Avenue was closed Monday, traffic continued to flow on the road.

With rubble from the collapse covering one lane of Bland Street and spilling into the second lane, the section of the road around the building was closed to traffic. Henne said the closed section of Bland Street would not be reopened until the building was evaluated and city officials spoke to authorities with the West Virginia Division of Highways.

Henne said no injuries were reported due to the collapse, which occurred “while the streets were sleeping.”

“We were fortunate, very, very, fortunate, that we didn’t have any of our building officials in there,” he said.

City employees have been working on the building in recent weeks. Just last week, Andre Stevenson, with the city’s inspection department, was boarding up windows near the top of the structure.

“I’m glad I wasn’t boarding it when it fell,” he said Monday morning, while flagging traffic around the closed roads surrounding the building.

“That building was the most beautiful building in Bluefield,” said 72-year-old Hunter Thomas, as he surveyed the damage around 9:30 a.m. Monday. “It’s a shame we had to lose it.”

“The way I look at it, I don’t think there’s anything that can be done with it,” said 67-year-old Bob Little, a lifelong resident of the area, as he took note of the giant gap in the building and debris scattered across the street. “As a child, I can remember looking down in the windows and watching the people work. It was one of the prettiest buildings in town.”

seicer

November 25th, 2007, 04:19 AM

This is a lead in on the next three articles...

City pursues legal action against church over historic structure (http://www.bdtonline.com/archivesearch/local_story_229222652.html)
By Bill Archer, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, August 17, 2006

BLUEFIELD — The city of Bluefield has brought litigation against a church in an attempt to force the church into taking action regarding an historic building, but the pastor of the church said the congregation doesn’t have the financial resources to comply with the city’s request.

The Bluefield board of directors instructed City Solicitor John Feuchtenberger to start legal proceedings to do some emergency structural work at the 1895-vintage Peoples Bank building at the corner of Bland Street and Princeton Avenue in the heart of the downtown Historic District. The Redeeming Life Christian Center purchased the old bank building along with two other buildings in the same block. The bank most recently housed Union Loan Co., while the others served as home to Southern Office Supply.

“It is one of the pivotal buildings in the Historic District,” Dr. C. Stuart McGehee said. McGehee, who serves as director of the Eastern Regional Coal Archives and sits on the board of the Bluefield Historic Landmarks Commission said that historic architectural scholars consider the Romanesque Revival structure to be “monumental” in significance. The building has been deteriorating rapidly in the past year, prompting alarms by city leaders.

“We’re not happy with the conditions of those buildings,” Bishop Fred Brown, pastor of Redeeming Life said. “What we’re saying is work with us. We need some help.”

Redeeming Life has been conducting services in the old Blank’s Building on the corner of Princeton Avenue and Federal Street for the past 12 years. Brown said that his church has the largest African American congregation in the city, but his youth-oriented ministry draws parishioners in their 20s and teens — a group, he said, that has modest means.

“I’m not paying attention to the city’s suit,” Brown said. “I understand city politics and I believe this to be all politics ... just a big political game. That’s why Bluefield is in the shape that it’s in. We have an attorney. If the city wants to take us to court, we’ll go to court.”

Brown said he met with city officials three weeks ago to discuss the situation. “They made an offer (on the building), and I made a counter-offer,” Brown said. “I didn’t hear back from them. I think their whole goal here is just to occupy the building,” Brown said. “What I’m saying is: ‘Just give us something.’ All of this could have been avoided with some simple cooperation.”

Feuchtenberger said the city has “repeatedly” attempted to resolve the issue with the church, but the church hasn’t responded to the city’s efforts. “I told them there is money available for historic restoration, but they must divest themselves of the building or form a 501(c)3 organization to own it,” Feuchtenberger said. “We can help get historic tax credits for a tax-free entity, but not for a religious group. The church doesn’t respond.”

In the meantime, Feuchtenberger said the second floor of the building is about to collapse. “We’ve got to get in there and put up props to prevent it from falling in,” Feuchtenberger said. “We’ve told the church we’re going to do it at their expense. We have no choice but to seek court action to get an injunction for an order of entry. The brownstone is on the verge of collapse. It is a serious situation. It’s beyond the ability of the church to do anything.”

Brown said the church is in the process of filing the necessary paperwork to form a tax exempt organization and Feuchtenberger said the city doesn’t want to sue a church, but the condition of the building is critical.

seicer

November 25th, 2007, 04:20 AM

Part of Bluefield’s history collapses (http://www.bdtonline.com/archivesearch/local_story_323211153.html)
By SAMANTHA PERRY, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, November 19, 2007

BLUEFIELD — Pieces of Bluefield’s history lay scattered across Bland Street Monday in the wake of the partial collapse of one of the city’s most architecturally unique buildings.

About one-quarter of the historic Old People’s Bank Building, located on the corner of Bland Street and Princeton Avenue, collapsed between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Monday morning. Built in 1895, the building was the oldest brownstone structure south of Charleston.

With the block around the building and Bland Street surrounded by vivid yellow “Caution” tape and “Road Closed” signs, city officials worked throughout the day to determine the current stability of the remaining standing section of the structure and to protect the public in the event the building crumpled again.

“We have a structural engineer on the way who will be here tomorrow,” Gerald Steele, city code enforcement officer, said Monday afternoon. The engineer examined the structure about a week ago and is “very aware of the weaknesses in the building.”

Steele said he believes the engineer will be “a pretty good source to give us a quick assessment of what we’re dealing with right now.”

About a 25-foot section on the west side of the 115-foot long building toppled from sidewalk to roof, Steele said, noting, “all the interior part of that section was involved in the collapse.”

Although the roof above the crumbled section did not fall, it is sagging above the collapsed section of the building, Steele said.

Questioned about the possible cause of the collapse, Steele did not hesitate in responding: “The section of the foundation on the right, in the center of the Bland Street side of the building, was in very poor condition due to water intrusion. We knew the building had a severe weak point.”

Chain-link fence, blocking access to the sidewalk around the building from pedestrians, was installed around the structure within the past year.

The city was in the process of obtaining the building from the Redeeming Life Church, and had received a grant of more than $100,000 to stabilize the structure, Bluefield Mayor Linda Whalen said.

“Of course I’m heartsick,” Whalen said. “I’m just so disappointed. We have been working well over a year trying to take possession of that building.”

Because the legal process of transferring ownership had not yet been completed, it appeared Monday the building was still owned by the church, Bluefield Manager Mark Henne said, citing a conference with the city’s attorney.

“To the best of my knowledge the process has not been completed,” Henne said. Because of this, “the church, it seems, would still have ownership.”

“While we were waiting to get ownership, we were doing what we could to protect the public,” Henne said. “And that is our main role now. Our public works and building code officials are looking to see what we can do to secure that area.

“Any more movement on that building and it could fall ... forward or backward,” Henne said.

Although there is a possible danger to Princeton Avenue, Henne said officials did not believe the structure would fall in that direction. Although one lane of Princeton Avenue was closed Monday, traffic continued to flow on the road.

With rubble from the collapse covering one lane of Bland Street and spilling into the second lane, the section of the road around the building was closed to traffic. Henne said the closed section of Bland Street would not be reopened until the building was evaluated and city officials spoke to authorities with the West Virginia Division of Highways.

Henne said no injuries were reported due to the collapse, which occurred “while the streets were sleeping.”

“We were fortunate, very, very, fortunate, that we didn’t have any of our building officials in there,” he said.

City employees have been working on the building in recent weeks. Just last week, Andre Stevenson, with the city’s inspection department, was boarding up windows near the top of the structure.

“I’m glad I wasn’t boarding it when it fell,” he said Monday morning, while flagging traffic around the closed roads surrounding the building.

“That building was the most beautiful building in Bluefield,” said 72-year-old Hunter Thomas, as he surveyed the damage around 9:30 a.m. Monday. “It’s a shame we had to lose it.”

“The way I look at it, I don’t think there’s anything that can be done with it,” said 67-year-old Bob Little, a lifelong resident of the area, as he took note of the giant gap in the building and debris scattered across the street. “As a child, I can remember looking down in the windows and watching the people work. It was one of the prettiest buildings in town.”

seicer

November 25th, 2007, 04:21 AM

Salvaging history comes at high cost (http://www.bdtonline.com/archivesearch/local_story_324203402.html)
By SAMANTHA PERRY, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, November 20, 2007

BLUEFIELD — In the wake of the partial collapse of the Old People’s Bank building in Bluefield, the future of the historic structure may ultimately boil down to dollars and cents.

After working with specialized engineers who toured the collapsed structure Tuesday, Gerald Steele, Bluefield city inspector and code enforcement officer, said the building may have a future but the financial cost would be high.

“I think it’s possible that the building can be saved, however it’s certainly going to be more expensive than we had anticipated a week ago,” he said. “It has been our intention all along to preserve the building, however we also have to accept the reality that, just like people, sometimes buildings reach the end of their life and simply can’t be saved.”

Steele said the cost of rebuilding the circa 1895 structure, located on the corner of Princeton Avenue and Bland Street, will be significant. “There just isn’t an inexpensive option available.”

About one-quarter of the historic building, the oldest brownstone structure south of Charleston, toppled in the early morning hours Monday. The collapse crushed a chain-link fence that had been installed to keep pedestrians off the sidewalk surrounding the building, and spread debris across Bland Street.

Since the incident, the block of Bland Street where the building is located has been closed to traffic. One lane of Princeton Avenue is also closed.

The collapse decimated the center portion of the 115-foot long building. On Tuesday, Steele and the engineers went up to the top floor of the back portion of the building using a rear stairwell. “That part of the building is pretty well intact,” he said. “Of course we can’t go into the front section (the part of the structure adjacent to Princeton Avenue) because the only staircase is in the rear.”

Upon close inspection, Steele said there did not appear to be any evidence of “fresh movement or new damage” to the front of the building.

Steele said the structural engineers will be preparing a written report that will list potential options and costs.

“If this wasn’t a historic, significant building it would be a pretty easy decision,” he said. “If we had lots of money laying around, this would be a pretty easy decision. But unfortunately neither of those is true, so we have to deal with the reality of the situation, and it’s going to take some time to reach the right decision.”

For more than a year, Bluefield officials had been working to acquire the building from the Redeeming Life Christian Center. Although a deal had been struck between the church and the city — and Bluefield had received a grant of more than $100,000 to stabilize the structure — the paperwork had not been finalized as of Monday, according to City Manager Mark Henne.

Because the legal transfer of ownership had not yet been completed, “the church, it seems, would still have ownership,” Henne told the Daily Telegraph Monday.

Bishop Frederick Brown, pastor of the church, declined to comment on ownership of the structure Tuesday pending a meeting with attorneys.

A resident of Charlotte, N.C., Brown said he had yet to view the damaged structure and was receiving information on the collapse of the building via telephone and Internet.

“This is just a bad situation for the city of Bluefield in general,” Brown said, citing the importance of the landmark to the community. “To suffer this type of damage and calamity, it’s a tragedy within itself.”

After conferring with West Virginia Division of Highways officials, Steele said the current road closures will remain in effect.

“I think there will be some additional signs going up in an effort to give people the best route to get in the downtown area for the shopping season,” he said, requesting the public’s patience and assistance as the city attempts to deal with the problem.

seicer

November 25th, 2007, 04:21 AM

See prior three articles on the historic building collapse.

Development could bring new life to parking garage (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_327203512.html)
By CHARLES OWENS, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, November 23, 2007

BLUEFIELD — A proposed economic development project for downtown Bluefield could require the long-term leasehold rights to the ground floor of the Princeton Avenue Parking Building.

The first floor of the parking facility is currently used by flea market vendors for the popular downtown flea market that runs each Saturday from the spring to the fall of each year. However, the city Board of Directors has scheduled a public auction for Tuesday, Dec. 4, for the long-term leasehold rights to 65 spaces on the first floor of the parking building.

The parking spaces would be used for a proposed new development in downtown Bluefield, Mayor Linda Whalen said.

“To get a new business in the downtown is huge,” Whalen said. “We are going to do what we can to make that happen.”

According to the public auction advertisement, the successful bidder’s proposal must include provisions for secure, safe, well-lighted parking for an adjacent new development of a “governmental, professional or business” structure to be constructed in the vicinity of the parking garage.

Whalen said the development is simply a proposal at this point. However, if it becomes a reality, and if the first floor of the parking garage is utilized, the city will find a solution for the flea market vendors, Whalen said.

“We have discussed that, and we are going to have to work that situation out,” Whalen said. “We don’t have the immediate solution, but it is something we intend to provide an option for. We don’t want to lose the flea market. That’s very good for the downtown. It is a service we want to keep providing.”

Whalen said if the proposed development for the downtown becomes a reality, the first floor of the parking building will have to be refurbished.

“That development has to happen before anything else changes,” Whalen said. “But we are having to do the legal work in preparation of that happening. If that happens, work has to start on the parking building as soon as possible to refurbish it.”

The city Board of Directors have not announced what the proposed economic development project is, or how many jobs it could create. The board voted last month to schedule the Dec. 4 public auction. It will begin at 7 p.m. at the Board of Directors meeting room at city hall.

seicer

December 5th, 2007, 02:57 AM

Fenton to accept orders for spring 2008 (http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new21_124200780856.asp)
Marietta Times, December 4, 2007

WILLIAMSTOWN — Fenton Art Glass will accept orders for spring 2008 and hopes to stay open well beyond that, according to an announcement released today by company President George Fenton.

“In the past two weeks, we’ve made important progress toward the financial restructuring of our company,” Fenton said. “There are several future hurdles, but we’re all hopeful that our company will be able to continue.”

Fenton announced in August that the 102-year-old company would close its doors by late October. Since then, however, Web sales have quintupled and the company received enough orders just from Aug. 9 to Sept. 1 to keep the remaining workers busy up through the present.

“People from all over the country have visited the Fenton Gift Shop in recent months, and we’re seeing many local friends, too,” Fenton said. “We wish to thank our dealers, collectors and neighbors for this surge in orders because these orders have been essential in giving us a chance to continue.”

Vice president of sales Scott Fenton said Monday afternoon that the company was looking once again at restructuring instead of closing.

“I want to stress that we’re not out of the woods, but we believe we’ve found a way to revive the company,” Fenton said Monday.

According to today’s release, Fenton Art Glass going forward will be smaller than it was and consist of two divisions — Fenton USA, dealing with glass made domestically, and Fenton International, dealing with imported glass and non-glass products. Each brand will be clearly marked.

“To complete the task of saving jobs at Fenton and serving our customers, we will need to reach agreements with our vendors and lenders,” George Fenton said. “We also appreciate the support and patience they have shown during this difficult time.”

He said the company currently employs about 120 people and wants to preserve those jobs. About 25 employees were laid off immediately after the announcement.

Sue Reynolds, 67, of Ravenswood, W.Va., is one of the customers that have helped support the company. She was shopping again Monday afternoon at the gift shop.

“I was devastated by the news that they were closing,” she said. “I plan to buy as much Fenton as I can for as long as I can. I love it.”

Also shopping Monday was Linda Palmer, 42, of Marietta.

“I’ve noticed that it’s been very busy in here since the news came out,” she said. “Even for a Christmas season, it’s busy. I think it’s one of those things where you just start to take it for granted and then you realize how important it is once you might lose it.”

Palmer said she’s been to the gift shop several times in recent months, shopping for the holidays.

“Everyone in my family has Fenton,” she said. “I grew up with it, like a lot of people in the area. The company means a lot to this area.”

seicer

December 9th, 2007, 05:27 AM

Area farmland panel acquires first conservation easement (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_341212927.html)
By Christian Giggenbach, Register-Herald, December 7, 2007

See also: Farmland Protection (www.farmlandprotection.org)

LEWISBURG — The Greenbrier County Farmland Protection Board has acquired its first conservation easement.

The conservation easement was bought from landowners Dianne and Robert Brownings for $196,000, according to GCFPB administrative assistant Melissa Scott. The Brownings also donated a portion of the easement to the board. Matching funds of $98,000 were provided by the U.S. National Resource Conservation Service.

The 140-acre plot of land is located about 3 miles northwest of Maxwelton and was recently assigned to the National Register of Historic Places.

“Conservation easements preserve farmland by transferring the development rights to a third party, such as the Farmland Protection Board,” Scott said in a news release. “There have been over 60 conservation easements placed on state farmland since the Legislature initiated the program in 2000.”

The protection program is funded through portions of the county’s real estate transfer tax which is used by the board to purchase conservation easements in the county, Scott said. Tax incentives are also given to those who donate easements to the board.

Scott said the board is currently working with a national conservancy organization to acquire a new 900-acre easement in the county.

“If that is accomplished, it would be the largest easement held by a county Farmland Protection Board,” Scott said.

For more information about protecting farmland, visit www.farmlandprotection.org.

seicer

December 9th, 2007, 05:29 AM

Historical group discusses impact of BIG project (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_340224146.html)
By Bill Billeter, Register-Herald, December 6, 2007

With planning for the Beckley Intermodal Gateway (BIG) project moving forward, members of the Beckley Historical Landmarks Commission met Thursday to review federal standards for the preservation of historic structures.

The standards, as defined by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, provide guidelines for any adjustment made to a historical structure, such as those within Beckley’s downtown National Historic District.

The commission oversees construction within the district to ensure the standards are met — that historic buildings retain their essential characteristics, and that new construction is compatible with existing architecture.

One concern, explained commission president David Sibray, is the city’s future plans for the BIG project. Among some of the suggestions which have recently been discussed for the project are construction of a recreated “Coaltown” along with a new parking facility, cultural center and city hall to be situated between Neville Street and Robert C. Byrd Drive — the historic district boundaries.

“What should be done in that area should be appropriate for a historical district,” Sibray said. “It’s a whole different set of considerations building there (historical district) than building anywhere else.”

Because the BIG project is using federal funding to build within a historic district, the project design plan must be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office, said Chris Knorr, a structural historian with the office.

But the preservation office cannot require any design changes, and only makes suggestions, Knorr said.

During Thursday’s meeting, Knorr provided a detailed presentation on the federal standards for historic structure preservation. Those who own structures in a historic district must submit their construction plans and have them approved by the state preservation office in order to receive tax credits.

The guidelines address everything from the types of materials used to floor plan design, and apply to any preservation, restoration, or reconstruction of a historic structure. The standards encourage owners of historic buildings to maintain the historic and architectural integrity of their structures.

After Knorr’s presentation, the commission members walked down Neville Street to review some of the construction done in recent years. Some of the buildings represented successes for the commission. The building owners had submitted their design plans to the commission, received their approval, and tastefully renovated a historic office.

Other buildings slipped through the cracks, the commission said, as their owners had either completed construction without commission approval or simply surged ahead with renovations done without regard to historic preservation.

“We’ve got to illustrate to the people of the town that this is a National Historic District, and a national treasure,” said Sibray. “We’re not just taking care of it for the city, but for the nation.”

seicer

December 9th, 2007, 05:31 AM

Brownstone demolition: Adjoining building impacted (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_341211254.html)
By Bill Archer and Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, December 7, 2007

BLUEFIELD — The demolition project involving the historic brownstone on Princeton Avenue at Bland Street in Bluefield doubled in size and scope Friday as a common wall between the old bank and a former office furniture showroom next door collapsed.

The demoliton of the brownstone was about 90 percent complete when a partial collapse of the old Southern Office Supply building occurred, according to Gerald Steele, Bluefield’s building code official.

“We knew there was a real danger because there was no way to tell how the buildings were constructed as far as the common wall,” Steele said. “Actually, the brownstone is about 90 percent down. We really thought we were out of the woods on that part. But the wall supporting the adjoining building to the brownstone gave way, and part of that roof collapsed.”

Empire Salvage started razing the 1895-vintage brownstone early Friday afternoon in a steady downpour that kept most sightseers away from the demolition project. However, a few people — including Marc Meachum, president and CEO of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, came out to watch the process.

“I sent my brother-in-law, Murray Whitehill, a few pictures of the building when it collapsed a few weeks ago,” Meachum said.

A portion of an exterior wall on the brownstone collapsed some time early on the morning of Nov. 19, prompting the city and state Division of Highways officials to shut down traffic on part of Princeton Avenue, and re-route traffic in an around the heart of the downtown historic district.

“Murray takes a lot of pictures of the area,” Meachum said. “He’s interested in the coal mines and he’s interested in the architecture of Bluefield. He was heartbroken when he saw the pictures of the old bank building. I think everyone was.”

Steele said the second structure had been vacant for several years.

“We don’t know whether it was the weight of the roof that caused the wall to collapse, or whether the wall was just not capable of supporting what was left,” Steele said.

While things were going according to plan, Steele was watching the demolition from behind the safety area established by Empire.

“Once we got into it, we saw that the stone was in pretty poor condition, so there wasn’t much hope of being able to save much of it,” Steele said. “In the two days before Empire started tearing it down, we could see visible movement in the roof. We have confidence in Empire. They’ve done this before.”

Steele said he was sad that the building had to come down. “Several of us spent a lot of time and effort trying to save it, but there wasn’t any hope,” he said. “This is a sad day for Bluefield.”

Steele said that he hoped that the demolition crews would be finished with the work by late Sunday evening or early Monday. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the roads and streets back open and get our traffic flow back to normal,” Steele said.

Southern Office Supply and Southern Printing owned all three buildings and rented the former Pedigo Building to Union Loans.

The business changed hands at least once before the Redeeming Life Church acquired the vacant buildings. The city acquired the bank building from the church in 2006, and attempted to stabilize it and preserve the structure. Steele said the church deeded the other two buildings over to the city this week.

seicer

December 17th, 2007, 12:16 AM

Changing cityscape (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_349192840.html)
As history crumbles, options open for downtown’s future
By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, December 15, 2007

BLUEFIELD — Amidst the debris, the face of the city’s historic downtown district has forever changed.

The demolition of two landmarks has left a gapping void near Princeton Avenue. Now, city officials must determine what if anything will be constructed at the site of the former brownstone and the old Southern Office Supply building.

A number of ideas are already being tossed around, including a possible railroad overlook for tourists visiting the city.

“When the brownstone was still standing, the thought was to put a railroad overlook in there, and to create a tourist destination,” Art Riley, head of the Downtown Merchant’s Association, said. “I would like to see that area come back with a gift shop, or perhaps a little restaurant or a snack bar of some type. I do feel that the railroad overlook would be a nice attraction to downtown Bluefield. You have people in the downtown everyday standing over the bridge, and taking pictures of the train. It’s a great attraction. We have a rather unique rail-yard. We need to put something in there that will attract folks to downtown Bluefield.”

Riley said city officials need to start making plans now for what will be developed at the site.

However, officials still have several more obstacles to overcome before making a final decision on what will replace the brownstone and the old office supply building, City Manager Mark Henne said.

“We’ve got to fill a major hole,” Henne said. “There was a basement in the second structure. It’s about 10 feet deep. We’ve got to make some decisions about what we are going to do there. The city is getting proposals right now. We don’t have a choice. We also need to secure the wall of the remaining structure.”

Henne said filling the large hole and securing the remaining structures is the first priority for the city.

“I guess the main thing is public safety,” Henne said. “Getting this down and getting the roads reopened and making sure we secure that next building so we don’t have another issue.”

However, Henne said the city will have to market the site of the former brownstone and office supply building site, and determine a suitable replacement development for the area.

“I think we are going to try to market it,” Henne said. “It’s a good site. It’s an excellent site. We need to be positive when we look upon it. While we are saddened by the demise of the historic brownstone, we certainly have to look at the future and new opportunities for our downtown.”

seicer

December 17th, 2007, 12:24 AM

Wheeling Island Plans for Expansion of Complex (http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=32517)
$25 million hotel expansion includes another 150 rooms, a spa and meeting spaces.
By Linda Harris, State Journal, December 13, 2007

Even before its table games are up and running, the head of Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack says hotel expansion is on the horizon.

President and General Manager Robert Marshall said the racetrack plans to break ground next year on a $25 million hotel expansion.

"It will add another 150 rooms, a spa and meeting spaces," he said.

But that won't come until after Wheeling Island's table games launch. Pending state approval, that's expected to take place Dec. 20. A trial run benefiting local charities will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 17 and 18.

"It's really exciting," he said. "Once we get past table games, we can start focusing on our core facility. Our research team has put in a lot of the time and attention to make sure table games open up in a few weeks, and once we get past that, we'll be focused on future expansion of the facility."

For the time being, at least, he said those plans don't involve the football stadium next to Wheeling Island's gaming complex.

"At this time we have no interest in it; that's just a rumor that keeps popping up," he said. "We don't have it in our plan."

Meanwhile, Marshall said all of the equipment company needs to run table games is in place.

"When we pull down the curtains ... we will be a full-fledged casino with table games, slot machines, poker rooms, restaurants and, of course, our racing," he said. "We really will be the complete casino in the area."

Wheeling Island traditionally has drawn the bulk of its customer base from the Pittsburgh area, but attendance had waned in the months since a slot casino opened just minutes from Wheeling at a harness racing track in Washington, Pa. While the end of the year typically brings a slowdown, Marshall expects the track's numbers to rebound after table games are fully operational.

To stay ahead of the Pennsylvania competition, he said, means ensuring "you have a nice facility and friendly employees that create an atmosphere people want to come back to."

"At some point, the Meadows (the Pennsylvania slot parlor) will have a full-fledged casino, probably within a year or two," he said. "Then they'll have slots, a hotel ... a nice facility ... but they still won't have table games for a period of time, if ever."

That gives Wheeling Island time for a big head start, he said.

"There's a lot going on at our facility, and it's just going to get greater," he said.

The new hotel tower should create another 50 to 100 jobs, Marshall added. That's on top of the 450 people who currently work on site.

"Employment has exceeded expectations of the number of jobs we would create" with the addition of poker and table games, he said.

"I'm not sure people have realized it yet. Everybody is just happy with where we are and how we are doing it."

seicer

December 17th, 2007, 05:56 PM

Supporters say Capitol can be profitable (http://www.hsconnect.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=20305)
By Casey Junkins, Herald-Star, December 16, 2007

WHEELING — Hydie Friend believes the future of the Capitol Music Hall and the future of downtown Wheeling go hand-in-hand, and Carl Nix is still waiting for someone to step forward to purchase the venue.

Unlike many past Decembers, there will be no holiday extravaganzas held this year at the Capitol, which was closed in May by current owner Live Nation due to 23 fire code violations reported by the Wheeling Fire Department.

Friend, executive director of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp., believes the Capitol must be purchased, repaired and reopened.

‘‘Any downtown revitalization plan must include a plan for getting the Capitol Music Hall going again,’’ she said.

Nix, real estate agent with Harvey Goodman Realtor, said there have been no offers to buy the venue since Wheeling dentist Dr. Manny Velez and his partners backed out on their deal to purchase the Capitol on Sept. 19.

‘‘I have only shown the Capitol three times since the deal with Dr. (Manny) Velez and the others fell through in September,’’ Nix said.

Nix knows buying the Capitol would require a significant investment because, in addition to the $850,000 asking price, there are numerous repairs and upgrades that are required to be made by the new owners upon acquiring the property.

Estimates on those repairs and upgrades are as high as $5 million.

Throughout June and July, Nix marketed the Capitol on behalf of Live Nation, based in Beverly Hills, Calif. In August, Velez announced that he — along with Theresa and Jim Childers of Bellaire — had signed an agreement with Live Nation to purchase the Capitol. He said they wanted to have it up and running again by October. However, the contract Velez and the Childerses signed on July 31 expired on Sept. 19, placing the venue back on the market.

On Aug. 23, City Manager Robert Heron released a list of repairs and upgrades concerning fire code issues compiled by Fire Chief Larry Helms that anyone wishing to reopen and operate the theater must perform. Included on the list are sprinkler system, lighting and electrical upgrades that city officials say will make the venue safe for employees and patrons.

Despite the required repairs, Nix is convinced the Capitol can still be a profitable venue.

‘‘People like the small venue there and the good acoustics, so I think someone could still make money on it as long as they can bring in the right acts,’’ he said.

seicer

December 17th, 2007, 07:08 PM

City submits grant to upgrade square, recapture popularity (http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/501794.html?nav=5006)
The grant calls for new square sidewalks, curbs and landscaping.
By Michael C. Lewis, Journal, December 15, 2007

MARTINSBURG — For generations, the intersection at King and Queen streets played home to crowds of people who often gathered around the old band stand on the square to listen to the lyrics of musicians or to hear rants from politicians.

The historic town square of Martinsburg created a distinctive public area for a variety of events throughout the past civic life of the community, said City Manager Mark Baldwin, who recently applied for a grant that would help recapture the popularity of the square.

Before the landscape on the square included the public library or BB&T bank, the band stand drew the masses and marked the downtown days of yesteryear.

Harmonious melodies, often led by William McAnny whose tunes people heard and said tears were shed, echoed down the streets. Once when the music stopped, the high-pitched squeaky voice of reformer Theodore Roosevelt could be heard from the rooftops as he campaigned for the U.S. presidency at the turn of the 20th century.

Phil Martin, chairman of the Martinsburg Housing Authority, said the square has changed much over the years, yet the structures that he remembers most from his childhood days are the Berkeley County Courthouse, the Rear Admiral Charles Boarman House and the post office, now the home of the Arts Centre, where he would play in the old revolving door.

“I think the square needs to be a shrine, more than a place,” he said. “It needs to be a statue of Berkeley County. It’s so old and unique.”

The grant, part of a transportation enhancement program with the West Virginia Department of Transportation, would be used to upgrade the square and improve pedestrian and vehicular travel with new sidewalks and curbs for safer passage.

If approved, more than $650,000 would be earmarked for the pedestrian project, which also includes the installation of new street lights and cross signals as well as landscaping with trees, shrubs, flower beds, groundcover and park benches.

“We want to make the downtown square more pedestrian and event-friendly,” said Baldwin who wrote in his grant proposal that the project will enhance the private investment and the tourism industry of downtown. “This project is part of the downtown plan.”

Construction could begin as early as late 2008 or the beginning of 2009, if the grant is approved, Baldwin said. If denied, then he said the city will wait and reapply.

The first application for the same grant was denied in 2005, when the city was using Department of Transportation funds to upgrade the sidewalks and parking lot surrounding the Caperton Train Station in downtown.

“This project could be the first phase of several downtown projects. It’s part of a larger picture,” he said.

seicer

December 19th, 2007, 06:30 PM

See also: Related thread (http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/Parkersburg-insurance-t38691.html&hl=parkersburg) on the background of the project

The building will be 127,000 sq. ft. The new office will have space for 760 employees and include training and conference rooms, an in-house printing facility, a data center and a walk-in customer service center. The building will include a corner plaza with decorative paving, landscaping, outdoor seating and a fountain. It could also house a restaurant or retail center.

Construction for Blue Cross to begin in ’08 (http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/500172.html?nav=5054)
Parkersburg News and Sentinel, December 19, 2007

PARKERSBURG — A $19.3 million contract has been awarded for the construction of the new Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters in downtown Parkersburg.

The contract went to G.A. Brown and Son Inc., based in Fairmont, W.Va., according to Mountain State and the Wood County Development Authority.

Construction is expected to begin in early January at the location on Seventh and Market streets. Current plans indicate Mountain State will be able to move into the new building in March 2009.

“G.A. Brown met and exceeded all of our guidelines. We look forward to working with them,” said Gregory K. Smith, president and CEO of Mountain State.

Premiums will not increase as a result of constructing the new headquarters.

“When searching for the appropriate contractor for this project, there were several factors we considered,” Smith said. “The first and most important (factor) was our preference for using a West Virginia company with extensive experience in the state. While the project was bid as a prevailing wage contract, it was also important that the general contractor would be familiar with local trades and area subcontractors.”

In addition to its current corporate headquarters that is over 100 years old, Mountain State leases space in three additional downtown sites. The new building will consolidate the company’s 675 Parkersburg-based employees into one building, enhancing operating efficiencies.

Mountain State initiated an independent review with assistance from a development company when considering the possibility of constructing a new headquarters.

The review concluded that a new building would improve operational efficiencies and would result in lower facility operating costs. Based on initial estimates, annual costs associated with operating the new facility are projected to be 20 percent less per year over the next 10 years than current costs.

The total cost of the project, including furniture, equipment and fixtures is expected to be less than $27 million.

Some of G.A. Brown’s past projects include general construction of Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park Resort, renovations and additions to Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital, Fairmont General Hospital and Tucker County High School.

Mountain State is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Mountain State provides or administers coverage to more than 450,000 West Virginians and has nearly 1,000 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton.

seicer

January 7th, 2008, 04:44 AM

New WVSOM building on tap for ’09 (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_003225746.html)
By Christian Giggenbach, Register-Herald [Beckley], January 3, 2007

LEWISBURG — Groundbreaking ceremonies for a new $9.3 million facility at the West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine have been scheduled for late February or early March, officials announced Thursday.

The college’s new Center for Clinical Evaluation will be constructed by Radford and Radford of Beckley and used exclusively as an instructional facility, WVSOM President Olen E. Jones said.

“This new facility will place WVSOM’s instructional facilities for medical education on the cutting edge,” Jones said.

The 19,000-square-foot building will include 24 examination rooms outfitted with video cameras to be used for student evaluations, laboratories to accommodate six new robot-simulated patients and a 105-space parking area.

Larry Kelley, WVSOM vice president for finance and facilities, said the $9.3 million will come directly from the college’s “institutional accumulations” fund for one-time expenditures.

“These funds come from a combination of student tuition fees along with general revenue that is appropriated from the state Legislature,” Kelley said Thursday.

Kelley said the recent doubling of the college’s class size, combined with a 5 percent tuition increase, are two contributing factors allowing for the construction of the new facility. In 2006, tuition fees accounted for $10.9 million in revenue, but in 2007, with the influx of about 100 new students, it increased to about $16.4 million.

Kelley said as of last June, total expenditures for fiscal year 2007 at the college were $20.6 million and operating revenues were about $26 million.

“The college is debt-free,” Kelley added. “Plus, it’s important to note that with the doubling of the class size that the faculty also had to increase.”

School officials said under Jones’ 20-year tenure 19 campus construction and renovation projects have been completed, totaling about $38.3 million. The campus has grown from one main building to its current 12 facilities spread over 44 acres.

The school’s current undertaking will be the costliest construction to date since Jones became president, public relations specialist Jeffrey D. Cobb said.

Previous price tags included the Center for Rural Medicine and Technology building, $6.4 million; expansion of the Robert C. Byrd Clinic, $6.6 million; the original Robert C. Byrd Clinic, $4 million; and the renovation of its anatomy lab; $3.1 million.

“This new facility will be a great addition to our campus and absolutely enhance the clinical training received by our medical students,” Jones said.

The new facility is scheduled to be completed by May 2009. Future projects at the school include the expansion of the Founders Activity Center, he on-campus gym used by students, faculty and staff.

seicer

January 7th, 2008, 08:02 PM

Group seeks support for study (http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/502407.html?nav=5006)
Aim is to preserve estates that once belonged to Washington or his family
By Beth Henry, The Journal, January 4, 2008

CHARLES TOWN — Jefferson County commissioners unanimously supported an effort on Thursday that could be one of the first steps in preserving four “national treasures” by creating a park made of historic Washington family properties.

A group of concerned citizens fear development could threaten four estates that once belonged to President George Washington or members of his family, and they hope to preserve the properties with the help of the federal government and the community.

Area residents Kit McGinnis of the National Park Trust and Curt Mason from the Friends of Happy Retreat said the next step for the park project will involve seeking a federal feasibility study with the help of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.

If such a study is established through federal legislation, McGinnis said it would examine the acquisition, restoration and management of the historic Claymont Court Mansion, the Blakeley Mansion, Happy Retreat and Rock Hall.

McGinnis told county commissioners Thursday that having a national park that showcases the first president’s heritage and impact on the young nation was an exciting prospect.

“It really is unique,” McGinnis said, referring to the rich history that the Washington family has in Jefferson County. “I don’t think it’s been nationally recognized yet.”

She said she hopes to make the family’s legacy more well-known throughout the country by joining the four properties in one of three ways: by including the Washington properties in an expansion of the nearby Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; by associating the estates with a national heritage area, or by creating a new park called the Washington Family Legacy National Park.

McGinnis said the owners of the four properties have all been approached about the idea and are in favor of the federal study and the potential for saving the homes’ heritage for future generations.

Commission President Frances Morgan, who began her second term as president on Thursday, said after the meeting that the Washington park effort ties in perfectly with the vision she has for the county in terms of preserving the area’s history and open space while attracting heritage tourism.

“It’s a wonderful initiative,” Morgan said.

Mason said Thursday afternoon that the idea of trying to enlist federal help in preserving, acquiring and protecting the properties isn’t entirely new.

“It’s been kind of simmering for a while,” he said, noting it was McGinnis, a land project manager for the National Park Trust, who approached the current property owners and made a push for a federal study. The trust is a national land conservancy

McGinnis, who lives in Charles Town, has experience working with the Claymont Mansion, which is owned by The Claymont Society. The estate is open to the public as a retreat and education center. The Claymont Mansion was built in 1820 by Bushrod Washington, one of the president’s grandnephews.

Facing Claymont is another Washington home, the Blakeley property. It now includes 115 acres, and it was also built in the 1820s by another one of the president’s grandnephews, John Augustine Washington. The current owners recently listed the property for sale.

A third property involved with the park efforts is Happy Retreat, which was built in the 1780s by Charles Washington, the founder of Charles Town and the youngest brother of George Washington. The owners of Happy Retreat have agreed to give the Friends of Happy Retreat nonprofit agency the option to raise funds and purchase the property, but Mason said the group’s fundraising efforts have been a bit of a challenge.

The fourth family estate was one of George Washington’s own. He bought The Bullskin Plantation, now known as Rock Hall, in 1750. It was his first purchase of land in his own name, and there are 447 acres of the original 500 acres at the site.

Mason said adding three more properties into the preservation effort makes it very attractive from a potential park approach.

McGinnis said the properties by themselves are valuable, but the four of them together can create much more excitement and national interest. She plans to seek more support soon from the city councils in Charles Town, Ranson, Harpers Ferry, Bolivar and Shepherdstown.

She also hopes to meet with Byrd in coming weeks to discuss the possible federal study, which could take an average of six months to two years.

“It’s sort of a first step to show that this is nationally significant,” she said.

seicer

January 9th, 2008, 07:13 PM

3 companies set dates for moving into Fairmont technology park (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x808407282)
Herald-Dispatch, January 9, 2007

Twin towers costing $25 million at Fairmont’s I-79 Technology Park should see their first tenants by spring.

Raymond A. Oliverio with the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation says defense and aerospace company Northrop Grumman plans to move in on March 1.

Technology company Electronic Warfare Associates will move in a month later, followed on June 1 with the national security and technology company ManTech.

The four-story twin towers are connected by a 6,000-foot conference center with two rooftop gardens for open-air meetings and lunch breaks.

About 1,000 workers now occupy seven buildings at the 500-acre complex.

seicer

January 10th, 2008, 02:50 AM

Pineville given grant to improve city’s main street (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_008205648.html)
By Mary Catherine Brooks, Register-Herald, January 8, 2007

PINEVILLE — The main street of Wyoming County’s seat will get a new look by the end of summer, though the project has been in the making the past five years.

The streetscape project will include benches, bricked streets, flowers and new signage, creating a more attractive environment and adding to the hometown atmosphere.

With funding from a $226,000 state grant, town officials hope construction on the downtown project will begin in the spring, according to Mayor Tim Ellison. The town will provide a 20 percent match, he explained.

“This will be the first renovation in 50 years that I know about,” Ellison said of the revitalization.

“We wanted to really show off the town and brighten the looks. We hope it will bring more business into town.”

Officials hosted an open house Dec. 28 to showcase the streetscape plans and obtain feedback from local business and property owners.

The design was created by Chapman Technical Group of St. Albans.

Businesses in St. Albans, where a similar project was completed, did see an increase in business, according to Joseph E. Bird, vice president of Chapman Technical Group.

“It makes it more attractive to come and shop,” Bird explained.

Over the coming years, as funding becomes available, the entire town will be similarly landscaped and transformed, Ellison noted.

Phase two will take the renovation effort toward town hall, along Rockcastle Creek; phase three will go toward east Pineville.

Ellison said town officials are also working on a grant that will fund burying all power lines and erecting decorative street lights to make further improvements.

More information is available at town hall or by phoning 732-6255.

g-man430

January 10th, 2008, 02:51 AM

^^:goodnight Boring.

seicer

January 12th, 2008, 05:52 AM

Heartland Corridor construction begins (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x375258901)
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, Herald-Dispatch, January 10, 2008

The Heartland Corridor construction is getting under way.

Work has begun to raise tunnels in Virginia and in southern West Virginia between Antler and Gordon, according to Norfolk Southern Corp., which has been working with local, state and federal government officials on the project.

Meanwhile, the state of West Virginia has received the results of a survey about the economic impact of the corridor on the state. But officials are still about six months away from a decision about whether changes are needed in Prichard to make way for the intermodal facility planned there.

The Heartland Corridor project involves improvements in railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so that trains can carry more goods. Tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers. The public-private partnership also will include construction of three intermodal facilities for easier transfer of containers between rail, roadways, rivers and airways. One is planned for nearby Prichard, while two others are planned for Roanoke, Va., and Columbus.

Officials hope it will be completed in 2010.

National benefits are that it would create a quicker route for businesses that need to ship, cutting about 200 miles from the route they travel now, officials said. It also would mean more goods moving by rail rather than highways, decreasing congestion on the highways, as well as air pollution.

An economic impact study was conducted by Global Insight on West Virginia's portion of the Heartland Corridor -- including the raised tunnels for double-stacked containers and the intermodal facility in Prichard.

It suggested that the Prichard facility could create 700 to 1,000 new jobs in West Virginia and eventually bring about $12 million in annual savings for shippers into and out of West Virginia, said Patrick Donovan, director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority.

"Freight transportation is the backbone of America's commerce, and the nation's economy has transitioned from a manufacturing economy to a trading economy. The goal today is to move goods quickly and cost-effectively into, out of, and through the U.S. and to allow any community or industry to be served by freight to or from anywhere in the world," the study says.

The results of the study indicate that a $30 million investment in the Prichard Intermodal Terminal will generate a statewide benefit of $47 million to $69 million by 2025, it said.

Those are conservative estimates, Donovan said. For one thing, it only considers West Virginia, because West Virginia paid for the study. But parts of Kentucky and Ohio will benefit from the project as well, he said.

The economic impact of the facility in Prichard should spill into an egg shape around the Interstate 64 corridor. State Sen. Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, thinks the region will see more like 1,500 to 2,000 jobs as the years go by. Front Royal, Va., has an intermodal facility that has brought in 5,000 new jobs over the past 15 years, Donovan said. That facility is larger than the proposed center at Prichard, but thousands of jobs is a realistic projection, he said.

It's all about the businesses that will settle around the intermodal facility, Donovan said. They expect distribution centers for stores like Wal-Mart or Home Depot to pop up.

"What you'll see is a traditional warehouse distribution center, about 500,000 to 750,000 square feet under roof and about 350 full-time employees making $18 to $22 an hour," Donovan said. "It's a pretty decent job. You don't need a college degree."

Those jobs will include drivers and warehouse workers.

Plymale said the economic impact study is encouraging.

"And the next session, I want to make sure we're putting a package together from Senate Bill 569 last year," he said. "How do you make sure we're completing the Prichard facility by 2010?"

Senate Bill 569, approved by the General Assembly in 2007, provides $4.3 million per fiscal year through 2016. This first fiscal year, $2.15 million was allotted, but the following years, the full $4.3 million will be provided, Plymale said. Norfolk Southern has already put $49.5 million of its own money into the tunnel clearance project, with a $90 million match in federal funds. The tunnel clearance project is estimated at $151 million, Norfolk Southern says.

In Prichard, the focus right now is on an environmental impact study.

About 100 people turned up at a meeting in July to learn about how the project would affect their daily lives -- whether it would increase train traffic significantly and whether properties will be acquired. Plymale said at the time that Norfolk Southern has donated 78 acres to the port authority, and the authority already has 20-plus. But it hasn't yet been determined if that land will be a sufficient footprint for the intermodal facility, which would sit between the river and the train tracks.

"Once the studies are complete, we should do an update on that, but it's premature to do that now," he said.

The facility will be owned by the state port authority, but it's likely to be a public-private agreement, Donovan said.

Meanwhile, the Wayne County Economic Development Authority will prepare a resolution to begin road improvements for 8.1 miles of U.S. 52 from Kenova to about a mile past Prichard at Hammonds Bottom. It should all be four lanes to accommodate traffic near the facility, Plymale said.

"When we have all the facts, we'll go full speed ahead on a campaign to get 52 upgraded," said Bob Trocin, executive director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority. "We intend to meet with Legislators and federal representatives. We're going to establish a letter writing campaign and encourage people to write because that's the best source of encouragement, though I think all our state senators and delegates know what the need is."

Most of the reaction that Plymale has heard from people in the Prichard area about the intermodal facility has been favorable, Plymale said.

"From an area standpoint, from the Chamber of Commerce to labor and all groups, they've all been encouraged by the fact that we could have the potential for these kinds of jobs," he said.

Trocin agreed.

"I spend a lot of time in the Prichard area and know a lot of people there, and they're all anxious to see something happen there. They have questions in their mind: Will this really happen? The answer is yes."

seicer

January 25th, 2008, 08:22 PM

Berkeley Springs streetscape vision draws public interest (http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/502990.html?nav=5006)
The Journal, January 23, 2008

BERKELEY SPRINGS — There’s apparently strong public interest in the Town of Bath’s streetscape project — 60 people showed up at the Country Inn in Berkeley Springs last week for a workshop on the proposal designed to revitalize downtown.

Infrastructure improvements will include everything from sidewalks to pedestrian crossings to curbs and bringing the streets and sidewalks into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The five-phase project includes improvements through 2012.

Neil M. Beach and Eric S. Lord, co-project managers from Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, which was awarded the streetscape enhancement project for the Town of Bath, were on hand to share the scope of the project and obtain feedback from residents on it.

Those at the interactive workshop were given a chance to share what they thought were the town’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with regards to downtown infrastructure. The SWOT analysis activity generated a great deal of feedback by those attending the workshop.

Trucks using the downtown thoroughfare constitute weaknesses, opportunities and threats, said Berkeley Springs resident Glenn Ryburn.

“Take out the trucks and traffic takes care of itself,” Ryburn said.

Community leader and business owner Jeanne Mozier said Berkeley Springs can “be a very livable, walkable place.”

Town of Bath Councilwoman Nancy Harvey said supporting the historic downtown district is a wonderful opportunity.

Residents were also surveyed on visual preferences of downtown landscapes from other municipalities.

The purpose of the workshop was threefold: “to provide an overview of the program, goals and schedule; introduce the consulting firm who will be doing the planning, design and construction management; and to gain initial input into the process from you,” according to area streetscape committee organizers.

“We hope it will be extremely successful in our community,” said Larry Lower of the streetscape project. Lower is a member of the streetscape committee; Sally Marshall and Garnet Marsh, co-chair the committee.

Rebecca MacLeod, a member of streetscape, noted that the historic community is based on water.

“The diversity of Berkeley Springs is very welcoming,” she said.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation has given the green light for the work to be funded by a $200,000 grant funded under the Transportation Enhancement Program.

Phase I includes development of design guidelines for the entire town, use of those guidelines to prepare plans and specifications for Wilkes Street from Fairfax Street to W.Va. 9 East along with the cross streets of Independence and Congress eastward to Washington Street and overview of the construction of those improvements.

The streetscape committee hopes to have Phase I completed by the end of the year.

seicer

January 25th, 2008, 08:22 PM

Builders share complex vision (http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/502801.html?nav=5006)
Officials discuss developing the Interwoven Mills site in Martinsburg.
By Michael C. Lewis, The Journal, January 17, 2008

MARTINSBURG — Martha Wanger, of Inwood, never imagined that one day the sewing department where she spent nearly 22 years of her professional career might become home to what area developers are touting as a community center for commerce in Martinsburg.

Representatives from Ridgecrest Investments shared their vision for the development of the Interwoven Mills to members of the City Club of Martinsburg during a luncheon at the Shenandoah Hotel on Wednesday.

Property managers Lori Zaleski and Mike Muren, both employees of Ridgecrest Investments, expressed their enthusiasm for a project that will renovate 19 buildings of more than 450,000 square feet of space, nearly 11 acres.

The complex is an ideal location for stores, restaurants, offices, call centers or any service business, Zaleski said, adding that nearly 500 spaces of free parking are included on site.

Ridgecrest Investments specializes in searching out and purchasing under-utilized properties in hopes of rehabbing them “to get people back in them,” she said.

The company, which is based in Frederick, Md., purchased the Interwoven Mills site in November 2006 from Hagerstown businessman Vincent Groh, who had owned the property since 1999.

Zaleski would not disclose the amount paid, other than to affirm, “in the millions.”

“The first day I walked in (the Interwoven Mills), it wasn’t a pretty site,” she said. “I have to say this is the most challenging project I’ve had to work on. We’ve come a long way.”

Zaleski noted the recent renovation of 25,000 square feet along Winchester Avenue where Laber’s Furniture store and Barbara Bradley’s Nutmeg Lodge have taken up residence, and she said plans are in the works for a bicycle shop to fill out the shopping plaza.

“We wanted to tackle a single building rather than start with one of the main buildings so we could get a sense of the process in Martinsburg for permitting and inspections,” she said. “This city has been wonderful to work with.”

Wanger, who worked in both the Interwoven Mills and the adjacent Perfection Garment Factory from 1961 until the complex closed in 1983, revisited her roots during a tour and open house of the facility Saturday.

“It was really exciting to see the cutting room all finished,” said Wanger, who now works in management and production at Idearc Media, a worldwide leading print and online directory publisher. “I used to board socks to make them fit at the Interwoven Mills and then I went into sewing dresses at the garment factory.”

Muren said that the community will drive what happens with this project.

“This has been part of the community for so long and we want it to stay that way,” he said. “It helped to build the city into what it is today. We want to make this a community center in Martinsburg. We want to make this a live-and-work community.”

Ridgecrest Investments is receiving tax credits from West Virginia to renovate the property in keeping with the style of its construction, said Muren who indicated such improvements are more expensive, but “in the end, we end up with a better building.”

There are a few businesses in operation at the complex including a chocolatier, a craft center, an antique shop, an auction house and a flower and gift shop.

Eagle Empire

January 25th, 2008, 09:28 PM

Anything going on in the panhandle?

seicer

January 25th, 2008, 09:50 PM

Outside of some planning and zoning issues (which is appears that county wide zoning will pass in one county), much of the suburban growth is dying off which is good. Nothing major in the way of city center building projects though.

seicer

January 28th, 2008, 08:47 PM

Theme Park Plan Frozen Solid (http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/505015.html?nav=515)
By Casey Junkins, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, January 27, 2008

WHEELING — Ohio County officials promised in July 2006 that local residents soon would be able to experience a “wild escape” at The Highlands.

Now, 18 months later, the proposed Wild Escape theme park seems no closer to reality than it was that summer day when officials announced the project — and judging by the process to date, that may not change anytime soon.

Add to that the possible $35,000 in fines the Ohio County Development Authority faces each day for improper work done across Interstate 70 from The Highlands, where streams allegedly were filled in without valid permits, and it’s easy to see county officials have a serious permit issue at the site. They have said the complications could threaten future development there.

At the center of the Wild Escape holdup are Clean Water Act permits that have to be issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ohio County officials say they currently are waiting on approval from the Corps before they can move forward with the Wild Escape project, as they want to fill in several streams in an area known as Storch’s Run. Filling in Storch’s Run will require 13.7 million cubic yards of earth and cover up those streams.

County Administrator Greg Stewart in December told the Ohio County Development Authority he expected a response from the Corps concerning the permits by the middle of this month. That didn’t happen.

Scott Hans, acting chief of the Regulatory Branch at the Corps’ Pittsburgh office, said it is too early to say when — or if — permits will be issued for the planned theme park site, also known as Phase V of The Highlands development.

? Planning for a Wild Escape

Stewart said county officials originally applied to the Corps for the Wild Escape Clean Water Act permits in September 2006. “I am just really surprised at the amount of time it takes to get them (the Corps) to do these things,” he said.

Stewart still hopes the Corps will issue the permit that will allow the Ohio County Development Authority to create a level pad of about 125 acres to locate Wild Escape.

“We have been waiting long enough as it is, so I don’t even want to venture a guess as to how long it may take to get this permit. I really hope this theme park becomes a reality because it would be a great added draw to our site,” Stewart said, noting that in addition to the roller coasters and water slides of Wild Escape, Phase V also could be home to hotels and additional retail centers.

Hans said the Corps is reviewing county officials’ responses to the series of public comments made in September regarding the proposed earthmoving work for Phase V.

“We plan to get back in touch with them (county officials) to discuss this within the next few weeks,” Hans said.

He added there is no time-frame for making a decision on the status of the application. “Every developer wants us to give their application priority, but we have anywhere from 50 to 75 individual permit areas like this to work on each year,” he said.

Stewart said he believes the environment of the Phase V area is very low quality. “If we were asking them for permission to fill in somebody’s favorite fishing spot or something of that nature, I could see why it would be a problem, but that is not the case,” he said.

But Hans said Storch’s Run flows into Wheeling Creek, which flows into the Ohio River. “You have to consider the entire area that you may be impacting with this type of earthwork,” he said.

Stewart also said the county needs to complete work on Phase V before beginning work on Phase VIII, which is located in the space between the Cabela’s Distribution Center, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and the theme park site. “Because of the way we have to move the dirt to fill in the valley, we have to do Phase V before Phase VIII,” he said.

Stewart said Phase VIII is a proposed recreation area that may include construction of a baseball stadium. “It is too early to say how big this stadium would be,” he said, noting the facility could be used by “players of all ages and abilities.”

Meanwhile, Wild Escape President Steve Minard said he has been working on projects in Nebraska and Texas while waiting for the Ohio County development to move forward.

“What I have always tried to remind people of is that Wild Escape is a very large earthmoving project. I believe we are getting very near the end of this permit process and should be able to get to work fairly soon,” he said.

Minard said most of the rides for Wild Escape already have been manufactured and are in storage throughout the nation. “When we get the pad ready, all we will have to do is ship the rides to Wild Escape and assemble them,” he said.

Although he said he would not mind sharing examples of the manufactured rides, Minard said he does not want any potential competitors to see what he has planned. “Kennywood and Cedar Fair (owner of Cedar Point) may want to use some of our ideas,” he said.

Minard said he believes there is a strong demand for a theme park at The Highlands. “When you look at everything growing in the area with (Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack), Oglebay Park and everything already going on at The Highlands, Wild Escape will be a great fit,” he said.

Minard stressed that he still is “fully committed” to bringing the park to The Highlands.

? $35,000 in Fines Each Day

It was during a routine visit to The Highlands on Oct. 4 that federal inspectors discovered the waterways known as streams 34 and 35 had been filled. Hans said workers under control of the county development authority performed the action without permits being issued.

Streams 34 and 35 are located on Lot 13C at The Highlands. Lot 13C is located on the south side of Interstate 70 — the side opposite Cabela’s and the planned Wild Escape site.

The allegedly unauthorized action carries a penalty of up to $35,000 a day in fines. Hans noted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would have the authority to impose the fines on the county as it sees fit, but EPA spokeswoman Donna Heron said any potential fines would not be levied until the ongoing investigation is complete.

Stewart said he gave the order to begin filling in the streams in question. “We believed we had the authority to do this work because it had been so long since we had heard anything from the Corps,” he said.

The county applied for the permit for the 25 acres of Lot 13C in January 2007, Stewart said. “Now, here we are a year later. I just don’t know why the Corps takes so long to do these things,” he said.

Stewart refers to the areas where the county performed fills as “alleged streams.”

“With the little bit of water there, I just don’t see why this is such a big deal” to the Corps, he said.

Though he is not sure if the EPA will assess fines against the county, Stewart said any fines will not be paid with money from the county’s general fund. “The Ohio County Development Authority will pay any fines,” he said, noting much of the OCDA’s funding is drawn from lease revenue and property transactions at The Highlands.

Despite the problems with permits and fines, Stewart said the county is still very optimistic about the future of The Highlands. “We think we have a pretty good thing going right now, and as long as we can get these permits, the site will get even better,” he said.

seicer

January 29th, 2008, 05:11 AM

Projects get $3.6 million (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_025211453.html)
By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, January 28, 2008

PRINCETON — U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., announced Friday a $3.6 million federal investment in two Mercer County projects.

In legislation recently signed into law, Byrd said he included $2.63 million for the Wood Education Resource Center in Princeton and $980,000 to repair and renovate the Princeton Memorial Building into an All-Wars Museum.

Byrd said the $980,000 investment will be used to finance needed renovations at the Princeton Memorial Building, including electrical wiring updates; exterior and interior wall repairs; foundation and roof repairs; window replacements; and other work required to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Throughout history, West Virginians have paid a heavy price protecting the freedoms we all enjoy,” Byrd said. “The exhibits in the All-Wars Museum demonstrate, better than any words could, the price that West Virginia veterans have paid for our freedom,” Byrd said in a press release. “Visitors to the museum, including many young, learn about some of the most pivotal and challenging events in America’s history, and the brave men and woman who sacrificed so much for their country. I look forward to seeing the Memorial Building restored to its former glory.”

Bill Blankenship, secretary and treasurer of the Princeton Memorial Building, said members of the museum commission, including Tony Whitlow, have been working for several years to secure the federal funds.

“That is a great old building, and it needs to be maintained and to have maintenance done on it,” Blankenship said. “Veterans nowadays are more popular now since World War II. We want them to have a place they can come to that looks good and has the modern conveniences they are entitled to. For us, this is really good news for the veterans and the people like us who are over in the Memorial Building a lot.”

“The Memorial Building is a magnificent structure,” Whitlow said. “But unfortunately through the years, it has deteriorated to some point, and they have not been able to fund it properly to keep it updated. This is great news for me as well as the whole county. We look forward to stretching those funds as quickly as we can.”

The Princeton Memorial Building was built in 1928 as a tribute to World War I veterans, but has since expanded to honor veterans of all wars, Byrd said. The All-Wars Museum opened in the building in 1999, and currently holds more than a thousand relics that veterans and their family members have donated.

Byrd said the Wood Education Resource Center in Princeton is a USDA Forest Service facility with offices, training facilities and a rough mill. Byrd said the center’s mission is to facilitate interaction and information exchange with the forest products industry to enhance opportunities for sustained forest products production in the eastern hardwood forest region of the United States.

“The work of the Wood Education Resource Center helps to strengthen West Virginia’s hardwood industry,” Byrd said. “This investment will help to train workers who will keep this vital West Virginia industry competitive and strong for years to come.”

seicer

January 30th, 2008, 09:11 PM

Market Street Plaza Will Close to Traffic (http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/505137.html?nav=515)
By Casey Junkins, The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register, January 30, 2008

WHEELING — Police Lt. Tom Mitchell sees too many vehicles parking on the Market Street Plaza, so he and his fellow officers are closing the plaza gates Friday morning.

As such, motorists will no longer be able to travel between Market and Main streets via 11th Street. The plaza runs along the west side of Market Street between 10th and 11th streets in downtown Wheeling.

“The gates at the plaza will remain closed until further notice,” Mitchell said, noting that “further notice” means an unspecified amount of time that the department will evaluate on a continuing basis.

Mitchell said all gates in the plaza — which is officially classified as a municipal park under the auspices of the Wheeling Park Commission — will be closed due to the high number of vehicles that have been parking there.

“The reason we have parking garages and parking lots in the city is because that is where people are supposed to park,” he said.

All non-emergency vehicles, including cars, trucks, vans and delivery vehicles, will be prohibited from driving on the plaza. Mitchell said any business receiving commercial deliveries will be granted consideration, but he noted there are not as many businesses in the area as there once were.

“When Stone & Thomas was in business, they really needed to be able to get their trucks in there so they could load and unload merchandise. But we don’t really have large commercial retailers up there anymore,” he said.

Mitchell said the Wheeling Police Department strives to provide an environment favorable to business, but stressed that the department must enforce the ordinance that forbids parking on the plaza.

“This is a municipal park; if people want to park cars there, they should vote to make it a parking lot,” he said.

One of the gates to be locked leads onto 11th Street from Market Street near the Subway restaurant. Two additional gates are on the north and south sides of Lane 7, which runs between Market and Main streets. A fourth gate leading onto the plaza is located on the south side of 10th Street.

Mitchell said anyone operating a motor vehicle on the plaza once the gates are closed will receive a citation. “If they are in there, they will be in violation of the ordinance,” he said.

seicer

February 1st, 2008, 06:46 AM

100 dilapidated houses: Bluefield’s bulldozer takes aim (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_029202851.html)
By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, January 29, 2008

BLUEFIELD — With a state grant that provided funds for the removal of dilapidated structures now depleted, city officials are hoping to continue the demolition process on their own.

The city has purchased a bulldozer, which will be used for the demolition of up to 100 condemned or dilapidated structures, City Manager Mark Henne said.

“We have been working on putting this together from the time the governor announced there would be no more block money for demolition,” Henne said. “This needs to be done to continue the clean-up of these neighborhoods. We have the dilapidated and condemned houses.”

Henne said the state block grant funds originally designated toward demolition will now be used toward new water and sewer projects as per the governor’s mandate. Henne said two block grants awarded to the city in recent years for the demolition of condemned structures have been all but expended. The city recently had to use some of the grant funds to help with the demolition of the historic brownstone and an adjoining building that collapsed late last year.

“The second grant has been all but expended,” Henne said. “We have been getting along with whatever we have, and we have been able to put some money together with different sources.”

Henne said the bulldozer also can be used by the city for other projects, including the construction of proposed new trails.

“We have plenty of uses for it,” Henne said of the vehicle. “We didn’t have one (a bulldozer) anywhere to be found.”

The city is estimating that at least 100 additional condemned or dilapidated structures need to be demolished.

“There is probably more than that,” Henne said. “We would probably be about to do 85 to 90 percent of those houses we have earmarked to be torn down. There are some that could be more problematic or larger.”

seicer

February 5th, 2008, 04:23 PM

Wild Rock W.Va. finalizes property purchase (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_033220739.html)
By Fred Pace, Register-Herald, February 2, 2008

Wild Rock West Virginia, an 850-acre sustainable residential community bordering the New River Gorge National River, has completed land acquisitions in Fayette County, paving the way for the company to begin property development and infrastructure activities this summer.

“Our goal is to ensure that this sustainable community moves forward and is a contributing neighbor in Fayette County and the area,” said Carl Frischkorn, president of Optima Properties West Virginia LLC. “We have preliminary zoning approval, have completed the acquisition of the land and are moving into the 50-lot phase one of Wild Rock. A number of founder investors have committed to building homes, and infrastructure will begin this summer.”

Infrastructure will include building interior roads and an entrance feature, landscaping, laying underground utilities and developing hiking and biking trails.

In January, Optima Properties closed on the purchase of 760 acres in Fayette County that is known as the Taylor Company Property, Frischkorn said.

This property is located just 2 miles north of Fayetteville and west of the New River Gorge Bridge near Ames Heights. Wild Rock West Virginia is bordered by the New River Gorge National River boundary and Mill Creek on Chestnutburg Road, and it surrounds the property owned by Class VI River Runners, a partner in the development project.

“We are ready to begin development and demonstrate that it is not only feasible but practical and worthwhile to build a sustainable community that offers the best of the area’s outdoor recreation and scenic beauty while taking seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the land,” Frischkorn said.

Planned as a low-density, family community, Wild Rock West Virginia will eventually include 180 home sites, according to Frischkorn.

“The property is being designed primarily as a second-home community using sustainable design principles on individual lots that will range in size up to 15 acres,” he said.

The National Park Service has partnered with Wild Rock West Virginia to help design and offer public access to hiking and climbing trails that parallel the Wild Rock West Virginia rim of the New River Gorge, Frischkorn added.

Eagle Empire

February 5th, 2008, 10:52 PM

Aren't they building a highway or expressway near Charles Town?

seicer

February 6th, 2008, 03:19 AM

West Virginia Route 9, with a section set to open fairly soon. US 522 is also on the planning docs to be widened to four-lanes as well but it is in hiatus.

seicer

February 13th, 2008, 06:41 AM

Oh, lookie. It's religious fundamentalists on a hell-bent rampage that will "embarrass" and "expose" those who supported the micro-brewery. I recall a meeting where some of these fundies were calling the micro-brewery, which will NOT serve drinks and will NOT be a bar, a work of the devil and that it will surely lead to thousands of drivers being impaired.

Oak Hill council amends code to allow micro-breweries (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_042222516.html)
By Mannix Porterfield, Register-Herald, February 11, 2008

OAK HILL — By a slim margin, Oak Hill city council members voted Monday evening to amend their zoning ordinances to allow micro-breweries to operate in the city.

After hearing from a packed crowd of supporters and opponents of the idea, council members voted 4-3 on the second reading of the proposed amendment. Jeff Atha, Bruce Coleman, Fred Dickinson and Anna Lou Holt voted for the measure, while Jon Nick Lopez, Diane Janney and Dianna Smallwood-Russell were opposed.

“We’re taking it one step at a time. This is an issue we’ve been dealing with since the end of November,” said Nathan Herrold, following the decision. Herrold, along with business partner Ken Linch, hopes to eventually open a micro-brewery at 321 E. Main St.

“We’re making sure we have all our ducks in line. Our next step is to publish a special-use permit in the newspaper for 30 days and then come back to council. We want to make sure we’re dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s. It’s been an up-and-down ordeal. It’s definitely been a roller coaster.”

Herrold wasn’t sure if the appropriate paperwork would be ready in time for the March council meeting, but he vowed that the brouhaha has not dissuaded him from moving forward with his goals.

Not everyone was as pleased by Monday’s vote. The Rev. Gary Lilly belongs to the Fayette Plateau Ministerial Association, which has spearheaded opposition to the proposed business.

Without elaboration, Lilly intimated Monday that he may proffer “embarrassing” revelations at the next council meeting regarding what he termed “good ol’ boy stuff” that has taken place involving the current owner of the building where Herrold and Linch hope to locate their business.

“We’ve just started our fight. We respect the council, but there’s been some good ol’ boy stuff going on. We’ve dealt with this in a Christian way. Things will be brought out that, I’m afraid, will cause some embarrassment, not only to council but to the town,” Lilly declared.

“Things will be brought out that haven’t been brought out. They (council members) will look at it in a different light. I would rather not play our hand right now. Those aren’t threats — just things that need to be brought out. It was so one-sided here tonight,” lamented Lilly.

Prior to voting, council members heard from area residents — not only in person, but also via letters and e-mails.

The Rev. John Sauvage, of Oak Hill United Methodist Church, said he and other volunteers collected 500 signatures in opposition to the amendment during a petition drive Saturday. Those included Delegate Tom Pino, former Delegate Tom Louisos and state Sen. Shirley Love, all D-Fayette, Sauvage said.

The reasoning behind the opposition of Lilly and Sauvage was multi-pronged — moral concerns, allegations that the distance between the front doors of the church and the would-be establishment violates state code, the structural soundness of the building, and the building’s potential as a historical landmark.

“We shouldn’t be putting a micro-brewery in there,” Lilly stated, noting that one cornerstone of the building is inscribed with A.D., marking “the year of our Lord.” Lisa Tanner claimed that a micro-brewery would bring “negativity to Oak Hill.”

From a different perspective, Eric Autenreith observed that the micro-breweries he has visited in other states were operated by reputable business owners who took great pride in their craft. The micro-brewery, he said, would make a “good addition” to the town.

Herrold asserted that the 300-foot buffer rule cited by Sauvage — from the front door of a church to the front door of an establishment that sells alcohol — only applies to retail establishments, not to wholesale or manufacturing businesses such as his.

City treasurer Damita Johnson read from several letters, one of which decried “unwarranted fears and misinformation” that have purportedly been disseminated by opponents of the micro-brewery. Johnson added that all e-mails received on the issue favored the amendment.

The business, if and when it opens, would distribute beer to area restaurants that may be interested in purchasing the product for sale and consumption at their businesses. Alcohol will not be sold or consumed by the drink at the micro-brewery’s premises, Mayor Bill Hannabass emphasized last month.

Eagle Empire

February 15th, 2008, 10:41 PM

Will Rt 9 be limited access?

seicer

February 15th, 2008, 11:08 PM

Yes.

seicer

February 18th, 2008, 07:33 AM

Road closed after historic hotel crumbles (http://dailymail.com/News/statenews/200802140204)
Charleston Daily Mail, February 14, 2008

Public safety officials have closed part of a major road through downtown Gassaway after the collapse of a wall of the 85-year-old Lincoln Hotel.

A wall of the vacant three-story hotel collapsed on Feb. 5, causing concerns about the welfare of motorists on nearby W.Va. 4.

Built in 1923 and in operation until the mid-1960s, the hotel "was famous throughout the area for its restaurant and its good old-fashioned homemade food," said Gassaway Mayor Richard Roach.

A 1942 history of Gassaway by the West Virginia Writers Project described the Lincoln as "a modern hostelry well known for its hospitality and homelike accommodations."

But the hotel and restaurant building, vacant for the past seven or eight years, had fallen on hard times.

"Its roof collapsed two or three years ago," Roach said.

On Feb. 5, one wall of the hotel collapsed onto the adjacent parking lot of the Gassaway Baptist Church, crushing an unoccupied car. Public safety officials opted to close a section of W.Va. 4/Elk Street - the town's main drag - in the vicinity of the hotel, and detour traffic around the site.

"It loosened the south side of the building," said Roach. "You can see it buckling. It's only a matter of time before it collapses."

But what to do with teetering hotel remains an issue.

Roach said neither the property owner nor the city have the money needed to demolish the structure and survey the rubble for the possible presence of asbestos.

Personnel from the state Division of Environmental Protection have told town officials that the hotel could be a possible candidate for cleanup through the REAP program.

"We hope it will be," said Roach. "The detour around the project is working OK, but it's not the best situation and it can't continue forever."

seicer

February 18th, 2008, 07:38 AM

Five-star schooling at a former Summers County inn (http://wvgazette.com/News/200802160357)
Historic Pence Springs Hotel now takes in students, not guests
By Davin White, Charleston Gazette, February 17, 2008

PENCE SPRINGS - Troubled girls from around the nation are making their way to the Summers County hills for a stay at a picturesque hotel built early in the 20th century. Their new mentors want to build their mind and spirit, and focus on the need for healthy relationships.

The Greenbrier Academy for Girls opened in September at the renovated Pence Springs Hotel. Eight teenage girls from places such as Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Chicago and Massachusetts receive counseling and undergo a rigorous college preparatory program, school officials say.

Staff members consider the academy an economic boost to the rural county. Its 35 employees include administrators, teachers, counselors, a headmaster and maintenance workers.

"My reflection is we couldn't ask for a better community to work with," said founder L. Jay Mitchell.

Vivian Conly, the director of admissions, said the academy blends counseling, education and the outdoors.

The hotel is a 38,000-square-foot brick structure. Its latest renovation began in 2005.

On a recent chilly afternoon, counselors and teachers held a session in a first-floor lounge, dressed up with new chairs, sofas and a grand fireplace.

Nearby office spaces have been renovated. A staffer's iMac monitor seemed to dwarf her desk. In the dining hall, the girls ate turkey salad with cranberries and raisins on whole wheat bread, Sun Chips and fresh peaches. Broccoli was on the table, too. Chef Jamie Wurm said the girls took to the veggie once they realized it was good for their complexion.

Later, the girls stretched and went for a jog around campus.

A healthy diet and daily exercise supplement counseling sessions and classes, Conly said.

Conly showed off a movie room downstairs where the girls watch films such as "Whale Rider," about a girl who struggles with her absent father and detached grandfather.

"They get to talk about [the movies] in ways that affect their own lives," Conly said.

Some of the girls, who she says will help pioneer the academy's mission, come from broken homes or are adopted. They've struggled with drugs, alcohol, sex and more.

The education building was once a casino and speakeasy in the hotel's heyday. Today, it features nine classrooms where teachers offer art, English, math, science, French and other classes.

Themes of experiential education weave into the curriculum. Academy leaders say with experiential learning, students pose questions, investigate, solve problems, take responsibility and construct meaning. They say the model helps students explore and examine their own values.

In a science classroom, an instructor posed questions such as: "How do I use conflict resolution?" In another room, a student wrote words on a poster to describe herself, such as, "redhead," "passionate," "movie buff" and "hardheaded."

Conly said this fall, the girls asked themselves the question, "Who am I?" They've followed that up by examining how others view the world.

"I think of it like this, but what does another person think?" Conly explained.

English and ethics teacher Tim Armentrout talks to students about beat writers. In ethics, he explores themes such as judgment, heroics and the Great Depression.

In an effort to take the material beyond a concept, he'll ask if judges should pass judgment where others should not. He tells his students that during the Depression, common people came together for one cause.

"I sort of have my own personal mission of having them look at things in a global way," added social studies and art teacher Karen Hurt.

For instance, they examine how different cultures and countries throughout history viewed slavery. The small class size allows for a deeper analysis.

"It's so personal that people get involved in the subjects," she said.

The academy is costly - $6,100 a month. Some families are offered scholarships that range from 25 percent to 50 percent of the cost. For now there are no students from West Virginia, Conly said.

In the next three years, she expects the academy to house up to 95 girls. The growth plan calls for three new girls a month, so today's students don't lose their identity or feel lost in the shuffle, Conly said.

A minimum length of stay is one year, Mitchell said. Girls in grades 9-12 can attend the academy, which the state Department of Education recognizes as a private boarding school.

On a provisional basis, the academy also is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools. They are members of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, Conly said.

Counselors keep in contact with parents

Conly said families become an important part of the process. Adopted girls or those with divorced parents often have attachment issues, she said.

Girls and their counselors talk to parents at least once a week.

"Usually, the families are able to make great, positive strides [or] at least be functional," Conly said.

Ron Schwenkler, a certified counselor, said a therapy model that focuses on relationships brought him to the Greenbrier Academy.

"Virtue is what makes a difference in relationships," he said. Teachers and other staff at Greenbrier also practice what they preach, and treat each other well, he said.

Schwenkler, Armentrout and Hurt hold master's degrees, as do most Greenbrier teachers.

The academy includes 140 rolling acres, with land for mountain biking and trails. Earth has been moved for a soccer field. Conly shows where a permanent wooden teepee will be erected.

The academy also has ties to wilderness treatment programs. Girls are encouraged to attend such a program before they enroll at the academy.

"I think wilderness serves the purpose of pulling people out of their routines," said Armentrout, a former wilderness guide.

Wilderness treatment often involves three weeks to 60 days of camping and survival, Conly said. Teens are removed from a familiar environment, learn independence and how to survive in the outdoors, she said.

'We don't think we did anything wrong'

Mitchell once operated the Alldredge Academy in Tucker County, where 14-year-old Massachusetts teenager Ryan Lewis committed suicide by hanging himself with a tent cord in February 2001.

Mitchell is no longer involved with Alldredge, which was eventually sold to Solacium, a Texas-based company. After the boy's death, Mitchell faced a charge of child neglect resulting in death that was later dropped.

In 2006, Mitchell and other defendants settled a civil lawsuit for $1.2 million with Lewis' parents, according to The Associated Press. The suit had been filed in 2002 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

If parents ask Mitchell about the Lewis case, he will refer them to the rebuttal of a Government Accountability Office report released in October.

The report says Lewis attempted suicide twice before he went to Alldredge and pleaded with a counselor to take a pocketknife away after he cut himself, although the counselor gave it back. The program did not have procedures to address suicidal behavior, the GAO report states.

The rebuttal, commissioned by Solacium and released in November, disputes much of the GAO report and calls it incomplete, biased and of a shoddy nature.

Also, a psychiatric report provided by Lewis' parents did not mention that the boy was a suicide risk, according to the rebuttal.

Mitchell said Lewis' death may have been accidental. The rebuttal points out the same.

"It's horrible that a boy lost his life," Mitchell said. He said the teen's parents experienced a traumatic loss.

Mitchell, however, said some West Virginia media outlets did not attempt to contact him and printed incorrect information after Lewis died.

"We don't think we did anything wrong and have not admitted any wrongdoing," Mitchell said.

Later in 2001, some parents defended Alldredge in an online industry newsletter and said their children benefited greatly from the program.

Jim Lees, a Charleston attorney who represented the Lewises, said he does not judge the Greenbrier Academy.

"In the Alldredge Academy, before, I certainly was not impressed with Mr. Mitchell's track record," he said.

He said the state's lack of oversight of wilderness programs came to the forefront after Lewis died. "West Virginia is ripe for those kinds of schools. It's a wilderness area," Lees said.

John Law, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Resources, said the agency expanded rules for wilderness programs after Lewis' death. In 2001, for instance, an emergency rule required sites like Alldredge to inform state officials if they offered mental-health treatment for youths.

Conly said the Greenbrier Academy has met the agency's expectations.

"What we do at Greenbrier is so different than wilderness," Mitchell said. "So I hope we don't confuse or bewilder anyone."

Mitchell said Greenbrier officials also work with a Lewisburg psychiatrist. He provides medication for those girls who need it.

Conly said the academy is good for the eight girls. She's seen a huge difference in their attitude and behavior since they first arrived.

"These girls are bright and they very much want to make something of their lives," she said. Conly has also heard students say, "We know now this is the best place we could possibly be."

seicer

February 26th, 2008, 03:13 AM

Hawks Nest worker graves lay forgotten for decades (http://wvgazette.com/News/200802230569?page=2&build=cache)
By Rick Steelhammer, Sunday Gazette-Mail, February 24, 2008

SUMMERSVILLE - As traffic roared along U.S. 19 atop a nearby embankment, Richard Hartman strolled through a narrow, trash-strewn finger of land nestled between the freeway and a turnaround for a dead-end secondary road.

"It's a party spot for kids, and the highway crews get rid of their roadkill here," he said as he made his way toward three rows of hard-to-spot coffin-sized indentations in the ground.

There, Hartman kicked away a layer of rain-sodden leaves, revealing a corroded temporary grave marker bearing a postcard-sized sheet of lead foil. On the barely legible foil, spaces marked "birth," "death" and "cemetery" were left blank. The space reserved for "name" was marked only with a number - 62.

Nearby, other temporary markers could be found marking the final resting places of unidentified occupants 53, 39, and a few of their co-workers.

"These people have haunted me for years," said Hartman. "This isn't where I expected their story to end, but here they are."

For Hartman, an adjunct history professor at the University of Charleston, the story began eight years ago, when he was researching a master's degree history project on the Hawks Nest Tunnel tragedy.

Hartman's research involved the degree of culpability the main contractor on the Depression-era construction project had in the deaths of hundreds of workers who helped build the tunnel.

That story began in March 1930, when Rinehart & Dennis of Charlottesville, Va., began work on a $4.23 million contract to dam the New River at Hawks Nest, bore a three-mile tunnel through Gauley Mountain, and build a 100,000-kilowatt power plant near Gauley Bridge.

A two-year deadline was given to complete the three-stage project, designed to power a new ferroalloys smelting plant and other Upper Kanawha Valley operations for the Union Carbide and Carbon Corp.

To meet the deadline, Rinehart & Dennis imported an army of workers, most of them black and from the South, eager to send home wages - even at 30 cents per hour - during the depths of the Great Depression.

Much of the Hawks Nest Tunnel was bored through silica-bearing sandstone, exposing workers to silicosis, a respiratory ailment caused by inhaling powdery particles of the rock.

While spraying the drill face with water was an often-used method of preventing the breathing of silica dust, wet drilling was not used in Hawks Nest Tunnel, since water would cause the drill bits to clog and require frequent cleaning, slowing down the tunneling process. The use of dust-blocking face masks was employed only by visiting state inspectors and company officials.

Silicosis was well known as an occupational health illness in the early 1930s, but it wasn't known to develop and become terminal as fast as it did on the Hawks Nest Tunnel project. Early cases were often misdiagnosed as pneumonia. Company doctors once termed the malady "tunnelitis."

By the time the tunnel was complete, at least 764 workers - about 75 percent of them African-American - had died.

The Hawks Nest tragedy produced congressional hearings that spawned legislation recognizing acute silicosis as an occupational lung disease worthy of workers' compensation payments. Rinehart & Dennis went out of business a few years after the project was complete.

In a settlement that followed a deadlocked civil trial, the families of deceased workers with silicosis received compensation payments of $600.

Hartman, a former administrator in the state Division of Tourism and Division of Highways, was pursuing a master's degree at Marshall to prepare for a second career as a history instructor when he began researching the Hawks Nest tragedy. During his research, he encountered a puzzle that nagged at him for the next seven years: Where were the dead workers buried?

Jim Crow laws of that era prohibited black workers from being buried in "white" cemeteries. Since there were no official black cemeteries nearby, some of the first African-American workers to die in the tunnel are believed to have been buried next to a slave cemetery behind Summersville Presbyterian Church, according to Hartman's research.

But the growing number of African-American deaths created the need to find a burial ground in the vicinity of the construction site.

"The contractors knew they were exposing people to something that would kill them, but they hired them anyway, but only for short periods of time," said Hartman. "That way, the workers could leave the area and die someplace far from the source of their illness. The average time a worker remained was 15 weeks. With the Depression, there were more than enough replacements."

But the Hawks Nest tunnel workers began getting sick within six to eight weeks on the job, making the need for an efficient way to dispose of the bodies even more acute for the contractor.

"Some of them were shipped home, and their arrival at the local train station may have been the first time their relatives learned that a husband or son was dead," Hartman said. "There were rumors that others were buried along the riverbank and covered with rock from the tunnel."

But the only mass burial site Hartman was able to document took place on a corner of a Nicholas County farm owned by the mother of Hadley C. White, who operated White's Funeral Home in Summersville when the Hawks Nest project was underway.

The farm was apparently used as a burial site to skirt segregation laws of the era that extended to death as well as life.

Hartman turned up a record of Hadley White testifying during a 1936 hearing that he had buried 58 to 60 Hawks Nest workers, including "33 Negroes on his mother's farm because there was no other place to bury them."

Those not buried on the Whites' farm, according to the funeral director, were sent back to their homes, mainly in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Hartman acquired a copy of a 1972 map detailing improvements planned for the upgrading of U.S. 19 to four lanes. On the map, a site near Summersville within the proposed construction zone for the widened highway was marked "unknown cemetery." Map notations indicated it contained 63 burials, all located on property that had once belonged to the White family.

While there was nothing on the map indicating the cemetery contained the remains of the African-American workers from the Hawks Nest Tunnel, Hartman suspected that it did.

With map in hand, he drove the stretch of U.S. 19 shown on the map, comparing it with the redesigned landscape as he traveled the four-lane highway. The spot marked "unknown cemetery" on the map was now a part of the widened highway and would have covered the southbound lanes of the road at a point between mileposts 41.5 and 42.

"The graves had been moved to make way for the highway improvements," Hartman said.

To find where they had been relocated, he searched DOH records in Charleston and discovered that the graves, moved in 1972 by a now-defunct North Carolina firm, had apparently been put in the lot of an abandoned housing project bought as right of way for U.S. 19 improvements.

Hartman visited the Division of Highways district office in Lewisburg in search of maps or documents that would shed light on the relocation site. He found a detailed layout of the subdivision that had been bought as U.S. 19 right of way, and returned to Summersville.

After a few false starts, he found a site that matched the subdivision's unused residential road system, as depicted on the new map. He located Lot 6, site of the proposed cemetery relocation, but found only an undisturbed patch of maturing forest.

Disappointed but still in the search, Hartman met with Howard C. White, son of funeral director Hadley White. It turned out that Howard White, who took over his father's funeral home business, had been the funeral director who fulfilled a state law requirement by overseeing the removal and relocation of remains from the "unknown cemetery" on Hartman's map.

The younger White, who was 11 years old when the tunnel was completed, also remembered details about the burial of black tunnel workers on his grandmother's farm.

"They were buried in homemade wooden boxes made of inch-thick oak," said Hartman. "They were buried in their work clothes, in some cases still covered with the silica dust that killed them."

Oak boards marked the head of each gravesite, but none of the markers listed a name.

After resting at the White farm for 40 years, the remains were disinterred and transported to the planned residential subdivision along U.S. 19, not far from Summersville Lake.

Although White had never been to the re-burial site, he directed Hartman back to the roadside subdivision along U.S. 19.

Hartman returned to the site with David Smith, a Nicholas County teacher and videographer who had joined the University of Charleston professor in the search for the cemetery.

While the two wandered through the debris-strewn woods at the end of a narrow paved road, Smith spotted the glint of something metallic, 10 or 15 yards into a patch of brush and young trees.

When the two approached the shining object, it turned out to be an aluminum stake bearing a small metal frame - one of four or five temporary grave markers still in place.

Highway records indicate that the "unknown cemetery" contained 63 graves while the relocated cemetery contains only 34 or 35. Hartman said the discrepancy in numbers remains unexplained, but it's possible that a number of the relocated body remnants were consolidated into single burials. Poor mapping may also have played a role, and the number of deaths reported varies widely in both historical and anecdotal accounts of the Hawks Nest tragedy.

"I've wanted to find these men for years, both to solve the mystery of where they were buried and, if nothing else, to apologize for the way they were treated," Hartman said. "I expected to find a larger cemetery that wasn't overgrown with brush and littered with trash that maybe had some kind of a marker explaining how these men died, but here they are, in an unmarked graveyard next to a highway. These people just disappeared."

Hartman said he had provided information on the site to the Division of Culture and History so that at least its presence will be known, should someone want to restore, preserve and interpret it.

"Progress and bigotry killed them," Hartman said of the unidentified Hawks Nest workers. "Even after their deaths, these men received very little hospitality in West Virginia. The part that makes me ache is that they didn't receive any better treatment in 1972 than they did 40 years earlier."

While Hartman is convinced he has solved the "where" part of his Hawks Nest mystery, he hopes someone will eventually be able to solve the "who" component.

"A record that identifies who these people were may be out there somewhere," he said.

For now, he said, he can take some level of fulfillment from having discovered their resting place.

"I've found them," he said. "I'm not haunted anymore."

seicer

February 27th, 2008, 06:02 AM

House OK's bill that would allow private condos at Stonewall Resort (http://dailymail.com/News/200802260451)
Charleston Daily Mail, February 26, 2008

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia has moved a step closer to allowing private investors to build condos, townhouses and other lodgings at the state's Stonewall Resort.

The Lewis County resort has been struggling financially. Legislation proposes to add to its lodging options by encouraging the private sector to build there in exchange for occupancy rights during part of the year.

The House passed the bill to the Senate on Tuesday, voting 77-22.

Stonewall Resort is already a public-private hybrid. A private firm developed the resort and manages it for the state. But West Virginia leases its land and the rest of the 2,000-acre Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The corps created the lake in 1990 as part of a flood control project.

seicer

March 7th, 2008, 08:54 AM

Former Weston asylum might see mud-bog races (http://wvgazette.com/News/200803060786)
By Rick Steelhammer, Charleston Gazette, March 6, 2008

Mud-bog racing and other motor sports events could be among the first income-generating activities for the new owners of the old Weston State Hospital.

On Saturday, city and county officials and personnel from nearby Sharpe Hospital and Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital have been invited to attend a test run of a mud-bog event, involving five large trucks, to provide an idea of what noise levels would be.

Mud-bog competitions would be staged on a hillside far behind the grounds of the 192-year-old hospital and downtown Weston.

"It will be to the side of the water tower, at the farthest point of the property from downtown Weston," said Rebecca Jordan, spokeswoman for Morgantown asbestos contractor Joe Jordan, who bought the hospital last August during a public auction on the Lewis County Courthouse steps.

Jordan paid $1.5 million for the 455,725-square-foot sandstone hospital building, originally known as the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, and a surrounding tract of 306 acres that includes a hardwood forest and former farmland and coal mines once operated by the mental hospital.

If Saturday's noise test goes favorably and the Department of Environmental Protection issues a needed permit, the first mud- bog competition would take place on May 3, and continue on an every-other-Saturday basis, Jordan said.

"We've been getting calls and e-mails from all over the country from people interested in coming here" to compete in the mud-bog races, Jordan said.

"We think the races could draw anywhere from 300 to 1,000 people. The businesses in town would be affected immediately."

Motocross and ATV racing also are being contemplated for the hospital property, as is BMX bicycle racing.

Jordan said competitors' vehicles would be hosed down thoroughly before they are allowed to leave the hospital property and travel on city streets. Racing hours would end by 6 p.m.

"We want the support of the community before we do this," she said. "We want all of us to grow."

The mud-bog events and other racing activities are viewed as a temporary income-generating stream, which the Jordan family hopes will help them raise $5 million needed to replace the historic hospital's roof and remove asbestos from its basement.

Long-range development possibilities for the site include converting the hospital into a historic hotel and perhaps a casino.

The new owners have renamed the property the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

"When people see that, they remember it," Jordan said.

seicer

March 7th, 2008, 09:02 AM

Funding plan raises toll issue (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_065210949.html)
By Charles Owens and Samantha Perry, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, March 5, 2008

CHARLESTON — An amended bill proposed by lawmakers Wednesday would fund two tourism projects in southern West Virginia, but ignited a debate over the potential for another toll increase on the West Virginia Turnpike.

The amended legislation would require the state Parkways Authority to provide up to $100,000 in annual revenue for Mercer County’s proposed multi-purpose equestrian park. House Bill 4482 also would extend the annual $250,000 payments made by the Parkways Authority to the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Authority. The funding to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails was set to expire.

However, the Parkways Authority was ordered last year by Gov. Joe Manchin to eliminate its economic development and tourism business and to refocus on the maintenance and upgrade of the 88-mile turnpike between Princeton and Charleston, Turnpike General Manager Greg Barr said.

Barr said the Parkways Authority was counting on the expiration of the annual payments to the Hatfield-McCoy Trail. If the authority is now mandated by the Legislature to not only continue the annual $250,000 payments, but to also make annual payments of $100,000 to the equestrian center project in Mercer County, Barr said the likelihood of a toll hike increases when combined with the problem of aging infrastructure along the turnpike, increasing costs of asphalt and construction and declining revenue as a result of less traffic on the turnpike due to gas prices.

“When does the final piece of the straw get added that breaks the camels’ back?” Barr asked. “Any money that goes toward the horse park and Hatfield-McCoy takes away from the money we have to maintain the road.”

Lawmakers disputed the argument Wednesday that requiring the Parkways Authority to fund the equestrian park would lead to a toll hike on the turnpike.

“I don’t agree with that,” Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, said. “They have several million dollars in discretionary spending.”

With “prudent management,” Chafin said he does not believe the authority will be “financially strapped” by paying $100,000 to fund the equestrian center.

Chafin said funding for the Hatfield-McCoy Trail has been paid out for years, and the trail “has turned out to be one of the best investments the state has ever made.”

If the amendment was seeking $5 or $10 million in funding, Chafin said he could understand Barr’s concern.

“I believe they can handle this without a toll increase,” Chafin said. “I call on them to do better management.”

Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, offered the original amendment to add the $100,000 for the equestrian park in Mercer County.

Caruth said the idea that $100,000 for the equestrian park would lead to a toll increase is absurd. “That’s a very, very tiny portion of what they take in on revenue on the Parkways Authority,” he said. “It’s disingenuous to say that.”

Asked about the possible increase in tolls to fund the Hatfield-McCoy Trail and equestrian park, Sen. John Pat Fanning, D-McDowell, responded with a resounding “no.”

“With the price of gasoline so high, how are they going to justify that?” he asked.

Fanning believes funds generated by the state’s gas tax would offset the money for the trail and equestrian park.

“I do not think this would justify a toll increase,” Fanning said. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re not going to approve any tolls or increases. They’re already high enough.”

Because of the change made to the bill in the Senate, the legislation will now go back to the House where the amendment will have to be approved. If the House does not approve the amendment, then the bill would go into a conference committee, Caruth said.

Manchin moved last year to strip the Parkways Authority of all of its economic development and tourism components following editorial pressure by the Daily Telegraph. That included selling the Authority’s 68 percent share of a large building on Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston occupied by Capital Area Services Co. Inc., also known as CASCO. Manchin also ordered the Parkways Authority to begin the transfer of Tamarack to the state Department of Commerce.

“Since that time we’ve sold the CASCO (building), and the transfer of Tamarack is continuing with Kelly Goes and the Department of Commerce working on it,” Barr said. “Right now we are still trying to figure out a way to pay those bonds on Tamarack.”

However, Barr said if the Parkways Authority is ordered to get back into the tourism business by the Legislature, it will have no choice but to comply — and to begin annual payments of $100,000 to Mercer County for the equestrian park, and to continue annual payments of $250,000 to Hatfield-McCoy.

“So it is a constant battle, and any dollar going out for something other than the mission of trying to maintain and upkeep the turnpike is going to make it tougher on us to maintain the turnpike and get the job done,” Barr said.

Barr said aging infrastructure along the 88-mile turnpike is in dire need of maintenance.

“There is just a (limited) amount of money available for things like this,” Barr said. “So we are just really concerned with no toll increase. Costs are going up. We are trying to get out of economic development and refocus on the highway.”

Fanning said the nine-year limitation on the $250,000 funding allocation to Hatfield-McCoy Trails was set to expire.

“The nine-year limitation was getting ready to sunset,” Fanning said. “So we extended the years. And in doing this we also put the equestrian center in there. We just found an opportunity. I know it’s been a major item for (Mercer) County to get the equestrian center.”

Fanning said the legislation also will allow for a continuation of the state’s support of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail system. The new Indian Ridge segment of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail opened in McDowell last year.

Chafin said the multi-purpose equestrian center project being developed by the cities of Bluefield and Princeton and the Mercer County Commission has the potential to be as big as the Hatfield-McCoy Trail.

“First of all, the Hatfield-McCoy Trail is one of the most successful programs we ever started,” Chafin said. “McDowell County just got into the Hatfield-McCoy system last year, and they just sold over $100,000 worth of tickets. They have one of the biggest KOA campgrounds in the United States. It (the five-county trail system) generated almost $8 million in revenue last year.”

The trail system was created by the West Virginia Legislature in 1996 as a project to spur economic development in and around the nine southern West Virginia counties of Boone, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne and Wyoming. In the future it will be extended into Mercer County.

The equestrian park is proposed along several hundred acres owned by Princeton and Bluefield in Green Valley.

MasonsInquiries

March 8th, 2008, 04:01 AM

great updates, seicer!! i foten visit charlestown races & slots and you can truly see where the money in that town is going. it has LOADS of potential.

i gotta' ask though, does anyone in west virginia actually have an SSC account? there's no post from an actual west virginian....

seicer

March 8th, 2008, 06:33 AM

I lived only minutes from Huntington, but I have yet to see any actual West Virginian post... :(

seicer

March 18th, 2008, 03:26 PM

Matewan continues effort to obtain National Park status (http://www.williamsondailynews.com/articles/2008/03/13/news/doc47d886d816104393690049.txt)
By Tony Christian, Williamson Daily News, March 13, 2008

MATEWAN – With many miles of a long journey still ahead of them, the town of Matewan is another step closer to attaining its goal of becoming a National Park.

During a council meeting earlier this week, Mayor Sheila Kessler read House Concurrent Resolution No. 7, which recently was passed during the regular legislative session session by the West Virginia House of Delegates and the West Virginia Senate.

The resolution was passed in supporting of the town’s effort to obtain National Park Status for the National Historic Landmark District.

In October 2007, Congressman Nick Joe Rahall (D-W.Va.) introduced the Battle of Matewan Study Act. This legislation would require the National Park Service to complete a special resource study of the sites and resources in Matewan, focusing on those associated with the battle of Matewan. This study is the first step in determining the feasibility of designating certain historic areas as a National Park. The House of Representatives passed the legislation as part of a larger public lands package, the America’s Historical and Natural Legacy Study Act, in December 2007.

The legislation that contains the Battle of Matewan Study Act has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee.

In a letter, dated March 3, 2008, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) notified Paul McAllister Jr., who has been instrumental in pushing for this designation, that he will be contacting Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), who chairs the committee, about the best way to make certain this matter is quickly sent out of his committee and sent to the Senate floor.

“If he suggests that I introduce an identical Senate version, I will do that,” said Rockefeller. “Or if he asks me to publicly state my support for the Rahall bill, that is the course I will follow.”

Rahall says he is committed to seeing the important process of creating a National Historic Site in the town of Matewan continue.

Since 1996 Matewan has been listed as one of only 20 National Historic Landmarks in the state of West Virginia. Being listed as a Historic Landmark is a prerequisite to becoming a National Park.

“If Matewan is designated as a National Park, the town will be greatly enriched with federal funding and tourism,” said McAllister.

seicer

March 20th, 2008, 04:24 AM

Toll ‘credits’ sought by Beckley for BIG project (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_078223116.html)
If OK’d by state, funds would come from feds, not drivers, to meet required local match
By Amelia A. Pridemore, Register-Herald, March 18, 2008

So far, everything is in place for Beckley’s $24 million downtown revitalization project — except for $2.7 million in local funds.

Mayor Emmett Pugh says city officials are working to obtain those funds from the state Department of Transportation. These funds, the DOT says, are credits given to the DOT by the federal government for the state forking over its own cash on at least one major West Virginia Turnpike project.

While the mayor is confident the city will get these funds, he admits there are no guarantees.

City officials are in the planning stages for the Beckley Intermodal Gateway. BIG is billed as economic and transportation revitalization project geared toward downtown Beckley, and its estimated cost is $24 million. It has been made possible through an earmarked $20 million from the Federal Transit Authority, and the city must provide 20 percent in matching funds.

The project’s plan calls for construction of a new parking facility, small cultural center, new city hall and police department, walking trails and gardens to be constructed in an approximate 5-acre area stretching between Neville Street, Leslie C. Gates Place, Prince Street and Robert C. Byrd Drive.

Pugh has emphasized, however, that this is only a working plan the city used to attract the federal money.

During last week’s Beckley Common Council meeting, David Hafley, vice president/area manager for the Lexington, Ky.-based Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm and project manager for BIG, said the city will be allowed to use the BIG site’s $2.2 million value as part of the local match. The city will still need to obtain another $2.7 million in local funds.

The city wants to use “toll revenue credits” governed by the state DOT to get the remainder of the local match, Hafley said. While Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox is receptive, he has not given the city a green light just yet.

- - -

Jim Sothen, deputy state highway engineer of development, explained what the toll revenue credits are — and are not. The credits are given by the federal government when the state uses its own funds on “major capital improvements” for a federal toll road. They can be used to provide the local match for federal projects. Sothen likened them to a debit card.

He noted toll revenue credits are not the money motorists pay to travel the turnpike. That money, he said, goes toward turnpike maintenance. The “toll” in “toll revenue credits” only comes from a toll road being involved.

“There is no toll money involved whatsoever,” Sothen said.

The original amount of the state’s toll revenue credits was more than $100 million, Sothen said. While he did not know the exact amount of toll credits left, he said a “large portion” remains available.

Because the toll revenue credits do not come from the Parkways Authority — or from the state, actually — Pugh emphasized the city is not trying to follow in state lawmakers’ recent footsteps. Earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, wanted the authority to provide $100,000 annually for a horse park in Mercer County. The outlay was added to a bill extending the authority’s annual $250,000 payment to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.

“That is a totally different animal (from) what was wanted for the horse park and the Hatfield-McCoy Trails,” Pugh said. “That was actual cash from the state budget. There is no comparison.”

Toll revenue credits were used to fund Huntington’s $35 million Pullman Square project, Pugh noted, and he believes that set a precedent. However, the city must have the state DOT’s approval. The state may not give the final OK until existing local funds — needed to keep drawing down federal dollars for BIG — are depleted.

Pugh estimated it will be three to four years before the toll revenue credit funds are needed.

While he believes the state will give the city what it needs, Pugh admitted there is a risk the state would refuse to write the city a $2.7 million check, and FTA grant funds would go back to the federal government.

“There’s always a risk,” he said.

seicer

March 21st, 2008, 07:50 PM

(Originally found via the Charleston Daily Mail yesterday, but it is not online.)

Comment: I'll echo the comments made in the article regarding the long-term sustainability of the present operations. Dirt-bike races, mud bog races, Halloween nights, and so forth do not generate a lot of revenue, especially with the costs required to maintain the current state of the hospital and the cost to purchase it ($1.5 million). I hope that the owners have long-term plans for the hospital outside of creating a haphazard entertainment and recreation venue.

Asylum's renaming insults advocates (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gID1-Op-o8J8c5Ib9h2ctLAgMoqwD8VHSAA81)
By Vicki Smith, Charleston Daily Mail, March 21, 2008

WESTON, W.Va. - It's an intriguing and provocative name that translates to Web hits, phone calls and tour tickets: the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

To some, the title acknowledges history by readopting one of the many names previously held by the long-vacant, 19th century mental institution known most recently as Weston Hospital.

But others say the new owners of the massive Gothic Revival hospital have gone too far, disparaging the suffering of former patients and reopening wounds with planned events like "Psyco Path" dirt bike races on the grounds.

They say words like "lunatic" and "retarded" have gone the way of "colored" and "Negro" and should never be resurrected.

"It's like turning back the clock to a time we don't want to go back to," said Ann McDaniel, executive director of the Statewide Independent Living Council, one of several mental health advocacy groups to object. "I think they could still do what they want to do without being offensive."

Scott Miller, director of Mountain State Direct Action Center, said one former patient burst into tears after seeing the name on a sign.

"It's not just that I'm a liberal and I think it's not a good idea; it's seeing people physically hurt," he said. "That's about all I needed to know."

Rebecca Jordan, whose family owns the 307-acre complex, sees things differently.

"This part of history is vital, and you cannot bury what you don't like," she said. "Should we take down the Holocaust museum? Should we completely deny all that happened because it's not favorable? Because it might hurt a few feelings?"

The daily tours that began last week — which cost $10 to $30, depending on duration — focus on issues such as the evolution of mental health care, the Civil War, the Great Depression, even architecture.

"Not one person who has gone through this place and taken the tour has said that one thing was offensive," Jordan said. "It's not a freak show."

The hospital is one of the world's largest hand-cut sandstone structures, a National Historic Landmark that once housed more than 2,000 patients but has stood largely silent since 1994.

After struggling to find a suitable, sustainable use, the state sold it at auction last summer for $1.5 million to Jordan's father, Joe, an asbestos demolition contractor from Morgantown.

The Jordans plan events on the grounds year-round: "mud bog" races, in which trucks try to speed through a pit without getting stuck; a reunion of former employees; "Hospital of Horrors" haunting tours in October; and a "Nightmare Before Christmas" tour on Dec. 23.

But their approach to marketing "cheapens and denigrates the whole field of psychology," argued Jerry Kirkpatrick, an international business and marketing professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

"They are sending mixed signals about the nature of the product they are selling. Are they selling history? Or dirt bike races and Halloween nights?" he said. "Sooner or later, one of these themes will have to move to the forefront and the other will fall to the side."

Kirkpatrick said serious treatment of the institution might mean putting recreational opportunities into a separate business and preserving the hospital as "a proper memorial."

"I can't imagine a long life for the present operation," he added, "unless they have a lot of money to throw at it."

It appears the Jordans don't.

With renovations projected to cost tens of millions of dollars, "it's going to be 50 years before we see revenue on this property," Rebecca Jordan said. "But this county is going to benefit in the next month because of the business we're going to bring in."

That's why Glenn Brown Jr., who lives within a stone's throw, is happy about the change.

"We don't want to see it deteriorate. We want to see it grow," said Brown, environmental services director for the hospital for 26 years. "I see something in the future. Before, I'd look at it and say, `Nah. It's going to sit there and just rot to the ground.'"

Historian Joy Gilchrist-Stalnaker has worked for nearly a decade to save the building where three of her ancestors died. She said the new name serves as a reminder of a past no one should forget.

The genealogy society she founded, Hackers Creek Pioneer Descendants, worked for six years in the Weston Colored School, another National Historic Landmark.

"There were those people who were upset with us because we used the name. But that was the name, and the community was proud of it," Gilchrist-Stalnaker said. "It was part of them."

The Jordans, she says, "are trying to treat things with respect."

They plan to post the property on eBay for a second time — but only to drum up investment.

"It was never for sale. It's still not for sale. This building will be in this family," Rebecca Jordan said. "We're not going anywhere. You can't run us out this easily."

On the Web:
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: http://www.trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com
Statewide Independent Living Council: http://www.wvsilc.org
Hackers Creek Pioneer Descendants: http://www.hackerscreek.com

georgeglass

March 21st, 2008, 10:55 PM

[QUOTE=seicer;18667230]Hawks Nest worker graves lay forgotten for decades (http://wvgazette.com/News/200802230569?page=2&build=cache)
By Rick Steelhammer, Sunday Gazette-Mail, February 24, 2008

Seicer,

Thanks for posting this. I don't often wander out of the Lexington forum, but I'm glad I did. This was a fascinating, yet disturbing story. I know there is still injustice, but it's hard to believe something like this actually happened even into the 70's.

seicer

March 27th, 2008, 03:41 PM

Old company store to be stop on trail (http://wvgazette.com/News/200803240353)
$729,000 grant turning former HQ into coal heritage museum
By Rick Steelhammer, Charleston Gazette, March 24, 2008

The former Houston Coal Company Store building in Kimball will become a coal heritage museum and a tourist stop along the Coal Heritage Trail, thanks to a $729,604 grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

"This funding will help the Coal Heritage Trail, an initiative that I proudly helped establish more than 10 years ago, continue to build upon our mission of preserving and promoting our rich coal heritage for future generations," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., in announcing the grant.

Built nearly 100 years ago, the red brick building with its distinctive tiled roof and domed windows is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From 1910 to 1925, it served as the headquarters and company store for Houston Coal and Coke Collieries, which operated mines at nearby Carswell. By 1930, the store building was sold to Koppers Coal Co., and was later used by Leatherwood Milk Co. and Court Construction Co., before it was donated to the town of Kimball, which in turn donated it to the McArts Fine Arts Organization.

Company owner David Houston and his wife, Miriam, were the main benefactors of Houston Methodist Church in Kimball, and built a summer camp with 26 cabins and two natural swimming pools, where county schoolchildren spent one week a year free of charge. Miriam Houston founded McDowell County's first Girl Scout troop.

"For as old as the building is, it's in remarkably good shape," said Christy Bailey, director of the Coal Heritage Highway Authority. "It will need a lot of cosmetic work on the inside, along with a heating and cooling system. McArts will be setting up the museum space and programming. By fall, we should be in the design phase, with construction to follow next spring."

McArts officials last year toured the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh to get ideas for the museum in Kimball, and have met with a museum consultant and with personnel from the state Division of Culture and History. In addition to interpreting the region's coal industry and McDowell County's history, the museum would also feature a railroad component under current plans.

Jean Battlo, the founder and artistic director of McArts, said the idea of housing a museum in the old Houston Company Store has been in the planning stages since the 1990s. The store building is currently the home of Coal Country Creations, a small business that makes coal statuettes.

According to Bailey, development of the Houston Company Store Museum will make Kimball a key stop on the 97-mile Coal Heritage Trail, part of the National Scenic Byways system. The Coal Heritage Trail stretches from Bluefield to Beckley, mostly following U.S. 52 and W.Va. 16.

Rahall said preservation of the Houston Coal Company Store and other coal heritage sites not only has educational value, but can be "an incredible economic engine for the tourism industry in Southern West Virginia."

seicer

March 28th, 2008, 05:49 AM

Smart growth goal in Ranson (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/504709.html?nav=5006)
A new park is part of that planning philosophy, city officials report.
By Jenni Vincent, Journal [Martinsburg], March 16, 2008

RANSON — Tracy Utterback couldn’t be happier with her Briar Run Estate home.

While her neighborhood has plenty of trees, it’s also close enough to walk to a nearby shopping center — whether for lunch at Panera Bread or to purchase building supplies at Home Depot.

And that proximity is one of the reasons Utterback likes her home’s location so much, she said.

During one of last week’s sunny days, Utterback — who works at home — said she took a break to walk to the shopping center to get lunch.

“It is such a pleasure to be able to take this kind of little break, to walk to the grocery story to get a salad and then come back home to eat,” Utterback said.

“This accessibility is fantastic for so many reasons. Walking is good because I tend not to get enough exercise, since I’m behind a desk all day. Plus this is a great way to get out and clear my mind,” she said.

Utterback said she also appreciates being able to walk to do errands as the price of gasoline continues to reach new record highs.

“I just started working at home in December. Before that, I used to work in Sterling and drove over 100 miles a day — back and forth to work. That was a lot of time and money, so this is just a fantastic alternative,” she said.

Now she’s even happier, thanks to news that a new community park will be coming to the area.

“It just makes a great place to live even better,” Utterback said. “Quality of life is so important and this will certainly add to that.”

Ranson Community Development Director Patrick Davenport readily acknowledges that quality of life is an important consideration, especially in a growing area that has seen its share of development recently.

That’s one of the reasons he embraces the “smart growth” approach to planning, because it seeks to provide folks with the best of all worlds, Davenport said.

“We need the development. But as part of smart growth, we want to focus the development toward our urban areas, where there is already infrastructure in place,” he said.

“That is beneficial in several ways. For example, it can help reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled to retail and commercial establishments as well as to work,” Davenport said.

“Essentially, it is the opposite of sprawl.”

Protecting environmentally sensitive and green spots — such as being done with the Flowing Springs Run Park — is also part of the smart growth approach, he said.

Placing green spots near subdivisions allows access by a greater number of people, Davenport said.

In addition to the proposed President’s Pointe development, there are others in this area that will be close to the fledgling park, he said.

Lakeland Place, which is a mixture of single-family homes and town houses, still has several hundred more units to construct, Davenport said. Similarly, Briar Run Estate — which features mixed use residential development — will also have some more building occurring, he said.

“These houses and residential areas support the nearby shopping center, so it makes good planning sense to be close to it,” he said. “But this park — which I think we could almost call an urban nature reserve, because it is in the center of a very urbanized area — is also part of the smart growth approach.”

seicer

March 28th, 2008, 05:50 AM

Courthouse gets funding (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/504948.html?nav=5006)
Capito secures $7M loan for Morgan County project
By Naomi Smoot, Journal [Martinsburg], March 25, 2008

MARTINSBURG — Funding for a new courthouse in Morgan County got a big boost Monday with an announcement by U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito that a loan has been approved for the project.

Capito said the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development division has approved a $7 million loan to help pay for the construction of a new courthouse after the county’s historic courthouse in Berkeley Springs was destroyed by fire in August 2006.

“We’ve been working really diligently,” Capito said, adding that the loan is, “solid, it’s there, it’s ready to go.”

Capito spokesman Jonathan Coffin said the loan, alongside other funding which is already available, should be enough to cover the nearly $13 million expected to be needed for the reconstruction effort.

“That should be enough to get this through,” Coffin said.

County officials are proposing replacing the old courthouse with a 40,000-square-foot building that would also house the sheriff’s office. County offices are currently housed out of mobile units situated near the site of the former courthouse.

The $7 million loan comes in addition to $4 million the county received from insurance coverage as a result of the fire.

Those funds would join an anticipated $9 million loan from state agencies, said Morgan County Commissioner Tommy Swaim.

Those funds will come with an initially low interest rate which is expected to balloon in five years. At that time, money from the USDA loan will be used to repay the remainder of the debt.

“We won’t get the money (from the USDA) for five years,” Swaim said.

The loan which was announced Monday will come with a more manageable interest rate in the long run. The county will have 35 years to repay those funds, at an interest rate of 4.375 percent, Coffin said.

Capito said she has been working to secure the money since visiting the site of the former courthouse shortly after it burned. With the large sum of money needed to complete the project, it has taken time to secure the necessary funds, she said.

“A courthouse is a cornerstone of any county. You want to make sure that you do it right,” she said.

If all the pieces of the puzzle come together, Swaim said the project could go out to bid by May and a new courthouse could be under construction as early as this summer.

“That’s our hope and plan, but things don’t always go that way,” Swaim said.

Monday though, things were looking up for Swaim’s timeline for the reconstruction of the town’s historic courthouse.

“I’m excited about it, and I think that’s going to help us put us together a package,” Swaim said of the USDA loan.

seicer

March 29th, 2008, 03:55 PM

This is like a stake through my heart. I am planning on biking the 70+ mile Greenbrier River Trail this summer and this was to be a planned stop.

Before
http://www.americanbyways.com/content/40/photos/DSCN1629.jpg

After
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/content/sites/herald-dispatch/0329_depot/0/g1f414d9ca05a924831cb346c5f52b5f3e9bbd1ebe91462.jpg

Fire destroys historic Marlinton depot (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x1657948720)
Herald-Dispatch, March 28, 2008

MARLINTON, W.Va. (AP) _ A bright yellow beacon of the past, a lovingly restored train depot along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, is gone after 107 years.

Fire destroyed the station in Marlinton, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, early Friday morning. The building had housed the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau and served as a reminder of the region's long-ago timber boom.

No one was hurt, but the fire department declared the structure a total loss.

"We were the only existing depot that had its original furniture," said Shirley Adams of the tourism office.

Among the lost items were a two-seat desk, a semaphore used to signal trains and a telegraph. A wall featuring planks of various native woods also was destroyed.

The building was renovated sometime after the trains quite running in 1978.

The C&O Railroad was begun in 1868 and finished in 1873, linking Huntington with Richmond, Va., and opening up southern West Virginia to industrialization.

Pocahontas County has preserved three other depots: the Durbin Depot on Route 250; the Clover Lick Depot at milepost 71.2 on the Greenbrier River Trail; and the Cass Depot, starting point for the Cass Scenic Railroad.

All are on the National Register.

seicer

April 2nd, 2008, 05:15 AM

Historic Marlinton depot burns (http://wvgazette.com/News/200803280680)
By Tara Tuckwiller, Charleston Gazette, March 29, 2008

The 107-year-old Marlinton train depot that burned Friday morning was on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the last remaining examples of the trademark bright-yellow stations of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's heyday.

"It's a total loss," said Shirley Adams of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which was housed in the restored depot. "We were the only existing depot that had its original furniture - all destroyed. Totally gutted."

The Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department was called out at 5:20 a.m., Assistant Chief Brad Totten said, to help the Marlinton Volunteer Fire Department fight the fire. Firefighters did not finish at the scene until noon, he said.

He said it is not yet known what caused the fire.

"There's no indication at all," Totten said. The state fire marshal's office is investigating.

The county of fewer than 8,600 people had worked for years to restore the depot, a relic of the county's turn-of-the-century timber boom.

The C&O Railway laid the Marlinton track - and built the station - after a large paper mill (now the MeadWestvaco mill) was built across the border in Covington, Va., in 1898. The track carried Pocahontas County timber and passengers over the mountains, south to the Greenbrier County town of Ronceverte, and on to the mill.

The daily round-trip passenger service lasted until 1958. Freight service lasted into the 1970s. Then most of the C&O's distinctive stations were torn down. The Marlinton station survived with all of its characteristic architecture intact, including Victorian bracketed eaves and gable tracery, a bay window and multipane glass transoms.

The depot contained the original desks, chairs and cabinets, plus the ticket windows and red-painted semaphore levers, according to the depot's historic register filing.

Friday morning's fire destroyed the newer furnishings, too, including the CVB's computers. But by the opening of the business day Friday, neighbors had supplied the CVB with temporary office space in a bed-and-breakfast, reconnected the phone line there and moved in donated furniture.

"The community - you would not believe - God bless them," Adams said.

The community had gotten a grant to re-roof the depot, she said, which local people hope they might be allowed to use to rebuild the depot.

The Pocahontas Times plans to sell photos of the depot before it burned on its Web site, pocahontastimes.com, and donate at least part of the proceeds to the depot's foundation for rebuilding, Editor Pam Pritt said.

The fire did not reach nearby buildings, said Cookie Turner, an employee at C.J. Richardson Hardware next door.

The depot is the area's second member of the National Register of Historic Places to burn within the past month. Fire damaged Stuart Manor, the oldest inhabited house in Greenbrier County, on Feb. 28.

seicer

April 3rd, 2008, 06:46 AM

For more on the project, visit
http://www.paxflood.com , http://www.paxwv.us and http://www.paintcreekscenictrail.com

Meeting set tonight for Paint Creek Scenic Trail (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_093215727.html)
Steve Keenan, Register-Herald [Beckley], April 2, 2008

A final meeting will be held tonight to garner public input on a corridor management plan for the Paint Creek Scenic Trail.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Mossy and will conclude a major portion of a project which has included several informational meetings and much behind-the-scenes work.

The ambitious plan calls for creation of a system that allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy an intimate look at the rich histories of the various communities along a 44-mile corridor stretching from Tamarack in Raleigh County to Pratt in Kanawha County.

Howard Hughes, president of the Upper Paint Creek Watershed Association, says the area along Paint Creek is primed to tell a fascinating story.

“We have the perfect set-up to promote southern West Virginia, not just Paint Creek,” he said. “We’re accessible by two major interstates. People could take the scenic trail, and if they like it, they can come back again.”

Fellow watershed member Henry Meredith says the area’s coal-heavy history would be a good drawing card for tourists with a hankering to explore. At one point, Paint Creek was dotted by coal camps.

“There were 4,000 to 5,000 people living within 5 miles (prior to 1950), and there’s not a house left,” he said. “The turnpike took a lot of the houses.”

Jim Reed, a special assistant in the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ Beckley office, said the DNR has stayed involved in the project for several reasons. The DNR manages 202-acre Plum Orchard Lake, a solid warm water fishery which lies within the 2,953-acre Plum Orchard Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Area along the trail. In addition, many efforts have been made in the past decade to return Paint Creek to a productive, enjoyable fishing spot.

“We feel like this has potential in the future for tourism efforts,” Reed said.

Enticing travelers off the turnpike to the less-beaten path would allow them to enjoy a variety of places, including Balanced Rock, a 4-mile section of dramatic rock outcropping overlooking Paint Creek. Locals know it as the Mini-Gorge. Located near Lively, it features overhanging rock and sheer cliffs surrounded by rhododendron, evergreens and deciduous trees. There are at least two accessible overlooks.

Also along the trail, visitors can see such places as the Pratt Historic District, Middle Patch Tent City (Gallagher), the Standard Center for National Response (former Memorial Tunnel) and Plum Orchard Lake.

Members of the Upper Paint Creek and Lower Paint Creek watershed associations, the Paint Creek Scenic Trail Committee, the DNR and E.L. Robinson Engineering have been among those staying active in the project. Initial funding for the corridor management plan came from a state Department of Transportation matching grant, and county commissions in Raleigh, Fayette and Kanawha have supported the project.

In addition to seeking scenic byway approval and initiating the capital funding phase, one of the main goals right now is to maintain interest in the younger generation in keeping the dream alive. Hughes says the projects need some new bodies to keep moving forward.

“There’s a lot of legwork involved,” he said. “We need volunteers, younger people to help (in such areas as grant writing and organization). And you don’t have to be from this area.”

seicer

April 3rd, 2008, 06:49 AM

Corridor D bridge named for island (http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/502293.html?nav=5002)
The Blennerhassett Island Bridge scheduled to open soon
By Pamela Brust, Times Tribune [Marietta], April 2, 2008

PARKERSBURG — Blennerhassett Island officials were pleased to learn Monday the Corridor D bridge spanning the Ohio River will be named The Blennerhassett Island Bridge.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 19, sponsored by local Sens. Frank Deem, R-Wood, and Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, requested the West Virginia Division of Highways name the bridge after the historic site. The resolution notes “Blennerhassett Island has played an important role in Ohio Valley history for over 200 years.”

Delegate John Ellem, R-Wood, confirmed the measure also passed the House of Delegates, and legislators said they foresee no problems with the new name proceeding.

The board of directors of the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation earlier voted unanimously that naming the bridge after the island would pay “deserving homage to Blennerhassett Island and acquaint travelers with the site’s historical importance.”

Dianne Anderson, with the Blennerhassett Foundation, learned of the action Monday during the Wood County Commission meeting. She’s been instrumental in the movement to have the bridge named after the island.

“We’ve been working on this for about a year. We wrote to our legislators and asked them to consider this, but there were other suggestions submitted after that. We have just been waiting to hear. It’s wonderful news. It is the best advertising we could get, people will wonder what the island is, and maybe will take the time to visit,” Anderson said.

“Frank and I introduced the resolution into the senate. It goes to the chairman of the Transportation Committee then to the House of Delegates. The Blennerhassett Island officials had contacted us last year, then we received a letter from the Wood County Commission and chamber of commerce about another name,” Boley said. “I think this is a good name for it,” she said of the final selection.

Back in February, after being contacted by local chamber of commerce officials, the county commissioners agreed to write a letter of support to name the bridge after community business leader/philanthropist Bernard P. McDonough.

After learning local legislators had been advocating since April 2007 to have the bridge named after Blennerhassett Island, the commissioners took another look at the chamber’s recommendation. The county officials said they had been unaware of the other efforts. Commissioners then told local legislators they would support either choice.

“I think the two groups just weren’t aware of the efforts of the other,” Boley said.

The bridge spans the Ohio River from West Virginia to Ohio over Blennerhassett Island.

West Virginia Department of Transportation officials announced earlier the bridge is scheduled for opening by late April or early May. The 4,009-foot bridge is the last major component of the Corridor D project left to be completed. The Corridor D project is a multi-lane highway extending from the Ohio state line at Parkersburg to Interstate-79 at Clarksburg, W.Va. It was designated as part of the Appalachian Development Highway System by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 and later designated as part of the National Highway System.

It will rank among the longest-span structures of its type in the world.

seicer

April 3rd, 2008, 06:51 AM

Public attendance urged for second BIG meeting (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_093220339.html)
By Amelia A. Pridemore, Register-Herald, April 2, 2008

Beckley city leaders have $24 million for downtown revitalization, but they don’t want to be the ones who totally decide how it is spent.

Instead, they believe citizens should have a say, and citizens will have the chance to have that tonight.

The second community meeting for the Beckley Intermodal Gateway is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center’s Conference Room C. This meeting will primarily focus on market analysis — what consultants, city leaders and citizens believe will work at the site and what will not. The public is encouraged to attend.

“If the public doesn’t tell us their ideas, we won’t know them,” Mayor Emmett Pugh said. “If we don’t know them, this project will be strictly government- and consultant-driven.

“We don’t want that. We want the people’s support. This could be a gateway to the city.”

BIG is billed as economic and transportation revitalization project and its estimated cost is $24 million. It has been made possible through an earmarked $20 million from the Federal Transit Authority and the city must provide 20 percent in matching funds.

The project’s plan calls for construction of a new parking facility, small cultural center, new city hall, new police department, walking trails and gardens to be constructed in an approximate 5-acre area stretching between Neville Street, Leslie C. Gates Place, Prince Street and Robert C. Byrd Drive.

Pugh has emphasized, though, this is only a working plan the city used to attract the federal money.

Since the first community meeting last November, several interviews and a large amount of legwork has been done, Pugh said. BIG project managers will present what has been done with different intermodal gateway projects across the country to show what opportunities are available.

BIG could bring private/public partnerships to the city and niche retail outlets, Pugh said. Huntington’s Pullman Square, he noted, is also an intermodal gateway project. Pullman Square has spurred growth not just at the site, but in nearby areas of downtown Huntington.

seicer

April 4th, 2008, 03:46 AM

Summersville Hospital Begins $6.3 Million Expansion Project (http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=36769)
By Nancy Meadows, State Journal, April 3, 2008

SUMMERSVILLE -- Summersville Memorial Hospital broke ground March 17 on a $6.3 million expansion.

The project, local officials said, will be a big step in a town with about 5,500 residents. Summersville Memorial Hospital serves Nicholas, Webster and portions of Braxton, Clay and Fayette counties and employs 320 full time and 200 part time. It is a city-owned, nonprofit facility.

This is second phase of multi-faceted strategic plan on the hospital expansion, which will provide the public with a new, modern six-bed intensive care unit, move the current emergency department into the old ICU and increase the bed count from 10 to 18.

"The emergency room is overcrowded for people and equipment," said Debbie Hill, CEO at the hospital. "Summersville Memorial Hospital sees over 26,000 patients per year in the emergency department. The increase in size should allow us to move patients through the emergency department faster."

The expansion, which was designed by Kreps and Zachweija Architects of Charleston, is being built by local contractor Kyle Construction Co. of Summersville. The design also includes two deluxe private obstetrics rooms to the OB department.

"OB numbers have been relatively stable over the past 10 years (nearly 300 per year). There has been somewhat of an increase this year but it is too early to trend," Hill said. More and more patients are entering the hospital from surrounding counties, especially for mothers delivering their babies.

Currently, the laboratory is in the Extended Care Facility Building. Now it will be in the Acute Care Building, which will have new entrances for the public and emergency traffic.

Also, the facility will have a spacious waiting area and an upgraded, modern exterior, which will be a facelift to the 1968 building.

"It not only allow us to improve the quality of health care we provide for our local citizens, but from an economic standpoint, anything that would better enhance what you have to offer as a community is a plus," Summersville Mayor Robert Shafer said.

Hill said "expansion in health care must be carefully planned and is a long process."

"By the time you file the needed applications, find funding and complete architectural drawings, your needs may change drastically," she said.

"SMH took longer in our process because we wanted to ensure that we put a plan out that would be within our available funding. Other obstacles for SMH and most rural hospitals includes finances with the increasing number of under or uninsured patients and the difficulty recruiting physicians to a rural area."

Phase one of the Summersville Memorial Hospital expansion began in 2006 with Bear Construction of Bridgeport moving dirt from the hospital's future nursing home land site. That phase gave the hospital 100 parking spaces for the pubic and was completed in 2007.

Hill said the future of the current SMH extended care facility site is unknown.

"Part of the building," she said, "may be salvaged to continue to house administration, billing, pharmacy, dietary and such. The site would be used for future expansion of outpatient, (operating) suites or other patient services."

SMH officially opened its new Toshiba permanent MRI on March 17 and is in the process of securing an upgraded CT scan from a Toshiba four slice to Toshiba 64 slice to enable the hospital to perform cardiac and brain studies that were previously unavailable. This unit will open in early April.

The ground-breaking ceremony also served as the formal kickoff for the hospital's $2 million fundraising campaign. Although the project is currently funded through debt, Summersville Memorial Hospital plans to use donations to name various aspects of the project as it progresses and reduce the indebtedness.

In addition, donations may be made toward future projects, such as the extended care facility replacement. Hill said the project is expected to cost nearly $12 million.

seicer

April 5th, 2008, 07:44 AM

Consultants, citizens discuss BIG project (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_094230823.html)
By Amelia A. Pridemore, Register-Herald, April 3, 2008

If Beckley builds a facility no one will use, it could very well flush $24 million down the drain.

Citizens, city leaders and consultants for the Beckley Intermodal Gateway gathered Thursday night to discuss what could actually work for the downtown and transportation revitalization project — and what could outright flop.

A Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center conference room was packed for the second community meeting for the project, dubbed “BIG.” This time, the discussion’s focus was on market analysis — what will draw citizens and visitors alike to the site.

The project’s estimated cost of $24 million has been made possible through an earmarked $20 million from the Federal Transit Authority and the city must provide 20 percent in matching funds. The project is to be located in an approximate 5-acre area, bounded by Neville Street, Leslie C. Gates Place, Prince Street and Robert C. Byrd Drive.

“We want to see how this will be a catalyst for investment and revitalization for Uptown,” said David Hafley of the Lexington, Ky.-based Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm, project manager for BIG. “We can’t understand that path until we understand the market. ... At this point, there are no bad ideas.”

Hafley said Parsons Brinckerhoff has worked with consultants from Basile, Baumann, Prost, Cole and Associates (BBPC), a Baltimore-based firm specializing in market analysis. He noted the firm is especially experienced in downtown revitalization and intermodal gateway projects.

Jim Prost, a principal of BBPC, said the firm has analyzed downtown, the city, Raleigh County and what he called the “primary trade area” — locations within a 15-minute drive of the BIG site. Downtown’s current strengths include being a government and financial hub and attracting a growing population of upper-income “empty-nesters.”

Weak spots, though, included almost no nighttime activity, lack of retail outlets and limited parking, he said.

Some possible uses for the site, Prost said, could include a multi-purpose arena for sports and conventions. Plus, nearby Mountain State University students would likely support retail outlets at the site.

Citizens at the public meeting suggested a trolley system at the site to improve downtown transportation — which would particularly aid senior citizens and MSU students. They suggested using such downtown areas as Lewisburg as a model. Specialized retail outlets, they believed, could compete with large chain stores now concentrated on Eisenhower Drive.

Tom Sopher, a member of the BIG Steering Committee and owner of Best Fabric and Foam, suggested an environmentally friendly site.

Sopher suggested all buildings at the site be “green-powered,” and this could be a theme of the project. Tourists would not only appreciate this, but this could also be an educational opportunity for young people. The buildings with solar panels and using wind and “clean coal” technology, he said, would be low-maintenance and have low — or no — utility costs.

Consultants for the project also showed residents what cities across the country have done with intermodal facilities, both large and small. The most familiar to them was Huntington’s Pullman Square.

seicer

April 8th, 2008, 03:48 PM

City exploring options at vacant brownstone site (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_097212834.html)
By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, April 6, 2008

BLUEFIELD — City officials are still mulling over how to develop the vacant site of the former historic brownstone.

In the meantime, city officials are still working to develop a database of vacant structures in Bluefield, Mayor Linda Whalen said. Inspections of vacant structures are still planned as part of a proposed vacant building ordinance being crafted by the city Board of Directors.

“There is a degree of vacant building inspections that go on all of the time,” Whalen said. “But our immediate concern is always our downtown buildings that are vacated.”

Whalen said the vacant building ordinance seeks to protect and preserve older structures.

“This is to protect them from collapsing so they won’t become a liability to the citizens and the city,” Whalen said.

The old People’s Bank Building, which was the oldest brownstone structure south of Charleston, collapsed last November. It was widely regarded as one of the city’s most unique buildings. An adjoining structure partially collapsed a short time later.

Whalen said the city is still mulling over options for the vacant brownstone site.

“We just want to pursue all options,” she said.

Whalen said one idea being tossed around is the development of a railroad overlook at the former brownstone site.

“We have so many people that visit downtown Bluefield to look at our railroad,” Whalen said.

As a result, a railroad overlook for visitors is one possible option. However, Whalen said the city is also considering several other options, including those from private developers.

The vacant building ordinance proposed by the city last year seeks to establish a regular schedule for vacant building inspections, and establishes a fee schedule for the inspection of vacant structures.

seicer

April 10th, 2008, 04:37 AM

Study: Harpers Ferry park land in danger (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/505414.html?nav=5006)
By Erik M. Anderson, Journal [Martinsburg], April 9, 2008

WASHINGTON — The National Parks Association released a study Tuesday that said about 1.8 million acres of land are for sale within or near land protected by the national parks system.

According to the study, 65.84 acres in or near the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park are available on the open market, which does not include the Old Standard Quarry property, a candidate for development for many years.

“We see a lot of development to national parks across the country and a lot of people don’t understand there’s a lot of land inside the national parks that’s not protected,” said Erin Haddin, the mid-Atlantic field representative of the association.

Because the National Park Service didn’t have enough money to purchase all of the land within and near park boundaries when most of the parks were established, a significant portion of it remained in private hands, and those landowners are looking to turn a profit, she said.

Although none of the properties detailed in the study currently have plans for development near Harpers Ferry, if they do in the future, it will have a detrimental effect on the historic and natural qualities of the park, such as intruding on the view shed of Jefferson Rock, she said.

According to the study, major commercial developments throughout the country are already proposed in or near national park boundaries.

“We really need to work to fill in the boundaries of the national park so they’re owned by the park so we don’t have to worry about large scale developments.”

According to the study, that will be no easy task, as the park will have to raise over $7 million to purchase all of the property up for acquisition.

The association will present its findings to Congress soon to request that it be augmented.

According to Ron Tipon, the Senior Vice President of the association, the Park Service’s traditional means of funding is unreliable. He said the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was set aside by Congress in 1964 for the purpose of park land acquisition, has gone from an annual budget of $130 million to $44 million in recent years, and that money must be shared between every national park in the country.

“There has been a general decline in the money available for the land and water fund,” he said. “We have park lands that are for sale, parks lands that are threatened and very little money to deal with that.”

According to Haddin, the National Park Service can only purchase new properties with money from the land and water fund. But according to Tipton, certain philanthropists and land trusts can purchase the lands and preserve them for the parks until such time when the government allots the money for their acquisition into the national park system.

Tipton said the association’s goal is to be able to protect all of the land in the study by the year 2016 when the Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

“We want to have money. We want to have the authority to protect America’s greatest treasures,” he said.

seicer

April 13th, 2008, 07:59 AM

Abandoned CSX line being sought for rail trail in Greenbrier, Fayette counties (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_101223557.html)
By Christian Giggenbach, Register-Herald, April 10, 2008

LEWISBURG — The Greenbrier County Commission voted unanimously this week to submit a letter to a federal agency about purchasing the right-of-way to a recently abandoned CSX rail line near Rainelle for a future Rails-to-Trails project.

The 16.7-mile abandoned line extends into Fayette County and the trail could link both counties and eventually stretch into the Gauley River area, Commissioner Betty Crookshanks said.

Fayette County commissioners approved a similar letter Monday.

“The opportunity to preserve these rail lines doesn’t come along very often,” Crookshanks said. “This could be the gateway that stretches from Rainelle into the Gauley River.”

Michael Gasper, an assistant with Mountain Resource Conservation Development in Oak Hill, told commissioners in order to act on this a request letter must first be sent to the federal Surface Transportation Board.

“The letter must state that the commission is interested in entering into negotiations with CSX Inc. to purchase a right-of-way,” Gasper said. “After that, the commission will have 180 days to contact the rail line.”

If the right-of-way is granted, the county would be responsible for creating and maintaining the trail, Gasper said. How much that would cost is uncertain, he said.

The county is already home to the Greenbrier River Trail, one of the most popular Rails-to-Trails in the state. It was built in the 1990s and stretches some 79 miles between Caldwell and Marlinton.

seicer

April 14th, 2008, 12:08 AM

Beckley attraction adds company store to rebuilt coal camp (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1227043724)
By Charlotte Ferrell Smith, Herald-Dispatch, April 12, 2008

BECKLEY, W.Va. -- The complex above the popular Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine reopened recently, but visitors interested in the main attraction -- the trip underground -- will have to wait until June.

And waiting a couple of months will yield another reward. Construction is nearly complete on a $3.5 million replica of a coal company store.

The 14,000-square-foot building also will include a visitor's center, gift shop and museum filled with artifacts, memorabilia and records. The addition was built with federal and state funds as well as grants.

The company store will be in keeping with a theme that takes visitors back in time to West Virginia's coal mining history.

More than a year ago, Beckley Mayor Emmett S. Pugh announced the improvement project and said tours of the underground mine would cease until construction was complete.

Meanwhile, other buildings remained open, including the Youth Museum and restored historical structures of a mountain homestead, superintendent's home, schoolhouse and church.

While all offered a glimpse into 20th-century coal camp life, people voiced how much they missed the underground mine tours.

"We didn't realize how popular and well known we are," said director Renda Morris.

"People called all last year and wanted to know if we were open. It was the first time the coal mine had been shut down since 1962. The exhibition coal mine is one of the main tourist attractions of southern West Virginia. It's good for the economy in Beckley and for the state."

When the company store opens in June, she believes popularity will soar even higher.

About 50,000 visitors come every year. She said the new structure replaces a building that did not fit well with the historical theme.

"We brought buildings from various coal towns in West Virginia, dismantled them and rebuilt the buildings," Morris said. "All were owned by New River Company.

"The company store was a big part of the coal town," she said. "We couldn't bring in an authentic building. So, we simulated one. This building keeps our heritage alive. "

The other buildings opened for the season with visitors following a boardwalk to reach the various structures while avoiding the construction area. The season runs from April to November each year. Also, a 17-site campground is available.

When construction ends in early June, the company store will open and mine tours will resume.

That should be a big draw for tourists.

"The underground mine tour is the same, showing the early mining era and pick and shovel days," she said. "We hope to add more modern techniques in years to come. People need to be educated about what mining is today."

Underground tours will be conducted by guides like Leroy White, who worked as a coal miner for 271/2 years.

Visitors ride a railroad car as the guide stops to show old coal mining equipment and explain techniques.

White also can tell stories of men who worked in tight spaces to mine coal and the dangers they faced. For example, rats were welcome and the miners fed them chicken bones to keep them around. If the rats fled from an area, that meant oxygen was dwindling.

White's enthralling stories told in the cool, dampness of the underground mine garner appreciation for courageous miners trying to scratch out a living to feed their families. Tours are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $12 for students. Group rates are available. For more information, visit www.beckleymine.com or call (304) 256-1747.

seicer

April 16th, 2008, 02:08 PM

PARALLEL UNIVERSE: Lustron Redux: Look to the Past for the House of the Future? (http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/080414-kinchen-columnsparallel.html)
By David M. Kinchen, Huntingtonnews.net, April 14, 2008

A story in the New York Times (link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/us/13trailers.html?th&emc=th) about the Federal Government's decision not to use travel trailers in disaster areas set my mind to thinking about an experiment in prefabricated housing that deserves to be revived: The Lustron House.

The NY Times story describes alternatives to travel trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi brought in after Hurricane Katrina in the late summer of 2005. Many residents of these campers have complained about noxious fumes in them, as well as being crammed into tiny spaces. Several designers have come up with solutions, including an attractive design called the Mississippi Cottage.

More than 30 years ago, when I covered real estate for The Milwaukee Sentinel (now combined with The Milwaukee Journal as the Journal-Sentinel), I wrote a feature story about a well-preserved Lustron home on Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. The house was about 24 years old at the time -- Lustron homes were built from 1949 to 1950 in a former aircraft plant in Columbus, OH -- and was in excellent condition. For more on Lustron Homes, search the web...there are plenty of sites for this ahead-of-its-time experiment in manufactured housing. Using a handy web site that locates Lustron Homes throughout the nation (http://www.lustronpreservation.org/lounge/locator/lustron-locator-map?stateId), I discovered that the house at 3802 W. Capitol is still there, almost 60 years after it was erected!

To put in perspective on why a guy whose Chicago-based company manufactured porcelain panels for the gas stations of the era decided to get into the prefab housing market, return with us now to 1947, when Strandlund, a Swedish-born inventor and industrialist, obtained a multi-million dollar Reconstruction Finance Corp. loan to produce steel-framed houses with porcelain enamel-coated panels.

At a time when houses were constructed -- as they still are -- with wood framing, the use of steel in the houses was a great leap forward, including both steel framing and steel interior walls and ceilings. Steel promised to produce sturdier construction, reduced maintenance and ease of pre-fabrication. In addition, the houses were promoted as termite-free, fireproof, lightening proof, rust proof and maintenance free!

Strandlund, who was emotionally destroyed by the collapse of Lustron, according to his widow Clara, held more 150 farm implement patents through his work at the Minneapolis-Moline tractor company including the creation of rubber tires for tractors. (I remember the steel spiked tractor wheels on our Southwest Michigan farm in the 1940s).

Strandlund also invented manufacturing techniques to build non-warping metal plates for tanks during World War II, created movie theatre air conditioning systems, and invented a wallpaper-removing machine. A true renaissance man, Carl Strandlund was also a sports enthusiast and gambler who owned racehorses and offered pointers to the University of Minnesota football coach on winning strategies after studying the team!

At a time when housing construction was in demand following the lack of building during the Depression and the war years, Strandlund's idea sparked a media frenzy. His Lustron Corp., using an adapted aircraft production plant in Columbus, OH, fabricated 2,560 Lustron homes between 1949 and 1950. The houses would sell for between $8500 and $9500, according to a March 1949 article in the Columbus Dispatch, about 25% less than comparable conventional housing; by November 1949, the average selling price had come up to $10,500.

The Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950, despite being an extremely well-funded, well-publicized, government-supported enterprise manufacturing a desperately needed product. Production delays, the lack of a viable distribution network, and rising prices for the homes all contributed to the failure.

If you've seen Francis Ford Coppola's 1988 film "Tucker: The Man and His Dream," you'll probably find parallels between Strandlund (1899-1974) and inventor-promoter Preston Tucker (1903-1956). Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with both Midwesterners, blaming organized labor (carpenters could only hate an all-steel, termite-proof house), big business, etc.

According to my best calculations, 15 Lustron homes remain in West Virginia, including the one in Huntington that accompanies this article. Other Lustron houses, in various states of preservation, exist in Athens, WV, Williamson, WV, Charleston, Parkersburg, Elkins, Wheeling, Chester, Fairmount, Beckley, etc.

Why couldn't a similar but updated house be created, perhaps with government backing, to build permanent disaster housing? Lustron homes, using porcelain panels that were developed for service stations in the 1930s, have stood the test of time. Production of the houses could create jobs in the U.S. and factories could be located in states that are in hurricane and tornado areas, as well as places like California where wildfires destroy dozens of houses every year.

Sometimes the best ideas come from the past. Maybe it's time for a revival of the Lustron home. It would certainly benefit the nation's steel industry, including steel plants in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle. More jobs at a time of job losses would be created and excess production could be exported in kit form to overseas markets where housing is desperately needed.

Things we could eliminate in the updated version of Lustron homes: oil-burning radiant heating systems that rarely worked in colder climates and a Rube Goldbergian combination kitchen sink/dishwasher/washer/dryer. The idea of steel roofing is as modern as today, with many houses in the two Virginias being re-roofed with steel, which doesn't require removal and disposal of exisiting asphalt shingles.

For a photo gallery of Lustron homes in 26 states -- including one in Parkersburg, WV -- in various stages of originality, click on this web site: http://www.lustronconnection.org/html/lus_phot/Album.html

As the proliferation of web sites indicates, Lustron homes, with their porcelain-steel walls, continue to draw enthusiasts from all generations. The Lustron's modernistic, compact, metallic look fits with 1950's cultural themes that include the chrome generation of automobiles and spiffy, drive in diners. Call it the "Nifty Fifties," which resonates with the present writer, who graduated from high school in 1957.

seicer

April 22nd, 2008, 01:52 AM

Parking garage study now under way (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/505528.html?nav=5006)
The preliminary study will determine the feasibility of such an addition to Martinsburg.
By Chris Huntermann, Journal [Martinsburg],April 13, 2008

MARTINSBURG — The city of Martinsburg is in the early stages of determining if a parking garage can be built in the downtown area.

City Manager Mark Baldwin said the interest in a previous parking study led the city to revisit the issue and said factors such as the design of a garage, the selection of a possible site and the cost of building a parking garage need to be taken into account. The study must also determine the number and demographics of likely users of the garage, he said.

The city has been working with Proffitt & Associates, an architecture firm from Frederick, Md., to determine if it is feasible to construct a garage in downtown Martinsburg. John Anzinger, an architect with the firm, said his firm is reviewing the previous parking management study done by the city and looking to see if information from that study still applies today.

Anzinger said his firm has been working with a parking consultant to get a feel of the perception among Martinsburg residents towards parking.

“One question asked is if they feel there is a need for parking,” said Anzinger. He added that the results of the survey done by the parking consultant will determine if structured parking is the answer for the downtown area.

Based on the previous study that Proffitt & Associates is reviewing, Anzinger said the city is currently experiencing a surplus in parking spaces available, with approximately 2,145 spaces available downtown, or 152 spaces for every 1,000 people. Anzinger said that number is double the national average for a city the size of Martinsburg.

Anzinger hopes to gather information over the next month and meet with the city to discuss their findings. Baldwin said the city is being proactive with the study and will hopefully have a better idea of where it is going over the next six months.

“We just want to know that as downtown goes with various projects, does a garage entice more investment and more development in the area,” Baldwin said.

seicer

April 22nd, 2008, 02:19 AM

Contractor scheduled to begin repair work on former Matz building (http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_109212822.html)
By Bill Archer, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, April 18, 2008

BLUEFIELD — Activity will be taking place at a downtown Bluefield landmark structure next week that the building owner hopes will improve the appearance as well as stop some of the water damage to the structure.

Rhonda Sullivan, owner of the former Matz Hotel at 600 Princeton Avenue, said a demolition contractor is scheduled to start working on Monday to remove a section on the sixth floor of the building due to its instability. Sullivan said that she hopes removing the section will enable her to repair some of the persistent water problems that have existed at the building since she acquired it in 2004.

“The water problems have been an on-going issue with the building,” Sullivan said. “It just took some time to find a contractor with expertise in working on a project at that height. The contractor is doing it as an in-kind project. Removing what was known as the chicken coop will make the front look different. We’re hoping to create an outdoor look there by installing some wrought iron fencing there.”

Sullivan said that the portion of the old hotel the contractor will be working on was not part of the original structure. The hotel itself was established in 1911, but Sullivan has heard that the earliest portion of the structure may date from as early as 1907. “I’m still going by the 1911 date until I have conclusive proof to the contrary,” she said.

“The part they will be removing looks to be a wood frame add-on,” Gerald Steele, Bluefield code enforcement director said. “The roof got bad on that structure and ran down into the rest of the structure where it caused some serious problems for the building. Obviously, we have a lot of concerns with that building.”

Steele said that the city will block off several parking spaces around the building while the contractor is working. “This is a precaution so that people won’t walk under there where the contractor is working,” Steele said. “It should not impact the traffic flow.”

Sullivan said that as soon as she gets the water issue resolved, she plans to concentrate on the lobby level of the former hotel and also work with the city’s Beautification Commission to take steps to enhance the appeal of the front facade. “After we get going, we’ll see what kind of interest we can generate and if we get any volunteer interest. We think it can be a real tourist attraction for the city.”

After the contractor finishes the first phase of the project, Sullivan said she will start the process of replacing windows, making other repairs and undertaking upgrades to the exterior. “We’re doing as much as we can do to generate interest in the building,” she said.

The hotel was built by the Matz family and operated by Max Matz for many years. The Detroit-based Milner Hotel Chain bought the Matz Hotel, and it was known for many years as the Milner-Matz Hotel. The Norfolk Southern Railway had a contract with the Milner-Matz to house train crews that were laid over in Bluefield, but a small fire in one of the rooms prompted the railroad to cancel its contract in the late 1980s. The Milner-Matz was still listed in the publication of the 1990 Bluefield City Directory along with the Milner Hotel Cigar & News Stand as well as the Milner Grill.

seicer

April 22nd, 2008, 02:41 AM

:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Subdivision wins appeal for permit (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/505725.html?nav=5006)
Decision pushes forward project near Shepherdstown
By Beth Henry, Journal, April 18, 2008

CHARLES TOWN — Developers of a controversial 152-home community in part of the Shepherdstown Battlefield area won an appeal Thursday after a lengthy court battle involving the denial of a conditional use permit.

Far Away Farm LLC has been attempting to build a subdivision on 122.8 acres near Shepherdstown for the past few years, and Thursday’s decision by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals pushes the project forward by ordering the Jefferson County Planning Commission to grant the permit immediately. The development will now be able to move into the county’s subdivision ordinance approval process.

The project’s plans had been halted by a Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals decision in 2005 to deny the conditional use permit, and a subsequent ruling on Sept. 18, 2006, by Circuit Judge Thomas W. Steptoe Jr., which upheld that denial.

Thursday’s Supreme Court decision reversed Steptoe’s ruling, based on the opinion that Far Away Farm’s developers met all the legal requirements and should have been granted the permit, which allows the project to move forward in the rural zoning district.

Attorneys Richard Gay, Nathan Cochran and Peter Chakmakian represented Far Away Farm LLC in the case.

Gay said Thursday’s decision shows that the permit should have been granted under the planning laws that were in effect when the developers filed their application on June 23, 2004. At that time, the county’s zoning ordinance outlined requirements for a Land Evaluation and Site Assessment score and a compatibility assessment meeting, which Far Away Farm met.

However, he said the court found that the BZA applied standards from an amended ordinance to the Far Away Farm case, even though the amendment was supposed to go into effect after April 8, 2005.

“They changed the rules at the end of the game,” Gay said of the BZA.

Cochran added, “The big picture is the Far Away Farm folks filed their application well before the ordinance amendments were passed. ... It’s only fair that if (the application) was filed under the old ordinance, they should apply the old ordinance standards.”

In addition, the Supreme Court’s decision found that the BZA was not authorized to make the initial decision to issue or deny the permit under the original ordinance; the Planning Commission had that authority.

Cochran and Gay said they were pleased that justice was finally given to their client, and that the Supreme Court made the decision perfectly clear — the permit needs to be granted immediately by the Planning Commission.

Stephanie Grove, Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney, represented the BZA in the case. She said Thursday that she was surprised by the ruling because the BZA’s subject matter jurisdiction had not been brought up before.

“That was raised for the first time during the appeal,” she said.

The county’s main argument had focused on the project’s compatibility issues, she said, because the BZA decided that the development was too dense to be compatible with the surrounding area. Traffic increases were also a concern to the board.

“Basically (Thursday’s Supreme Court) decision was decided on which ordinance applies; they did not address compatibility, which I thought was the fundamental issue of the case,” she told the Jefferson County Commission during Thursday’s regular meeting.

The Far Away Farm proposal has been controversial because of public concerns about new homes being built in an area where Confederate and Union forces clashed on Sept. 19 and 20, 1862. The Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association was formed to protect the area and attempt to buy the land and create a Civil War park.

Although the land was not for sale, the SBPA members wanted to raise money and be prepared in case it did become available. The nonprofit organization has received grants and support from county, state and federal leaders.

SBPA President Ed Dunleavy and Edward Moore were represented in the Far Away Farm case by attorney Linda Gutsell.

Dunleavy and other concerned citizens have said Shepherdstown’s battle was a significant factor in Gen. Robert E. Lee’s decision to retreat farther into the Shenandoah Valley.

However, the Supreme Court decision said Far Away Farm’s developers were able to provide evidence that the Battle of Shepherdstown occurred about one mile away from the proposed project site. The decision also noted that the battlefield area has never been listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the state’s historic register, and the developers were able to show “that the property is not historically significant.”

seicer

April 24th, 2008, 06:11 AM

New River reveals details of expansion plans (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_114224626.html)
By Fred Pace, Register-Herald, April 23, 2008

With spring and baseball season in the air, New River Community and Technical College officials announced major expansion and renovation plans in Beckley and Lewisburg Wednesday during a baseball-themed news conference at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

“New River is looking forward to a brand new playing field, except this time it’s a stadium that will allow us to provide state-of-the-art facilities in which to learn and practice,” NRCTC President Ted Spring said. “This is truly a historical day for New River and for higher education in southeastern West Virginia.”

Spring announced the college will begin construction at the Erma Byrd Center for Public Higher Education in Beaver on a new central office, classroom and laboratory complex. Funding for the $13.5 million project was appropriated by the state Legislature during its most recent session, according to Spring.

“Thanks to the West Virginia Legislature, New River has scored $16.5 million for building and renovation projects,” he said. “This new complex will enable us to educate a skilled workforce and provide the first two years of transfer education to a four-year degree program anywhere in the country,”

The additional $3 million the college secured will go to its Greenbrier Valley campus to renovate space in the former student activities building, currently housing a state Division of Highways office, Spring added.

“In addition to other programs that will be assigned to the building, the facility will become the home of our new associate in fine arts degree program, the first degree of its kind in West Virginia,” he said.

Spring says the college also received almost $1.5 million to expand its LPN and medical assisting programs.

“We hope to use some of those funds to improve instructional conditions at Nicholas County,” he added. “Discussions have already started with area health care providers to outline future programs and services needed in our service region.”

Due to the phenomenal 33 percent increase in student enrollment, the college’s base funding allocation this year from the state will increase $809,000, Spring said.

“Currently, New River leases space on its main Beckley campus,” he said. “The new plan will eliminate lease expenditures and will give the college a true campus capable of serving more than 3,000 students.”

Spring said the plan was developed in partnership with the community.

“We listened intently to needs and demands for affordable, accessible higher education,” he said. “And now, with all this great support, our dream to build a new Raleigh County campus will become a reality.”

seicer

April 24th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Board eyes selling hospital (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/505752.html?nav=5006)
Morgan commissioners exploring option since new facility planned
By Jenni Vincent, Journal [Martinsburg] April 19, 2008

BERKELEY SPRINGS — Morgan County Commission members agree that now’s the time to consider possibly selling War Memorial Hospital.

President Glen Stotler and members Brenda Hutchinson and Tommy Swaim unanimously approved a resolution officially authorizing them to begin this type of investigation during Friday afternoon’s County Commission meeting.

Now is the right time to begin this preliminary fact-finding mission because county officials are moving ahead with plans to build a new hospital nearby, Stotler said.

Under the terms of the resolution, the commission can use consultants, experts, attorneys and agents to help determine the current hospital building’s value.

It also enables them to solicit potential buyers and enter into preliminary discussions with them, the resolution states.

The third and final portion of the resolution gives authorization to “draft a request for proposal outlining the possible terms and conditions of the sale of War Memorial Hospital at public auction.”

Getting a new hospital remains paramount, he said.

“Our main objective is to ensure that this county gets a new hospital,” Stotler said. “We are still continuing on the path to build a new hospital and obtain the necessary certificate of need, we are just throwing this idea into the mix.”

Protecting current employees’ jobs is also vital, regardless of what route commissioners take, he said. “If we would sell it, we would want to protect the employees and make sure that their jobs are still there — that is a big piece of the pie to me.”

Plans to build a new hospital are not new, Stotler said, adding that property on Fairview Drive was purchased last year for that purpose. The land cost about $1.4 million, he said.

The county now owns the hospital and has a management agreement with Valley Health Systems of Winchester to operate it, he said.

“But it’s interesting because in West Virginia you still have to get a Certificate of Need for that hospital, even if you are just moving it a little ways down the road. And we’re going through that process now to be able to build the new hospital,” Stotler said.

Friday’s move is also timely since commissioners have recently been considering how to finance the new hospital, he said.

“The new hospital will not be financed by the taxpayers or paid for by taxes. It will be paid for by monies and funds generated by the hospital,” Stotler said.

A financial consultant prepared “about four or five different ways to finance the hospital,” so the commission as well as the hospital board of director had to look at those alternatives to determine what’s best, he said.

“We finally reached the point in dealing with those that we also thought we would take a look at the existing hospital, see what the asset is worth, consider whether or not the county wants to stay in the health business and should we just consider selling it,” Stotler said.

Commissioner Swaim, who also serves on the hospital board, said that the new hospital has a proposed price tag of about $30 million.

“My main concern is whether or not we will get a fair price if we ultimately decide to sell the hospital — that absolutely has to be done,” Swaim said.

Neil McLaughlin, War Memorial’s vice president of operations, attended Friday’s discussion, and he readily acknowledged that the hospital is the county’s asset.

“I’m happy that they are exploring what options are out there,” he said.

McLaughlin said the current hospital got its start in the 1920s and has since undergone several expansions. It is licensed for 41 beds, including 25 acute and swing beds along with 16 long-term beds, he said.

seicer

April 29th, 2008, 01:33 AM

Old jail work nearly done (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/506054.html?nav=5006)
County offices might move into the building late next month
By Beth Henry, The Journal, April 25, 2008

http://journal-news.net/photos/news/lg/506054_1.jpg

CHARLES TOWN — After a year of renovations and $2.3 million, work on Jefferson County’s former jail is just about wrapped up.

The old county jail sits at the corner of George and Liberty streets in Charles Town, adjacent to the Jefferson County Courthouse, and it will soon be home to offices for the circuit clerk and family court.

The renovation work took 12 months, which was right on schedule, according to Kirk Davis, the county’s capital projects manager. Besides some cleaning, Davis said work is basically finished on the project.

“I’m really happy with the final product,” he said Thursday afternoon. “I think all the new tenants are really excited, and we were able to save a historic building. ... Now it will be around for another hundred years.”

Renovations turned the roughly 10,000-square-foot building into office space, a courtroom meeting area, public records areas and other types of storage space. There is also an elevator, and a third level of the building that connects to the back of the courthouse.

The county’s family court space will be on the second floor, and the circuit clerk’s office will be on the first floor. The offices will probably move in late next month.

Circuit Clerk Patsy Noland said that she is definitely looking forward to the move.

“I’m very excited about it,” she said Thursday afternoon. “The building is absolutely gorgeous; they’ve done a great job.”

Noland said she intends to have a smooth transition from her current offices at 110 N. George St., across the street from the courthouse and the old jail.

“I don’t anticipate disruption of service at all,” she said, explaining that the current plan is to move some records into the new space first. Then her staff will move over two days in late May.

She hopes to have half of her staff members move the first day and get settled, and then have the second group move the next day. There are 10 employees in her office, including herself.

If it goes as planned, the circuit clerk’s office will remain open to serve the public throughout the move.

Noland said she’s pleased with the new space, which still has the original fireplaces intact, as well as some original cabinets, lighting and even a few bars on the windows.

The County Commission planned to maintain as much of the jail’s character as possible, and in addition to the office and courtroom space, the building will have interpretive panels that show its historical significance.

Noland said she would love for the county to try to host an open house before the offices move in, so that the public can take a look around and see all the renovations.

“It has turned out beautifully,” she said.

In recent years, the jail’s future wasn’t so bright.

County leaders were not always in favor of preserving the building. In 2000 and 2003, the county commissions at those times wanted to tear the empty old building down. After a public outcry, legal battles and a decision by the state Supreme Court, county leaders changed their plans and decided to restore the historic building.

seicer

May 4th, 2008, 03:41 AM

County seeks bonds to build judicial annex (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_122221844.html)
$5 million sought to start Phase I construction
By Fred Pace, Register-Herald, May 1, 2008

Following nearly two years of study and preparation, the Raleigh County Commission moved forward on its judicial annex building project at a special meeting Thursday by unanimously voting to ask the Raleigh County Building Commission to issue $5 million in revenue bonds to begin construction.

“We’ve been meeting with architects, as well as with our circuit judges, family court judges, magistrates and our prosecuting attorney, to determine the best plan for this new judicial annex building,” commission president Pat Reed said. “All have approved the plans and now we are ready to move forward with this much-needed project.”

The building will be located directly across the street from the courthouse and will have approximately 65,000 square feet on four levels. The construction will be done in two phases, according to Reed.

“We start with Phase I, which will put all the exterior and framing in its entirety,” she said. “Its estimated cost is approximately $7 million.”

Reed said Phase I construction could begin as soon as late summer.

Phase II, which will be interior work and completion of the project, is estimated to cost between $5 and $8 million, Reed added.

“The total cost of the entire project is projected to be around $12 to $15 million,” she said.

Reed said the commission hopes the entire project will be finished in two years.

“We have done all of this without any increase to our taxpayers,” Reed said. “It is being done through revenue bonds and through moneys the commission had set aside for construction.”

- - -

Reed said the county is in the process of being awarded a third family law judge.

“The new judicial annex building will accommodate that judge, as well as an additional circuit judge if that happens down the road,” she said.

Reed said the current courthouse is literally “busting at its seams.”

“We actually have offices in storage areas,” she said. “We just have crammed them everywhere we can to accommodate the needs of our elected officials.”

Reed said the new building will have only one entrance for the public.

“This will make it much safer and public areas have also been strategically placed near elevators and emergency exits as well for safety,” she said.

The current building being used by magistrates is in poor condition, Reed says.

“They will be in the new judicial annex,” she said. “We currently have no plans for the magistrate’s building once they move into the new building.”

The building will have a basement, which will have a receiving area for prisoners who have to appear in court. The first floor will be home to magistrates and their clerks, while the second level will house the county’s family court judges. The third floor will be the circuit judge level with courtrooms.

“There will be courtrooms on all levels,” Reed said.

Reed added the building is being built as “green” as possible.

“The architects are taking energy efficiency into consideration,” she said. “This will be a state-of-the-art building.”

Additional parking areas are also being constructed to accommodate approximately 33 vehicles.

seicer

May 5th, 2008, 09:34 PM

Town awaits fate of ex-governor's historic house (http://wvgazette.com/News/200805030480)
By Tom Searls, Charleston Gazette, May 4, 2008

ELKINS - The years have not been kind to the outside of the 83-year-old house that Hazel Kump Burford is fighting to preserve. But the inside of Kump House, her grandfather's mansion, still has some original furnishings.

Burford's aunt, Mary Gamble Kump, was the last surviving child of West Virginia Gov. Herman Guy Kump, the governor who led the state in the depths of the Great Depression. She recently died and left the house at the intersection of U.S. 250 and 33 to the city of Elkins.

"What she wanted done is the inside of the house used for teachers or students," Burford said. "For people who are coming and going."

Mary Gamble Kump, who never married and was 93 when she died, spent her life as a student or teacher. She held a Ph.D. and taught school at U.S. military bases around the world, with summers spent in her father's house in Elkins.

With that background, it should have been no surprise that Miss Kump's will gave the city the first option at owning the Kump House, as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"In the 1950s and '60s you needed places for teachers to stay," Elkins Mayor Judith A. Guye said. "In the 2008 period, that's not necessarily the biggest need."

A lawyer from Hampshire County who had moved to Elkins, H.G. Kump was mayor of Elkins in 1924 when he hired famed Washington architect Clarence Harding to design the 25-room Neo-Federal Revival-style brick house. Harding is also the architect who built what was then the tallest structure in West Virginia, the Alderson-Stephenson Building at Capitol Street and Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston. It is known now as the Union Building and still stands as the only structure on the river side of the boulevard.

Inside, the Kump House is in good shape.

"It was just like you walked out of the rooms 20 years ago," Guye said after she and City Council members toured the structure last week.

While there are leaks in the roof and hornets nesting in the windows, Guye was amazed at the mansion's interior condition.

"There was not one bit of squeak when you walked up the stairs," she said.

It's been decades since any work was done to maintain the old house.

"Nothing has really been done to this house since my Grandma Kump got sick in 1947," Burford said.

The will gives Elkins 180 days to decide whether to keep the mansion. Randolph County then gets an option to own it.

If both entities decide they cannot maintain the structure, it is to be put up for sale. "I've never heard anyone say they are against preserving the house," Mayor Guye said.

While the mayor and Burford don't want it to be sold, the development of the highway intersection adjoining the house and 6.5 acres surrounding it makes the property prime real estate.

"It'll cost money," Burford conceded.

But Burford said other grandchildren of Gov. Kump agree with their late aunt's ideas.

"Most of the grandchildren I talked to would like to keep it as it is," she said.

Some council members, however, believe the city should pass on the option to the county. They believe county officials may be in a better position to receive grants and other funding to upgrade the house and grounds.

Mary Gamble Kump, who had always been active as a 4-H'er, wanted the grounds dedicated to children.

Horses graze in the back yard. Burford explained that her grandfather still had enough political sway over the community in the 1940s that city leaders agreed to keep the land in the rear of the mansion outside of the city limits so the family could continue to have farm animals.

"The house is in city limits," she's quick to point out.

The old mansion hasn't been full of people in generations, either. In fact, the last time was closer to when Gov. Kump died there of prostate cancer on Valentine's Day in 1962 at age 84. He had 18 grandchildren from his six children, who all grew up playing around the mansion.

Burford was one of those.

"I think [President Franklin D. Roosevelt] held me, but I was really little then," the councilwoman said. "They've told me that he did."

FDR made the long trip in the 1930s from Washington to Elkins at least once.

"Franklin was here. He came in one year for the Forest Festival," Burford said. That was during FDR's first term and Gov. Kump's only term as governor, 1933-37.

But the president's wife, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, was a regular guest at the mansion during her husband's more than 12 years as president. "She was here quite frequently," Burford said.

Eleanor Roosevelt also stayed there later when she would visit the region.

"I have a picture of granddaddy, Eleanor Roosevelt and [former U.S. senator from West Virginia] Jennings Randolph," Burford said.

Kump was known as a "New Dealer," but had to deal with West Virginia's immediate problems first. He was governor when the state went to county school boards, instituted the sales tax and began unemployment compensation.

With 10 bedrooms and nine baths there was plenty of room at the mansion for everyone.

The first floor, however, was for living, not sleeping. It has the main stairway done in white oak, with the music, or piano, room all in cherry wood. It also contains the vestibule, front hall, living area, one bathroom, kitchen, dining area, butler's pantry and pantry.

"All of the original furniture is on the first floor," Burford said.

Burford recalls coming to Charleston as a small child after one of her aunts, twin Elizabeth, died. Her body was laid out on the second floor of the Governor's Mansion, then moved to the piano room of the house at Elkins.

Recalling that, she commented, "It's amazing what you do remember from childhood."

The second floor has four bedrooms, four baths and a sleeping porch.

"That's where the girls slept," Burford said of her four aunts. All six children slept on the sleeping porch on hot summer nights.

The third floor has six bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Downstairs is where the compressor that operated what was probably the first modern refrigerator in the region was located. There were few like it and Burford remembers retrieving cold water through a tap in one of the three large doors.

The mansion also had a laundry room, a playroom for children, the coal furnace room and Gov. Kump's office.

Mayor Guye said city officials plan to form a committee with local development office employees and county commissioners to see what they can do with the property.

"Everybody has ideas about what they would like to do with it," she said.

It would make an "outstanding entry" to the city from that side, she said.

"We've got a lot to discuss," she said. "But we certainly would like to keep it intact."

seicer

May 8th, 2008, 02:54 PM

Work restores, saves history (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/506359.html?nav=5006)
The process is designed protect area’s aging church building
By Jenni Vincent, The Journal, May 3, 2008

GERRARDSTOWN — Kevin Sarring can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t fate that drew him to the historic Methodist Episcopal Church here.

An architect who specializes in historic preservation projects, Sarring was working with friends who were trying to save the old jail in Charles Town when said he stumbled upon an advertisement for the property.

“While we were in a restaurant, I opened up a real estate magazine and my thumb went right to it. The next day I called and it was mine within about a week,” he said proudly.

Since purchasing it last spring, Sarring has been actively working to restore the church which he is now referring to as the “Apple Chapel” because of its proximity to area orchards.

Friday’s steeple removal work went off without a hitch, primarily due to the quality professionals — “local people saving a piece of local history” — involved in this restoration work, Sarring said.

“Now that this is down and we can get an even better look, you can see how rotted the wood is that was anchoring this,” he said.

All of the restoration work is being done to preserve the steeple — and building’s — historic attributes, Sarring said. Mike Renew and Dave Shannon of Shannon Construction are doing the construction work and helped with Friday’s steeple removal, he said.

For example, Sarring will replace the steeple’s painted metal roof, he said.

Ornate wooden gingerbread trim will also be a part of the finished steeple, reproduction work that mimics the original trim. “This is a gothic motif that’s being reproduced in wood. You’d find this on a gothic church in France, for example, where it would be carved in stone,” he said.

“I think we’re doing this work at the right time, because I figure that within the next two or three years this whole thing might have blown down,” Sarring said.

The church, which is believed to have been built in 1882, was constructed with native building materials including red pine, limestone and locally made bricks, he said.

A temporary cover over the hole in the roof will shield the church’s interior until the steeple is replaced within the next two to three weeks, Sarring said.

That’s important since restoration efforts are already under way in the sanctuary, he said.

History surrounds local buildings, according to Sarring, who said even the vacant lot beside the church is important.

“Right where the crane is sitting, is supposedly the site of Ward Hill Lamon’s law office. He was President Abraham Lincoln’s best friend and bodyguard. He came back to Mill Creek to live after Lincoln was assassinated,” Sarring said, adding that Lamon is buried in a local cemetery.

Part of the area’s history will come alive today thanks to a trolley tour sponsored by the Berkeley County Historical Society that is slated to stop at this site

Painting contractor Bob Basford, who lives close to the church, said he is proud to use his professional skill to give the landmark a face-lift.

“This is important because once something like this is gone, it’s gone for good. Fortunately we no longer have to worry about that happening here,” Basford said.

Area resident Darrell Saylor, who lives just behind the church, said he was afraid that the aging structure would fall in some day from disrepair. Or perhaps be torn down, he added.

“But what we’re seeing here today is history being saved and history being made because this man cared enough to do something to help,” Saylor said, gesturing towards Sarring as he watched the steeple being gently lowered to the ground.

“I never thought they’d be able to get it out of there like that, but I sure am happy that it went so well and came off in one piece. You’ve got to be awful careful with something that old,” he said.

Other local residents share his joy at seeing the building save, Saylor said.

“I know a lot of people who are really happy because we weren’t sure we’d ever see this fine of work being done here. And we sure do appreciate it,” he said.

seicer

May 23rd, 2008, 08:20 AM

Development district application gets OK (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/507054.html?nav=5006)
By Chris Huntemann, The Journal, May 23, 2008

MARTINSBURG — The Raleigh Street extension project got an additional boost Thursday evening when the Martinsburg City Council passed a resolution to submit an application to the state Development Office to establish a special taxation district for the project.

Following a public hearing on the matter, council members approved submitting a proposal to issue approximately $14,250,000 in tax increment revenue bonds to finance the $32.5 million development district project, which is centered along the proposed Raleigh Street extension, and includes improvements to Lutz Avenue and Forbes Drive, Meridian Parkway and Courthouse Drive, according to a document read into the public record by Martinsburg Mayor George Karos.

The street improvements would provide an alternate route to Edwin Miller Boulevard and provide further relief for traffic problems in north Martinsburg.

The proposed development district contains approximately 37 parcels, most of which are undeveloped.

The state Development Office has 60 days to respond to the application and if it is approved, the City Council would then adopt an ordinance to create the proposed development district and finalize steps to determine the feasibility towards a bond issue for it.

The proposed development district would not increase the city’s tax levy rate. Property taxes from the new projects that would be built in the district would go towards paying off the bonds raised to fund the project.

City Manager Mark Baldwin said the city is proposing the development district in order to inject public funding into the extension project as well as the road improvements. Proceeds from the bond would also improve any water, sewer and storm drainage lines in the area as well as any utility conduits.

“We are looking towards economic development in order to create tax increments to pay off the bonds,” Baldwin said, adding the public will get improvements and economic development from the project.

Karos said beside alleviating traffic congestion, there is an abundance of unused property in the proposed district that can be used for economic development.

“It would bring a lot of tax dollars to the city and state,” he said.

seicer

June 6th, 2008, 01:48 PM

Oak Hill to cut ribbon Saturday on Rails-to-Trails (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_157220809.html)
By Matthew Hill, Register-Herald, June 5, 2008

OAK HILL — City, county and state representatives — as well as the general public — have been invited to attend a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White Oak Rails-to-Trails at 11 a.m. Saturday at the depot in town, Oak Hill Mayor Bill Hannabass announced.

In fact, Hannabass and Fayetteville Mayor Jim Akers have agreed to a bicycle race that day to illustrate the trail’s ability to beckon kids — and kids at heart.

“I plan on going 25 to 30 miles per hour,” Hannabass quipped of the race. “I would like to have a parade of bikes, where you can decorate your bike and have a contest for the best decorated bike.”

The trail has been open to the public since last fall, but Saturday’s ceremony makes it official, Hannabass explained.

Two miles of the 7-mile trail have been paved for about a month now. More features — and miles — are expected to be added as time and money come along. Crosswalks, a memorial park, lighting, shelters, benches and trash receptacles are in the works, as well.

The paving cost $150,000 and $75,000 went toward purchasing 7 miles of the trail corridor from Norfolk Southern. All of that money has come from state grants applied for by the Fayette County Commission, which technically still owns the trail.

Friday, Hannabass plans to approach commissioners and ask that they convey the trail to the city “so we can take care of any problems as speedily as possible,” he noted.

The trail begins at Woodbridge Road and proceeds on a gentle slope toward Jones Avenue. It crosses Jones Avenue in front of Collins Middle School and continues on a parallel with Virginia Street down to the depot. After that, the trail crosses Virginia Street in the curve near the Holiday Inn. From there, a gravel trail moves on to Lochgelly.

There is a touch of irony in the fact that the trail passes the Holiday Inn. Funding for the trail’s maintenance comes from the city’s portion of a hotel-motel tax increase that took effect several months ago. Hannabass insisted — and city council agreed — that the money be earmarked toward this specific line item in Oak Hill’s budget.

“We’ve budgeted $28,000 this year for the rail-trail. I can’t think of a better way to spend hotel-motel tax dollars than a rail-trail. It is significant to me because we have a dedicated revenue (source) for this for years to come. We hope to leverage that as much as possible. I think that’s our commitment,” he said.

To underscore his point, Hannabass recalled that the West Virginia Trail Association chose to have its annual statewide conference in Oak Hill last March — before the trail was even paved.

“They chose Oak Hill because we had a project in its infancy. They had 70 rooms rented at Holiday Inn for this conference.”

------

The trail has taken a long and winding road to reach this juncture, Hannabass emphasized, heaping praise on two particular people without whom the trail may have never come to fruition — Beth Gardner and the late Bud Hill.

Hill, who passed away a couple of years ago, will have a memorial bench and rest area dedicated to his memory at Saturday’s celebration. Gardner, an Oak Hill resident and volunteer with the project, works with Valley College in Beckley. It was she who navigated the labyrinth of deed research and property purchases along the railroad corridor.

The trail does have a few rules and suggestions. While it will be open at all times of the day and year, Hannabass stated that no all-terrain vehicles or motorcycles are permitted.

The only motorized vehicles allowed are ambulances, police cars and maintenance vehicles. In addition, motorized conveyances that are specifically designed for — and utilized by — handicapped people may be used on the trail.

“Courtesy goes a long way,” Hannabass added, urging pet owners to clean up after their pets when they walk them.

Hannabass is seeking volunteers to cut weeds, pick up trash and do other activities to keep the trail looking nice.

For more information on how to get involved, call him at 469-9541 or e-mail oakhillmayor@suddenlinkmail.com.

seicer

June 7th, 2008, 06:42 AM

McKenzie Sees Benefits of Wheeling Project (http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=39533)
State Journal, June 5, 2008

Wheeling Mayor-elect Andy McKenzie said he likes much of what he sees in the city's proposed $8 million tax increment financing plan for the downtown area.

Story By Linda Harris

Wheeling Mayor-elect Andy McKenzie said he likes much of what he sees in the city's proposed $8 million tax increment financing plan for the downtown area, and that is just fine with incumbent Mayor Nick Sparachane.

Sparachane, unable to run for re-election due to the city's mayoral term limit, leaves office at the end of the month with the city's third TIF project in the pipeline. The first two -- one transformed the old Stone & Thomas building into a back office business center, the other brought Lowe's Home Improvement Center to anchor a center Wheeling development -- have been a success, and he said there's no reason to believe the third project won't be as well.

TIFs allow local government to issue bonds for development in a specific area and capture the increase in property tax revenue within that area to finance future development.

Wheeling's application, which calls for $2.5 million in funding for renovations and repairs to the historic Capitol Music Hall and another $2.5 million to redevelop the 1100 block of Main and Market streets, was accepted last month by the state Development Office.

Sparachane said it's up to council now to decide "when and if" it wants to proceed.

While the sitting council voted this week to adopt the plan, Sparachane said it will leave it to the next council -- which, in addition to McKenzie, will include three new councilmen -- to issue the bonds that will get the project off the ground. They take office July 1.

McKenzie, for his part, said he's "very supportive" of the TIF, though it's likely the city will want to fine-tune some aspects of it.

"We'll probably be making some recommendations to change the original application the city has made, but I do support the application," he said, adding the opportunity to breathe new life into the Capitol must be a priority.

The Capitol, which dates to the 1930s, at one time was home to Wheeling's famed Jamboree USA. Its current owner, Live Nation, shut it down last year rather than pay to bring it up to code.

Public money, however, cannot be used for the upgrades if the theater is sold to a private investor.

"It's a very important part of the future of downtown Wheeling," McKenzie said. "As for the rest of the TIF, we'll move forward with possibly making some changes in how dollars are used."

He said the TIF district is an opportunity "that doesn't come by often, and we have to be very wise."

"If we're going to TIF, we've got to make sure we get a big bang for our buck, and we have to make sure it's economically feasible how we use those dollars," he said.

"It may be the single largest event in Wheeling history. And once the money is gone, it's gone, so we've got to make sure we've done our homework, that whatever direction we go in is the right direction."

Sparachane, meanwhile, said it's an exciting time for the city.

"We're sitting in a pocket of development with Wheeling Downs, Cabela's, Oglebay Park and center Wheeling. That's that whole area we developed with high-tech businesses," he said. "We think the future looks exceptionally bright for the city."

seicer

June 13th, 2008, 03:53 AM

Protest planned at former Weston hospital (http://wvgazette.com/News/200806111313)
By Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette, June 12, 2008

Disability advocates continue to protest the name and some practices of the historic Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, a name they say the former mental healthcare facility in Weston never really had.

Groups from around the state will hold a demonstration at the former Weston Hospital at 1 p.m. on Saturday, during one of the attraction's mud bogging competition days. They hope to attract attention from the owners and the community to their quarrel about the operation of the nationally recognized historic landmark.

The main point of contention is the hospital's new name. Advocates say that referring to the hospital as a lunatic asylum is inflammatory and hurtful to people in the mental health community.

The former Weston Hospital was christened Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum after the deteriorating building and 300-acre complex were purchased from the state by Morgantown contractor Joe Jordan for $1.5 million in August 2007.

The Jordan family began offering tours of the facility in March. The growing mud bog motor sport events began in May to help raise funds for upkeep and repairs of the blue sandstone behemoth, one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States.

The summer travel season and some national publicity from a spot on the SciFi Channel's "Ghost Hunters" program have boosted business and given the hospital national attention, said Rebecca Jordan-Gleason, operations manager.

She said 350 people have visited the hospital in just the last week, to experience tours catering to either history or horror buffs.

"We're helping the community, but people can't seem to see past their own fears," Jordan-Gleason said.

But advocates said they are concerned that the Jordan family is trying to make money by sensationalizing the hospital's past.

Representatives from Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living, the West Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association and ADAPT WV are protesting because they think the ghost tours and motor sports are insensitive to patients and families who suffered because of the hospital. Activists said the term "lunatic asylum" stigmatizes people with mental disabilities.

"They're taking something to be historically preserved and turning it more into an amusement park for ridiculing the insane. In the community I live in, I like seeing mental health being promoted, people welcomed into an inclusive environment," said Michelle Wakely, compeer coordinator for the Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living. "I just really feel like it's exploitation more than preservation."

Advocates say they want the hospital to be preserved and they don't mind if the Jordans have a thriving business, as long is it is historically accurate.

According to "A Short History of Weston Hospital," a record compiled by the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee in 2001, the hospital was originally commissioned as "Trans-Allegheny Asylum for the Insane" in 1858.

However, no patients were ever treated in the facility under that name. The Civil War stopped construction and the hospital was re-named West Virginia Hospital for the Insane under the newly formed state of West Virginia before the hospital opened its doors in 1864. It remained under this name until 1913 when it became Weston State Hospital, and later, Weston Hospital.

However, no patients were ever treated in the facility under that name. The Civil War stopped construction and the hospital was re-named West Virginia Hospital for the Insane under the newly formed state of West Virginia before the hospital opened its doors in 1864. It remained under this name until 1913 when it became Weston State Hospital, and later, Weston Hospital.

The facility closed in 1994, its history a mixture of revolutionary mental health care and tragic overcrowding and isolation for patients.

Jordan-Gleason acknowledged that the hospital never housed patients under the Trans-Allegheny moniker, but said "it was the original name given when it was being built and we want to preserve that history."

The motor sporting events, while not historically accurate, are helping to preserve the hospital's legacy. The building needs a new roof, which could cost the asylum $5 million.

"A hundred percent of the money from all of our events go toward the operation and preservation and they're saying we're making money off of this. We're not going to make money off it for 20 years. We've got to rebuild the building and rebuild the Weston community," she said.

Brandon Smoot, also of the North Central West Virginia Center for Independent Living, said he was shocked by the building's dilapidation and the "misrepresentation of history" he observed on a tour in late April.

Besides a name change, Smoot said he wants to see more accuracy and less ghost hunting at the former hospital. He hopes the owners will consider making accommodations for the handicapped, like doing a video tour for the top floors, which are not accessible.

He said maintaining a museum at the hospital would be less sensational than placing bedpans and gurneys around the tour site and telling guests that patients died in certain rooms.

Jordan-Gleason said Wednesday that she had not been made aware of the protest plans, but that she did not expect it to interfere with the mod bogging competition.

"We've had a lot of people who have actually taken the time to go on a historic tour, and when they come and visit and see what we're doing, they don't have a problem," Jordan-Gleason said.

She said the disability advocates have an open invitation to visit the hospital and talk about the hospital's history during the public preservation meetings, every Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

But the activist said their resolve to change the practices, like the fake blood that stains the asylum's walls from past Halloween parties and the scars left by police paintball games in the derelict building, will not fade easily.

"It's really just sensationalizing and stigmatizing. Imagine a monument to slavery or the Holocaust where derogatory terms were used. A lot of people suffered here," Smoot said. "Something has to happen and we're not going to rest until it does."

seicer

June 14th, 2008, 05:38 AM

Point Pleasant school up for sale (http://wvgazette.com/News/200806111846)
1930s school and 4-acre lot going on auction block Saturday
By Alison Knezevich, Charleston Gazette, June 10, 2008

POINT PLEASANT - Nobody knows what will become of the old Point Pleasant Middle School after Saturday.

That's when the 72-year-old school and its 4-acre lot will go to the highest bidder in an auction. Its new owner might want the building. Or they might rip it down.

Many in town hope that whatever the lot becomes, it will contribute something to the community and its economy.

Auctioneers Rick Pearson and R.F. Stein say it's a perfect property to do that. They tout the property's size and its location on busy Jackson Avenue. The auction starts at 10 a.m., with a minimum bid of $1.5 million.

"Never again are you going to be able to buy four acres in the middle of Point Pleasant," Stein said. "It's just not here. It doesn't exist."

Someone could turn it into a strip mall, a nursing home, or a corporate building, Pearson said.

On Monday, a group of women in the teacher's lounge offered some suggestions.

"Tear it down and put something new here," said Kelly Ferguson, who teaches eighth-grade reading. "It's hot. It's old."

A nice grocery store would be good, one teacher said.

A few teachers said they know what they don't want: Not a convenience store. Not another bank. And definitely not anything with a gambling parlor.

Point Pleasant officials hope the new owners will build something that will create new jobs and a good tax base.

"We're hoping that it will turn into something that will turn into economic stimulus for the area," Mayor Buster Riffle said, mentioning a retail development as a possibility. "We're hoping for the best, but it depends upon the purchaser and what proposals come before our planning commission."

Riffle and all of his children graduated from the building, which used to be a high school.

"When it was built, it was kind of out in the boondocks," Riffle said. "That was open fields out there."

Then America went to war, and Point Pleasant became a boomtown in the 1940s, he said.

Today, the city and Mason County are tackling a number of revitalization projects, particularly in promoting tourism of the historic town.

'Everyone liked their own identity'

In the school gym on Monday, kids played basketball and chatted in the bleachers. It was the last day of school. Next year, the students will attend what will be called Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School for grades 7 through 12.

That school is less than a mile away, and is currently Point Pleasant High School. Renovations and construction have been going on for two years to prepare for the merger.

The improvements include a huge auditorium with a $460,000 lighting and sound system, and lots of other high-tech touches, said Principal Bill Cottrill. The whole building will have wireless Internet. Classrooms will have digital "smartboards" instead of traditional chalkboards.

In 2004, voters passed a bond that made all the renovations and construction possible.

"I remember the day very well," Superintendent Larry Parsons said.

It was the first time Mason County voters had passed a school bond in more than 50 years.

In the past, school officials have tried to consolidate all of Mason County's high schools as a way to qualify for the state School Building Authority's economy-of-scale funding.

Residents were much more receptive to merging local schools than they were to consolidating all high schools, Parsons said.

Consolidating schools was always unpopular in the county, said Stein, the auctioneer. He graduated from Point Pleasant High in 1993.

"They'd talked about consolidation since I was in the eighth grade," he said. "And everyone in the community was against it. Everyone liked their own identity. Nobody wanted to give their own schools up."

seicer

June 18th, 2008, 05:58 AM

Nitro may revitalize industrial property (http://dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/200806160085)
Charleston Daily Mail, June 16, 2008

Nitro residents are invited to discuss a proposal to revitalize about 600 acres of industrial property in town.

As part of the EPA's Brownfields Program, environmental consultants and city officials are holding an open house from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Nitro Community Center, 21st Street and Second Avenue.

Sean Garrigan of Pennsylvania-based consulting firm SGA Inc. said the public meeting is to get citizen input about Nitro's needs for the area west of the railroad tracks and present some of SGA's ideas for use of the land.

Garrigan said Nitro's industrial area comprises about 600 acres from about 19th Street to the Interstate 64 bridge, much of it occupied. But much of the property has also been vacant for years, victim of decades of environmentally unsafe chemical production methods.

If the area can be cleaned up, Garrigan said there is room for as much as 2 million square feet of development in the area. Last year, Nitro secured $400,000 in federal grant money to assess environmental hazards in town.

Local environmental consultants Chris Amick of KEMRON Environmental Services and Dawn Seeburger of Environmental Resources & Consulting are also working on the project. Amick said environmental officials have already identified 54 potential hazardous waste sites and 54 sites potentially contaminated with petroleum that might qualify for redevelopment under the program.

The Brownfields Program was set up to work with property owners, government and other entities to encourage redevelopment of abandoned or contaminated industrial sites.

"It ends up being a win-win situation for everyone," said Seeburger. If plans work out, owners stuck with otherwise unattractive property get to sell their land, making the property available for development or community use.

Planners already have a few ideas for Nitro's industrial sites. Amick said officials for Norfolk Southern railway are already talking with the West Virginia Public Port Authority about building a centralized warehouse facility in the area with about six railroad spurs where Norfolk Southern can concentrate cargo for shipment.

With its nearby river access and close access to Interstate 64, the industrialized side of the tracks is a natural shipping and industrial center, Amick said. Planners are talking about opening the industrial area up for easier road access to the interstate and creating a transportation corridor from one end of the area to the other.

But planners are also talking about opening up the west side of the tracks for more community use.

"For a river town, Nitro is pretty well cut off from the river," Amick said. "Part of the planning is to re-establish that connection."

Garrigan said preliminary plans include developing the riverfront in the area to include walking trails and parks and possibly putting in new housing and an amphitheater.

But it's all going to depend on what local residents and business owners want and need.

"We just want people to come and give their 2 cents - or more," Garrigan said.

seicer

July 14th, 2008, 06:26 AM

Thank goodness! Sprawling, irresponsible development -- or any private development -- that is at the fringe or in the center of these national / state parks should be outlawed -- or additional funds should be given for their immediate purchase. This is one of the National Park's biggest concerns at the moment.

New River Gorge housing development in doubt (http://www.wvgazette.com/latest/200807120220)
By Susan Williams, Charleston Gazette, July 12, 2008

Seventeen employees who worked for the largest housing development project proposed for the New River Gorge have lost their jobs and the local office for Roaring River has closed, the president of the Fayette County Commission said Saturday.

But Commission President Ken Eskew<co > said he believes the company will continue to work on phase one of its three-phase project.

Eskew said, "They (Roaring River) got caught up in this economic downturn from the housing market collapse. They had to cut back some. But they are going forward with phase one."

The company's office on U.S. 19 in Fayetteville was closed on Friday. Callers to the company's local number heard a busy signal.

Roaring River employees did not return multiple messages seeking comment.

Information about Roaring River is also apparently missing on the Internet. When computer users try to access the development's Web site, they receive an error message.

Tom Wagner, former general manager for Roaring River, as well as officials at the Atlanta headquarters of parent company, Land Resources Companies, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Wender said Saturday he had personal knowledge of the Roaring River office closing. But he added that company officials have not formally notified the county commission of the closing.

Roaring River employees needed approval from the Fayette County Commission for zoning changes that allowed them to start their project. Wender voted against the zoning change previously.

Wender said the last time Roaring River officials appeared before the commission, Wagner talked about a water project for phase 1 of the development. Wender said Wagner gave the commissioners the impression "all was well" with the project. But Wender said he later learned about Roaring River employees being fired.

Sharon Cruikshank<co >, who heads the Plateau Chamber of Commerce, said Saturday that she tried calling the Roaring River office all day Friday, but the phone was busy each time. Cruikshank said she, too, had heard rumors that the land office closed. She was trying to reach the office to find out if the chamber should remove the company from its information packet.

Many questions remain unanswered, such as what will happen to the people who bought lots there.

The project was just getting started, with some lots sold in phase one of three proposed phases.

When Wagner introduced the project to the public, he said the housing development would make "the softest environmental footprint" possible.

But many people were concerned about the environmental impact of the project. Original plans called for building more than 2,000 houses on approximately 4,300 acres of land.

In public meetings, several people -- some representing the National Park Service -- pointed out 484 houses could be seen from within the park. These houses would be located along the river from Thurmond to Kaymoor.

Before he retired, former Park Superintendent Cal Hite spoke at many public meetings about the impact of this proposed housing development and others.

Hite pointed out that surveys of people who visited the park indicated sightseeing was the number one activity. Hite and his staff projected computer studies that showed how houses could be seen from various points within the gorge.

"Sightseeing knows no boundaries," Hite said.

In public hearings, members of Roaring River's staff always denied that the houses would be visible.

When Congress created the New River Gorge National River in 1979, boundaries were drawn for the park, but not all of the land within that boundary belonged to the park. Some of it remains in private hands to this day. Over the years, park officials have negotiated with private landowners and added more acreage to the park.

Park officials were in the process of negotiating the purchase of some of the same land that ended up in the hands of developers. Some of the same issues about protecting the gorge came up in numerous public hearings involving for smaller land companies, too. But the Roaring River subdivision would have been the largest-ever proposed for Fayette.

Three years ago, parent company Land Resources Companies made its first move to get zoning approval for the project in Fayette County. Land Resources said it had built 12 other upscale developments, such as Blue Mist Farm near Asheville, N.C. and Villages at Norris Lake, LaFollette, Tenn. since they started their company in 1997. Roaring River would be its 13th development.

"No matter where you are in life," the company's Web site stated, "Land Resource Companies can help you find the pathway to living at its very best."

Park Service employees created a "virtual flyover" on a computer program that they showed at several public meetings during the last two years. With computer generation, the program showed how roofs on houses, roads through subdivisions and even clothes drying on a line could be visible at different points within the national park.

Margie Rust, a regional director for the National Park Service, along with other members of the park service, told Land Resources that cutting into the gorge would also cut into "the largest remaining stand of mid-latitude forest in the world, making it a globally significant resource."

In a letter to Land Resources, she wrote that "roads, houses and other facilities in your plan would fragment this forest." She also wrote that she feared what the houses would do to sensitive plant and animal life in the gorge.

The company seems to have shut down the local office in the same week people around the world wondered if the nation's two biggest home loan companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, would survive.

Officials with Roaring River and several other companies proposed building houses in the gorge shortly before the national housing market took a nosedive. For the most part, West Virginia did not get sucked up into the national housing bubble. But when the bubble broke and mortgage stocks started to shake, people found it harder to take out housing loans.

Roaring River was targeting the second-home market, but vacation-home sales plummeted by more than 30 percent in 2007, according to Kiplinger.com.

seicer

July 23rd, 2008, 06:22 AM

Fight to block battlefield development to continue (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x437281577/Fight-to-block-battlefield-development-to-continue)
Herald-Leader, July 18, 2008

Preservationists say they will keep fighting to stop a housing development planned for a Civil War battlefield, despite losing in the state Supreme Court.

Maryland-based Far Away Farm LLC plans to build 152 homes on the site of the September 1862 Battle of Shepherdstown.

But preservationist Ed Dunleavy said Friday his group is prepared to challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jefferson County zoning officials rejected a permit for the project, calling it incompatible with the area. The state Supreme Court overturned that decision on appeal and ordered the permit granted.

Dunleavy’s group has been raising money to buy the site. The County Commission also set aside $100,000, but the asking price at one time was $3.6 million.

seicer

July 29th, 2008, 06:24 AM

Town starts tearing down old buildings to revive waterfront (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/Business/200807240074)
Charleston Daily Mail, July 24, 2008

WELCH -- Mayor Martha Moore believes her former bustling coal town can't move forward unless it gets rid of dilapidated buildings that represent the past.

The McDowell County community has about 94 buildings that need to be removed before a proposed riverfront park and other revitalization plans can move forward. Several were damaged in a series of floods that hit the southern West Virginia town in 2001 and 2002, she said.

The construction of a new federal prison in Welch, a movie theater and a Division of Motor Vehicles building are helping to revitalize the town, but Moore worries people won't want to visit if Welch is full of eyesores.

"We can't get better until we get rid of the negatives that are still here,'' she said Wednesday.

Welch isn't the only community in West Virginia dealing with the problem.

Earlier this year, city officials from across the state lobbied the Legislature for more authority to address problems associated with vacant and dilapidated structures. The officials said they had hundreds of rundown buildings and too little money to remove or improve them.

Lawmakers responded by passing legislation that allows cities to place liens on properties to cover the costs to repair, improve, close or demolish a structure. The law went into effect in June.

In north-central West Virginia, Clarksburg officials considering how best to apply the new law.

"I think this gives us more leeway, which we like,'' said Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe. A city ordinance probably won't be ready for review until this fall.

The city has about 120 buildings on its demolition list, Howe said.

In the meantime, Welch is slowly making progress.

Last week the city demolished a former apartment building and two other structures. It is accepting bids this week for additional demolition projects.
"We hope to have them all down within the year,'' Moore said.

seicer

July 29th, 2008, 06:26 AM

W.Va. college selling one of its historic buildings (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/statenews/200807220141)
Charleston Daily Mail, July 22, 2008

WHEELING -- West Virginia Northern Community College is hoping to sell one of its historic buildings, formerly part of the Hazel-Atlas Glass Co., for $690,000.

Lawrence Bandi, vice president for administrative services, says it's part of a plan to move the college's facilities closer together and keep most buildings within a 10-minute walk of each other.

The Hazel-Atlas building has most recently been used to teach potential casino employees how to deal table games. Bandi said Tuesday the school will temporarily rent space for those classes.

He says the college has not yet received an offer for the building, which has been on the market about a month.
Built in 1931, the four-story structure has been used by the college since 1972.

SRG

July 30th, 2008, 04:41 AM

This thread has me wondering.......

Do they have renderings in West Virginia?

seicer

July 30th, 2008, 03:26 PM

I have a lot saved to my HD but I haven't posted any in a while.

seicer

August 2nd, 2008, 06:34 AM

Heartland project awaits study (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1103456054/Heartland-project-awaits-study)
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, The Herald-Dispatch, July 25, 2008

PRICHARD -- Prichard residents may soon find out how the Heartland Corridor project will change things in their Wayne County town.

Prichard is the site of a proposed intermodal facility that will be part of the project, which involves improvements in railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so that trains can carry more goods.

As part of the Heartland Corridor project, which officials hope to complete in 2010, tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers. The public-private partnership -- between Norfolk-Southern and local, state and federal government agencies -- also will include construction of three intermodal facilities for easier transfer of containers between railroads, roadways, rivers and airways. One is planned for Prichard.

The project is expected to help businesses transport goods more quickly and affordably, and provide hundreds or even thousands of jobs at the site of the intermodal facilities.

The West Virginia Port Authority has been waiting on the completion of an environmental impact study regarding Prichard. Last summer, it hosted a public meeting to talk with residents about their concerns with the project. About 100 residents attended and expressed worries about increased traffic on the rails and roadways in their town. Others were concerned about whether their land would need to be acquired to make room for the facility.

Bob Trocin, executive director of the Wayne County Economic Development Authority, hopes the environmental impact study will be released at the next meeting of the West Virginia Public Port Authority, scheduled for Aug. 6 in Charleston.

"Everybody is just waiting on what's going to happen next," Trocin said. "Until they start construction on that, people (in Prichard) are holding their breath. We're working with them about trying to (discuss their concerns)."

West Virginia Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, said last summer that Norfolk Southern has donated 78 acres to the port authority for the Prichard facility, and the port authority already has 20-plus acres. But it hasn't yet been determined if that amount of land will be sufficient for the intermodal facility, which would sit between the river and the train tracks.

The facility, Trocin said, is "going to create a lot of jobs and a lot of action around here."

A survey about the economic impact of the Heartland Corridor project on West Virginia indicated that it could create 700 to 1,000 new jobs near the Prichard facility and eventually bring about $12 million in annual savings for shippers into and out of West Virginia. Patrick Donovan, director of the Port Authority, said when the study was released that those are conservative numbers. The estimation only considers West Virginia, because West Virginia paid for the study. But parts of Kentucky and Ohio will benefit from the project as well, he said.

The economic impact of the facility in Prichard should spill into an egg shape around the Interstate 64 corridor, he said.

Along with that activity, wider roads have been marked as a necessity. Trocin said Wayne County was looking into expanding 8.1 miles of U.S. 52 to four lanes. That section would stretch from Kenova to about a mile past Prichard at Hammonds Bottom.

The estimated cost of that project is a whopping $260 million, Trocin said.

"Unless (federal highway funds) come through with a huge chunk of that, we have no chance," he said. "We have $5 million in the bank now. Five million of $260 million isn't much, but it's a start."

Right now, the Wayne County Economic Development Authority is waiting on the Prichard environmental impact study results, and for construction to begin on the intermodal facility before pursuing those funds.

Meanwhile, work already is under way to raise tunnels. Three of four tunnels are completed in Virginia, said Robin Chapman, a spokesman with Norfolk Southern. And work has begun on eight of 23 tunnels that will be raised in West Virginia.

"Those are generally in McDowell County" in a 12-mile stretch of rail, Chapman said.

In total, 28 tunnels will be raised, four in Virginia, 23 in West Virginia, and one in Kentucky.

"We anticipate starting on another nine tunnels, between Bluefield and Welch, in the fall," Chapman said.

So far, that construction is on schedule, he said.

--

About the Heartland Corridor project (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1103456056/No-Headline)
The Herald-Dispatch, July 25, 2008

WHAT IS IT? The Heartland Corridor project involves improvements in railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so that trains can carry more goods. Twenty-eight tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers. The public-private partnership also will include construction of three intermodal facilities for easier transfer of containers between rail, roadways, rivers and airways. One is planned for nearby Prichard, while two others are planned for Roanoke, Va., and Columbus.

WHO BENEFITS? Officials hope it creates a quicker route for businesses that need to ship, cutting about 200 miles from the route they travel now. It also would mean more goods moving by rail rather than highways, decreasing congestion on the highways, as well as air pollution.

An economic impact study (conducted by Global Insight on West Virginia's portion of the Heartland Corridor) suggested that the Prichard facility could create 700 to 1,000 jobs in West Virginia and eventually bring about $12 million in annual savings for shippers into and out of West Virginia, said Patrick Donovan, director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority. He thinks Ohio and Kentucky will see benefits as well.

WHO'S INVOLVED? It's a public-private partnership between Norfolk Southern and federal, state and local government agencies.

WHO'S PAYING? Senate Bill 569, approved by the General Assembly in 2007, provides $4.3 million per fiscal year through 2016. This first fiscal year, $2.15 million was allotted, but the following years, the full $4.3 million will be provided. Norfolk Southern has already put $49.5 million of its own money into the tunnel clearance project, with a $90 million match in federal funds. The tunnel clearance project is estimated at $151 million, Norfolk Southern says.

Norfolk Southern has donated 78 acres to the West Virginia Public Port Authority for the intermodal facility at Prichard, and the authority already has 20-plus acres.

WHAT'S BEEN DONE? Three of four tunnel-raising projects in Virginia already are completed, and work has begun on eight of the 23 tunnels that need to be raised in West Virginia. There's one more tunnel to be raised in Kentucky.

WHAT'S NEXT? The West Virginia Port Authority hasn't yet determined if the land already in hand at Prichard will be sufficient for the intermodal facility, which would sit between the river and the train tracks.

An environmental impact study, to be discussed by the Port Authority at its August meeting, is expected to address that. The Port Authority's next meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, in Charleston. It will be in Room 122 of Building 5, the Department of Transportation, in the Capitol Complex.

Officials hope to have the entire project finished in 2010.

seicer

August 2nd, 2008, 06:36 AM

WVU plans escalators and new parking garage as part of $16 million project (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/statenews/200807250080)
New facility will have better access to Morgantown school's Personal Rapid Transit system
By Justin D. Anderson, Charleston Daily Mail, July 25, 2008

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University plans to break ground later this year on a $16 million transportation hub near the health sciences campus.

The intermodal facility will feature a bus depot, 500-space parking garage and covered walkways to the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center and the nearby Personal Rapid Transit station.

The WVU Transportation and Parking unit will also keep office space there. Bicyclists will have shower facilities and bike racks. The facility will have space where retailers can set up shop. The university says there will be space to add another 1,000 parking spaces in the future.

The facility should be completed by the fall of next year.

University officials are touting the facility as a way to increase usage of the area's bus services, which students and WVU employees can use for free, and the PRT to lessen the everyday traffic knots the growing city experiences when students are in town.

Encouraging more students and employees to take public transportation could ultimately lessen carbon emissions in Morgantown because of the decreased traffic, officials say. Park-and-ride and car pool options are planned for the future, officials say.

Morgantown Mayor Ron Justice said members of the city's metropolitan planning organization voted to approve the project about two years ago.

"It is very important to us," Justice said of the facility.

Justice said three of the area's largest employers are located in the area: Ruby Memorial Hospital, Monongalia General Hospital and Mylan Pharmaceuticals.

"It is a hub of employment opportunities," Justice said. "It is our busiest part of town when it comes to traffic congestion."

David Bruffy, general manager of the Mountain Line bus service, said the facility would bring much-needed convenience to riders.

"We actually have a number of bus routes that come in to that location right now," Bruffy said.

At the existing bus stop near where the intermodal facility is planned, Bruffy said, there are about 75,000 passenger trips a year. That number might increase once the facility is finished.

Instead of bus riders disembarking and then walking up 100 or so steps to the PRT station or in the open air to the Health Sciences Center, they'll get off the bus, head into the facility and ride up an escalator and under covered walkways, Bruffy said.

Bruffy said some potential riders might be dissuaded from taking the bus to that location because of inclement weather or the many steps.

"I think it may take more people out of their vehicles," he said.

Hugh Kierig, WVU's director of Transportation and Parking, said the facility is a "huge step" toward battling the city's traffic problems.

"By bringing together several modes of transportation and parking in one location, we are providing additional connectivity to employees and residents while reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions," Kierig said in a press release. "This hub should really bolster existing services in the area."

Some of the money to pay for the facility will come from parking revenues, said Janey Cink, a WVU spokeswoman.

A $5.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation makes up about a quarter of the funding. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., is being credited for securing the grant.

Paradigm Architecture, with offices in Birmingham, Ala., and Morgantown, will design the facility. The company also designed the new addition at Mylan Puskar Stadium.

The March-Westin firm will do the building. March-Westin has constructed and renovated a number of buildings at WVU, including a nearly complete $12 million alumni center. The company has offices in Morgantown and Baltimore, Md.

seicer

August 3rd, 2008, 11:37 PM

Wheeling Jesuit Plans to Use Historic Former School (http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=41956)
By Linda Harris, State Journal, July 31, 2008

The Sisters of the Visitation have found a new use for Mount de Chantal, their historic school building.

Sister Joanne Gonter said Wheeling Jesuit University plans to house some of its academic programs on the campus of the former all girls' school. Once all the details have been finalized, she said they'll formalize the agreement with a lease.

"It's a hallelujah ending, it really is," she said.

The Rev. Julio Giulietti, president of Wheeling Jesuit, could not be reached for comment. Gonter, though, said she's been told the university would like to move its Academic Resource Center into the complex now and eventually do the same for its nursing program.

"We haven't had a celebration yet, but they hope to have a dedication for the Academic Resource Center -- hopefully that will be fairly soon, and when that dedication comes, we'll all celebrate," she said.

The eight remaining Sisters of the Visitation, an aging order, decided to close the academy in June. Gonter said declining enrollments coupled with spiraling costs and the need for significant capital outlay to upgrade the heating system forced their hand.

"Our hope had been, before they approached us, that we eight could stay right here," she said. "That was possible because we were living in a building built in 1972; the buildings that have problems were built 1865 and 1906.

"What would happen to the other buildings was a big question, so this is just an answer to a prayer, really. They may not be using all of it, but at least it's a start."

"And the fact that it's another educational institution that will be using it," she added. "The Sisters of the Visitation and the Jesuits go way back in history, clear back to the time we were founded in 1610 in France."

Gonter said they hope to have the ARC in its new quarters early in the fall term, though the nursing program may not be relocated until the first of the year.

seicer

August 3rd, 2008, 11:43 PM

GOOD NEWS! After having reviewed the development plans, I am very pleased to see this happen. The development would have been visible from the New River Gorge Bridge in the winter, and from the gorge itself.

New River Gorge National Park to add 100 acres (http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200808010798)
Housing market's downturn is a benefit to conservationists
By Susan Williams, Charleston Gazette, August 2, 2008

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The superintendent of New River Gorge National Park said Friday he and a housing developer agreed in principle that park officials can buy 100 acres of land within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River.

Don Striker said the acreage lies under the shadow of the New River Gorge Bridge on "river left."

"Bad economic times for housing developers are good times for land conservation," Striker said. "The timing is right."

Striker also is interested in acquiring an additional 600 acres from landowner Gary Driggs whenever the details and the finances can be worked out.

Driggs bought 1,400 acres of land with hopes of building expensive houses on the property. A downturn in the housing market has made Driggs' development, called BridgeView Estates, hard to sell to individual buyers.

Striker had not visited Driggs' property until Friday, when Driggs gave the superintendent a tour. Driggs' property lies between W.Va. 16 and U.S. 19 in Fayetteville. Drivers might have noticed a sign with balloons attached at the entrance to the property on W.Va. 16, inviting buyers to come see a model house.

Sight unseen, Striker and other superintendents before him were always interested in buying all of the land within the park's boundaries. When Congress created the park in 1978, they drew lines on a map, but not all of the land within the marks belonged to the government. Over the years, federal officials have been acquiring land, but they still do not own all the land within the park's boundaries.

"We are definitely interested in buying it," Striker said of the 100 acres. "It has so much potential for park visitors."

Among other possible uses, Striker said, he could see developing more hiking paths.

In the past few years, several developers proposed building houses in and around the New River Gorge. Driggs' project was the second largest. He named his entire project The New River Gorge Preserve, and BridgeView Estates was a part of the larger project.

When he explained his plans in public meetings, Driggs said visitors to the gorge would not see the houses because they would be camouflaged behind bushes and trees. However, in the same public meetings, Cal Hite, who has since retired as park superintendent, pointed out how his analysis concluded that park visitors could see some of the houses from different points within the park.

Hite also pointed out that people visit the gorge in all seasons, including winter, when there would be no leaves to camouflage the houses.

Other conservation groups, such as the National Parks Conservation Association, also have said in public meetings that they fear the houses would change the character of the gorge.

Driggs built a few houses on his property as models to show potential customers, but he has yet to sell any of the models.

The largest proposed housing development, called Roaring River, included 4,300 acres. However, officials with Roaring River announced last month that their project is on hold. They said that lack of financing in the housing market had stymied them.

The next challenge for Striker will be to work out finances for the 100 acres and the additional 600 acres he also wants. Both sections are within park boundaries. Striker said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has helped the park in previous ventures.

"It's good times ahead for us," Striker said, voicing his excitement about conserving the land.

seicer

August 8th, 2008, 11:22 PM

Not development news, but this shows what the effects of sprawl has had on local industry.

W.Va. applesauce plant to close (http://www.wvgazette.com/latest/200808080131)
Charleston Gazette, August 8, 2008

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Knouse Foods Cooperative Inc. is closing its applesauce plant in Berkeley County because of a declining supply of apples.

Adams County, Pa.-based Knouse Foods also cited the need for major infrastructure improvements at the Inwood plant.

Knouse says the plant will close Nov. 14. But the cooperative plans to maintain its warehousing, storage and distribution business in Inwood.

About 90 jobs are being eliminated. Employees will be offered positions at Knouse's facilities in Pennsylvania.

President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Guise says the area's orchards have been replaced by housing developments, and the cooperative needs to be where its growers are.

A 2004 state survey showed that Berkeley County lost nearly 70,000 apple trees from 1994 to 2004.

seicer

August 15th, 2008, 04:15 AM

Jenkins Plantation preservation project aims to restore its past (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x2021816876/Jenkins-Plantation-preservation-project-aims-to-restore-its-past)
By Jean Tarbett Hardiman, Herald-Dispatch, August 12, 2008

GREENBOTTOM -- The future of the Jenkins Plantation Museum will shed new light into its past.

In upcoming weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to begin work on a preservation project at the historic home, located along W.Va. 2 at Greenbottom. U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall II visited the Jenkins Plantation Monday morning for a ceremony that kicked off a yearlong project that he hopes will be the first step in bringing the house to life. If everything turns out as planned, the second and third phases will be restoration and reconstruction, Rahall said at the ceremony.

With federal support from Rahall's office throughout the past 20 years, preserving the property along the Ohio River in Greenbottom has been a joint effort between the Corps, the West Virginia Department of Culture and History, the state Division of Natural Resources and the Greenbottom Society.

Tours and public visitation already have ceased so that the project can get under way. The Corps will work on the masonry and roof of the pre-Civil War era house, preserve windows and address moisture infiltration. The Corps hopes to complete the project in 12 to 18 months. A cost for the total project has not yet been nailed down, according to Rahall's office.

The work is intended to preserve the original characteristics of the house, which is historic as the home of Confederate Brigadier Gen. Albert Gallatin Jenkins. Built in the architectural tradition of Tidewater, Va., the home is also recognized as a demonstration of African-American craftsmanship, because it was built by slaves between 1830 and 1835 for Gen. Jenkins' father, William Jenkins.

The Jenkins plantation is listed on the National Register for Historic Places and on the Civil War Discovery Trail.

According to records from the Corps of Engineers, the Corps acquired the surrounding properties, known as the Lesage/Greenbottom Swamp as part of mitigation efforts for the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam Replacement Project. After developing wetlands in the tract, the Corps leased the tract to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, which now manages the land for fish and wildlife benefits. The DNR subleased a four-acre portion of the tract, including the Jenkins House, to the Division of Culture and History, which operates the museum, giving tours to students and visitors to the area.

Rahall said he sees it as a moral obligation to preserve historical places in this country and in West Virginia.

"This is the fabric of America," he said. "This is her heartbeat. Let us take time to listen to it and celebrate it.

"I say that a society that loses touch with its history, with its culture, is akin to a rudderless ship on a stormy sea. Simply put, maintaining our culture and history is something worth fighting for."

And fight they have. It started back in 1988, when Rahall used his influence on the Committee on Public Works and Transportation to have a provision pulled from the Water Resources Development Act. The provision would have transferred the LeSage Greenbottom Swamp to the state, and he went further to put in place a prohibition against the conveyance. He later pushed forward and in three Acts of Congress included measures geared toward keeping the Corps of Engineers on track in preserving the property, he said Monday.

In 2003, he supported legislation that helped fund an archeological dig that turned up information about the house's early structure -- where the kitchen was located and what the foundation of the house was like, said Ned Jones, president of the Greenbottom Society. There's a modern portion of the house that will be deconstructed during this project, and he hopes the home will eventually be reconstructed in its original form.

He also hopes to one day have a reception center to greet school children and tourists.

Between the celebration of black history, the historic home of an Army general and signs of an ancient Native American village near the site -- not to mention the birds, flora and fauna -- there's a lot to show off at the property, he said.

"The sorrow is that it took this long to get where we are today," Rahall said. "The joy is that so many of you heeded the call."

seicer

August 18th, 2008, 03:08 AM

A lengthier article on the apple plant closing.

After Nearly 90 Years, Inwood Apple Plant to Close (http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=42555)
State Journal, August 14, 2008

Officials with Knouse, the Biglerville, Pa.-based company that purchased the plant in 1984, announced last week plans to cut off applesauce production in Inwood in mid-November, eliminating 90 jobs.

Story By Christine Miller Ford

INWOOD -- Even though the Eastern Panhandle now has more housing developments than orchards, 92-year-old Glenda Hardy said the news that Knouse Foods would shut down its nearby applesauce plant left her surprised.

"I'd heard things were slowing down, but I didn't expect to see the plant close,'' said Hardy, who began working at what was then the C.H. Musselman Co. as a teenager during the Great Depression.

Officials with Knouse, the Biglerville, Pa.-based company that purchased the plant in 1984, announced last week plans to cut off applesauce production in Inwood in mid-November, eliminating 90 jobs.

In closing the plant, the company cited the area's declining supply of apples and a desire to be closer to the majority of its growers as well as the need for an infrastructure overhaul at the Inwood facility.

Knouse officials say the company's storage, distribution and warehousing operations will continue in Inwood. The facility, which measures 289,874 square feet, sits on a 131-acre site.

The Eastern Panhandle's economy has changed drastically in recent years, notes Stephen Christian, the Berkeley County Development Authority's executive director.

"We don't have the concentration of orchards that we once had,'' he said. "It's something that's happening in thousands of communities across the country -- land that had been used for traditional agriculture is now used for housing. What's happening with Knouse is just the latest indication of a trend that's been happening for many years now."

Clarence Dunham, who worked at the plant from 1950 until 1982, said that while he hates to see operations in Inwood end, he is pleased with Knouse's treatment of workers.

"A lot of companies anymore, you come to work one day and there's a sign on the gate that says 'Closed,''' said Dunham, who for years worked nights at Musselman and drove a bus for Berkeley County Schools during the day. "At least, they're giving workers some notice and severance pay and the option of taking a job at one of the other plants."

With the economy still in a downturn, both Dunham and Hardy say they predict many Knouse workers will accept the opportunity to work for the company elsewhere.

"People are talking about getting carpools together and driving to Pennsylvania to work,'' Hardy said. "A lot of people are saying they appreciate the chance to keep on working."

Dunham agrees: "Jobs are not easy to find around here right now."

Knouse Foods operates six other plants, five of them in Pennsylvania and one in Paw Paw, Mich.

The closure of the Inwood facility comes after decades in which the plant was, literally, at the core of the community. From the early 1920s, hundreds of year-round and seasonal workers spent each autumn working at Musselman where they unloaded apples, peeled and chipped them by hand and then made applesauce, apple pie filling, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, spiced apple rings and other products.

"My first job was unloading bags of sugar brought in by train and stacking them up,'' said Dunham, whose parents were both seasonal workers at Musselman before him. "It was August and it was hot, hard work."

In fact, the community's high school takes its name from the plant. In the late 1940s, Christian H. Musselman, the co-founder of the Pennsylvania apple processing business, donated labor and financial backing for a new high school to serve the southern end of Berkeley County.

Officials named the school in Bunker Hill after Musselman and selected a red apple for the school mascot.

From his home just up the street from the plant, Dunham said he can smell freshly made applesauce, which is sold nationwide under the Musselman's label.

"A lot of the people who live in this area now and commute into D.C. for work don't know what a big deal the orchards were,'' he said. "For an awful long time, apples were the biggest thing going around here."

seicer

August 26th, 2008, 02:25 AM

Closed Mercer County hospital to become mental health facility (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/200808140088)
Charleston Daily Mail, August 14, 2008

PRINCETON -- State regulators have approved a new role for a Mercer County hospital that's been closed since last year.

The state Health Care Authority issued a certificate of need allowing the conversion of St. Luke's Hospital into a mental health facility.

Health Care Authority Chairwoman Sonia D. Chambers says the project will cost $5.5 million.

St. Luke's owner, Princeton Community Hospital, closed the Bluefield hospital in 2007 to eliminate duplication of services and develop new services.

seicer

October 15th, 2008, 02:13 AM

Group hopes to save landmark theater (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/entertainment/200810130164)
By Kris Wise Maramba, Charleston Daily Mail, October 13, 2008

CLENDENIN, W.Va. -- Dave Knight can remember sitting in the Roxy theater when he was a kid, trying to shush his friends so they wouldn't get in trouble.

About that time, he would hear the footsteps of a man named Percy -- he was the cinema's janitor/bouncer -- and feel a stone-hard grip on his shoulder.

"You knew you were in trouble then," Knight said. "That's what theaters need now. They need an enforcer. They need a Percy."

Knight also remembers taking his own son to the Roxy just a few years back, when the Clendenin theatre was already suffering from plenty of wear and tear, to see new movies showed there on the weekends.

"It was a blast," he said. "It was pretty neat. You'd see all the people in the community walking up there with their kids on the weekend."

It was rustic, mind you.

"Some of the chairs -- you were just sitting on metal because there wasn't any upholstery," said Knight, who's now an insurance agent in Clendenin. "There wasn't any heat. They would have a torpedo heater down there blowing out heat, and it was so loud sometimes you couldn't hear the movie."

Rustic can't begin to describe the Roxy now.

To the best of anybody's recollection, it was about a year and a half ago that the roof of the Roxy collapsed. It caved in all the way to the floor, leaving the screen and the seats open to the elements.

The old carbon arc projectors are still in the building somewhere, but you can't get to them. The doors of the theater have been boarded up so vandals can't get inside. Trying to gain access any other way means risking life or limb.

Many residents remember when the Roxy marquee would be lit up, advertising the Friday and Saturday night double features. In the theater's heyday, a line would form down the street when a Gene Autry or Roy Rogers flick came to town.

Now, the marquee says "Save the Roxy."

A nonprofit group in Clendenin, called "25045: A New Clendenin," after the city's zip code, is expected to take possession of the theater sometime soon. The group hasn't been able to get started on any renovations because it doesn't actually own the building yet. It belongs now to the Moore family of Charleston, owners of Moore Theatre Equipment on the West Side and well known for developing small cinemas around the state.

Patriarch Harold Moore, who died in 1966, bought the Roxy sometime in the late 40s, said his son, Donald, who now runs the family business.

But the Roxy had a string of different owners between then and now. In the early 1990s it underwent interior restorations, but it hasn't had major structural work in many decades, according to people in the town.

In the late 1990s, it was briefly transformed into the Roxy Opry House and then the Grand Old Roxy. Movies were out. Instead, the place became a venue for live country and gospel music.

Donald Moore said his family now is in the process of handing off the theater to the nonprofit 25045 group, but they've had to deal with some legal issues and they're still working with lawyers to get paperwork done.

Moore worked at the Roxy when he was first following his father's footsteps into the movie business.

"I was there from the time I was 10 or 12 until I was 30," he said.

He said he's been sad to see it fall into disrepair, "but there just weren't enough people up there to support it," he said. "That was the reason we wanted to donate it so maybe somebody there could renovate and do something with it, help the community out a little bit."

Moore said he remembers his father first taking over the Roxy sometime around 1949, but the theater was built before that.

He dates it back to the early days of World War II.

"I remember hearing stories about the guys who were building it were in the middle of laying bricks and they got called away to the war," Moore said.

Located at 16 Maywood Ave., just a couple of blocks down from Clendenin Town Hall, the Roxy's bright red and black exterior is still straight out of the Art Deco era. It used to be smack in the middle of a string of busy storefronts, and right next door was the old Copenhaver Jewelry Store. Next to the theater today is a thrift shop, a beer joint and a little dairy bar. But a lot of Clendenin's downtown is emptied out now and many of the old stores have closed.

"Eventually, I do think that theater will be saved," Mayor Bob Ore said. "There's a lot we could do with it, and it really was something nice for the community here to have."

Town Recorder Robert Evans, who also works with the 25045 group, said he remembers going to movies there when he was a child, in the late 1930s.

"It has always been a great asset to this town," Evans said. "It has major problems, but they can be fixed. It's just going to take time and money.

"We're like every small town," he said. "We don't have a mall. We don't have a taxi service. We don't have, we don't have, we don't have. But we have this."

Knight said he and several others already are brainstorming to come up with ways to renovate the Roxy. As soon as the nonprofit group can legally take ownership of it, they'll start looking for ways to raise funds.

Right now, the bulk of their efforts and their money, which comes mostly from government grants and donations, is being spent to fix up the former Clendenin Middle School, which closed several years ago and was given to the group by the county. A daycare center already has opened inside, and volunteers are trying to get other community service programs up and running.

Knight already has reached out to some contacts in Charleston, architects who've had a hand in helping renovate other aging theaters, including the Capitol Theater in downtown Charleston. Groups around the state have had luck in recent years renovating several deteriorating cinemas, from the Roby in Spencer to the LaBelle in South Charleston.

"It's going to be quite pricey to jump on it, but that's what we're hoping to do," he said. "You're going to have to rebuild it from the ground up, pretty much, but that's what we want to do. The front of it is still good."

No cost estimates have been done, but Knight said the group believes there would be grant money available for such a project.

Bill Sloan, who owns an apartment building next door to the theater, said people in the town would be ecstatic to see some progress being made on the place.

"It's an empty shell of what it used to be, but there's potential here."

seicer

October 15th, 2008, 06:47 PM

County panel OKs project (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/511250.html?nav=5006)
Shepherdstown residents express concern about the planned mixed-use development.
By Naomi Smoot, Journal, October 15, 2008

CHARLES TOWN - A proposed mixed-use development slated for construction near Morgan's Grove Park was met with heavy opposition Tuesday evening from several nearby property owners during a Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting.

The project, known as Town Run Commons, is planned to consist of five buildings and occupy nearly 13 acres along Kearneysville Pike. The buildings would become home to both commercial and residential uses, officials with the project said. They were seeking final plat approval for the project.

Residents living near the Town Run Commons had a number of concerns about the project's construction. Miriam Wilson, who owns a property adjacent to the proposed development, questioned its appropriateness, especially amid the area's existing rural setting.

Wilson said she would rather see the land preserved for open space that the children of Shepherdstown could enjoy for generations to come.

"That breaks my heart. That should belong to the people," she said of the property, adding that if the property becomes the site of the proposed development, "Where will the children of Shepherdstown play?"

During the nearly hour-long public comment period, planning commissioners were repeatedly urged to think of the children.

And there were other concerns as well. Neighbors said there could be increased traffic, more mosquitoes and even more rats if the community were approved. If fences around the community were allowed to remain at the proposed six-foot height, some said residents and youth might jump over them and enter neighbors' properties. Large trees that now exist might also be cut down, they said. Run off from cars could also be a problem, some noted.

Wilson and another neighbor questioned the proposed operating hours for the businesses that are slated to open in the community. Earlier in the approval process, officials had agreed that the businesses could operate from 6 a.m. to midnight. Such hours were questioned by neighbors, though - one who said they should be scaled back to 9 p.m. to avoid excess noise.

But Kristen Ringstaff, of William H. Gordon Associates, the company working on the project, said these issues and others were addressed earlier in the project's approval process. A conditional use permit was issued for the development and all of its criteria have been met, she said.

County staffers also noted that the project meets all of the county's subdivision regulations and is in compliance with storm water management practices.

When the issue finally reached a vote, Planning Commissioner John Maxey said many of the problems brought up during the evening's meeting might be avoided in the future. The Jefferson County Commission recently approved a new zoning ordinance, one that will help ensure properties like the one where Town Run Commons is being built - which is located in a rural area and zoned as such - will remain rural, according to Maxey.

"We do take this very seriously," Maxey said.

The Planning Commission granted the project final plat approval in a 6-1 vote with County Commission liaison Jim Surkamp voting against the approval. Surkamp stated earlier that he could not support the proposed project unless it included a stipulation that earlier lawsuits involving the Wilsons and a previous owner of the Town Run Commons property be dropped.

seicer

October 16th, 2008, 03:32 AM

TIF district plans OK’d (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/511092.html?nav=5006)
Martinsburg will get funds for the Raleigh Street extension through the measure.
By Chris Huntemann / Journal, October 10, 2008

MARTINSBURG - Efforts to secure additional funding for the Raleigh Street extension project moved forward Thursday following the approval of several measures by the Martinsburg City Council.

Council members voted to approve several measures regarding the establishment of a tax increment financing district in the northern part of the city. In addition to securing additional funds for the Raleigh Street extension, the proposed district will also allow for improvements to several roads in the area.

Council members approved the first and second reading of an ordinance that will approve and create the tax increment financing district, said City Manager Mark Baldwin. The ordinance also approves the creation and establishment of a tax increment financing fund, he said.

Council members also approved an agreement between city leaders and Jackson Kelly PLLC to have the company act as legal counsel in the event that bonds are issued for the proposed district.

"They will be our legal representation if or when we are ready to go forward with the bond issue," Baldwin said. Council members also voted to approve Crews & Associates to serve as the underwriters for the possible issuance of tax increment financing bonds.

"They will go out to the bond market if or when we are ready to do so," Baldwin said.

A memorandum of understanding between city leaders and Potomac Professional Services LLC, Blue Water LLC and LEB Enterprises was also approved by council. The agreement makes the companies part of the application for a feasibility study to be done by MuniCap Inc., and to split the costs of the study, which will amount to $44,500.

The feasibility study is the most important element regarding the TIF district, Baldwin said.

"It will determine the feasibility and soundness of the project, which is especially important with the current market," he said. The feasibility to issue bonds for the project will also be determined by the study, he added.

The implementation of the measures approved by council is contingent on the approval of the third and final reading of the ordinance to approve and create the proposed TIF district. The third and final reading of the ordinance will take place during the council's next scheduled meeting next month in City Hall. There will also be a public hearing during the meeting to solicit comments from city residents on the proposed TIF district.

Martinsburg Mayor George Karos expressed satisfaction with the work city leaders have done so far on the proposed district.

"Everyone is happy that we're moving on," he said.

seicer

October 20th, 2008, 01:07 AM

Wall Street’s troubles not stopping Raleigh annex (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_291214030.html)
By Mannix Porterfield, Register-Herald, October 17, 2008

Wall Street’s rollercoaster ride in the throes of a financial tailspin isn’t keeping Raleigh County’s proposed multimillion-dollar judicial annex from rising up in the midst of a once-thriving commercial block.

In fact, the money is guaranteed, and a dozen contractors are champing at the bit to undertake the initial phase of construction, Raleigh County Commission president Pat Reed said Friday.

“It’s on schedule,” she said. “We’re scheduled to go. The arrangements are made and we’re ready.”

Of prime concern at the local level is the still-steep cost of gasoline in keeping county vehicles rolling, the commission leader said.

“But as far as just what happened on Wall Street at this time, that has not affected our progress,”

Work stopped a few weeks ago, but that was only because crews completed filling in the parking lot and rolling it to make the surface solid, she explained.

In addition, the task entailed removal of concrete under the former G.C. Murphy Co. store and other corner buildings in the block directly across from the courthouse.

Wall Street has become an international news story in recent weeks over the meltdown in investments, largely attributed to a mortgage crisis that prompted a $750 billion rescue plan approved by Congress and the Bush administration.

Even with the turmoil in the stock markets, Reed said, the county hasn’t experienced any difficulty in securing funding for the annex.

“Absolutely not,” she said, emphasizing the county faced no roadblocks in gaining approval of a $5 million loan.

“It’s already in place. The local banks have bid as to who gives us the best price to give the loan. They’re very interested in this one because they know it’s guaranteed to be paid back. We’ve had a lot of good interest. We’re not having any trouble getting a loan.”

In a Sept. 30 meeting, the commission saw interest from 12 general contractors who want to build the judicial annex, and bids are to be unsealed Oct. 28.

“After the architect reviews those bids, we hope to award that contract the first week of November,” Reed said.

Construction likely will follow within 30 days.

“This is Phase One on the complete shell of the bids,” she said.

To date, the commission has shelled out some $2 million to pay the architectural fees, acquire the properties, pursue the demolition and relocate utilities.

Another $3 million will be needed for the interior work.

“We hope to have this (initial phase) completed in 12 to 18 months, then we’ll start on the interior at that time,” Reed added.

seicer

October 23rd, 2008, 08:28 PM

Wheeling moving to set fees for vacant buildings (http://dailymail.com/News/statenews/200810220093)
Charleston Daily Mail, October 22, 2008

WHEELING, W.Va. -- Wheeling City Council is flexing its new home rule muscle by planning to go after property owners with vacant buildings.

Addressing vacant and dilapidate structures is one of several areas Wheeling said it would pursue if the city was selected for the state's five-year home rule experiment.

A council committee agreed Monday that vacant property owners should be charged a fee of between $200 and $1,600 depending on how many years the structure is vacant. After reaching $1,600, property owners would face esculating fees of $300 a year if the property remained vacant.

"One goal of this program is to prevent vacant buildigns from becoming diliapidated buildings,'' said City Manager Robet Herron. "Even a well-intentioned person could let their property fall into disrepair.''

Also, if property owners fail to comply, the city could place a lien on the property, he said.

Despite objections to fees starting just one year after a building becomes vacant, committee members said it was important to include a timeframe to ensure the measure was relevant.

Wheeling Mayor Andy McKenzie said the city is not trying to make money on the fees.

The next step for Council is to define the term vacant. McKenzie said one definition would tie it to whether all utilities serving the building have been turned off.

The proposal is expected to go before the full Council next month.

Wheeling was one of four cities selected to participate in the home rule experiment. The project gives municipalities greater freedom from state controls. The other cities selected were Bridgeport, Charleston and Huntington.

seicer

October 26th, 2008, 04:34 AM

Proposed resort challenged (http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/511593.html?nav=5006)
The Harpers Ferry eco-tourism project already has opposition
By Naomi Smoot, Journal, October 25, 2008

CHARLES TOWN - A proposed eco-resort near Harpers Ferry is being met with opposition.

Local residents came before the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday to express a lengthy list of concerns that they have with a proposed project known as Rattling Springs.

The resort is currently slated for construction on 27.2 acres of land near U.S. 340. Documents submitted to the Jefferson County Planning Department state that the project aims to draw visitors from nearby Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and it will key in on recent tourism trends, including the desire by many travelers to take trips closer to home, and to be "green."

"Rattling Springs will be a unique eco-resort located on the Potomac River and will be designed to provide a quiet, natural escape along the banks of this American river," documents related to the project state.

The resort is slated to include a main lodge with as many as 50 rooms, plus as many as 60 cottages. Documents show that all of the buildings will be incorporated in to the surrounding landscape.

Applicants for the project state in the documents that they hope to help increase tourism in the area. While the region has a number of historical assets, it has yet to fully capitalize on the possibility for ecological activities, the application states.

"The property's natural beauty and vicinity to Harpers Ferry will bring more tourism dollars to Jefferson County," it reports.

But area residents aren't happy about the proposal. Traffic in the area is already congested, and if the resort is added, it could "create nightmares along the river," said Harpers Ferry resident Steve Perkins.

"This place is going to be hazardous, not only to the people coming in but to the people that live there," he told commissioners Thursday morning.

Perkins was one of several citizens who spoke in opposition to the proposal that day.

Some residents said they were concerned by the fact that Rattling Springs was being brought forward while the county's old zoning ordinance was still in place, as the county awaited the effective date of a newer ordinance, which was recently approved.

And still others questioned how well the proposed tourism destination would work in the county. Other hotels had tried before to bring tourists to the area, with only limited success, one resident said, adding that she questioned whether Rattling Springs would have any more luck in this effort.

Residents were expecting a meeting to be held on the issue next Wednesday. The project's neighborhood compatibility was supposed to be assessed at that time. Planning staff said Friday that this meeting had been canceled.

Rattling Springs must obtain a zoning variance related to the buffer area required near the Potomac River before such a meeting can be held, staff said. The variance request is expected to come before the Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals on Dec. 18.

A second variance may also be needed for the project later, staff added.

seicer

October 29th, 2008, 05:07 AM

New University High School cost $40 million (http://www.charlestondailymail.com/News/statenews/200810280256)
By Ry Rivard, Charleston Daily Mail, October 28, 2008

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The state's newest high school will open to students in December, and given population declines and market conditions it may be one of the last and largest in a while.

After 75 years in a now cramped and dated building, University High School is moving from downtown Morgantown to a ridge near West Virginia's border with Pennsylvania.

University's new 217,000-square-foot, $40 million building is nearly $10 million over its projected costs. But to school officials, it's well worth it.

The 94-acre site for the school provides a breathtaking view of the Monongahela River and plenty of room for the school to grow. The sprawling interior requires a color-coded map and a special numbering system to navigate.

"There'll probably be some seniors who will come in here and not see all the parts of the building by the time they graduate," said Ed McCabe, the Monongalia County school system's clerk of the works.

The school has come a long way from where it first met - in a building on the downtown campus of West Virginia University. And it spares the school's football team from its six-decade slight of sharing a home field with its archrival.

University's history is one of overcrowding, movement and change. The new building is the fifth move for the school in its nearly 80-year lifespan.

University Demonstration High School was founded in 1925 by the state Legislature to provide WVU with a lab school for teacher training.

The school met for the first time on the first floor of Woodburn Hall, the oldest building on the university's downtown campus. The arrangement lasted three days.

University High moved into a building on the corner of Willey and Spruce streets, but again there wasn't enough room. In 1926, the school rented space in a building next door known as "the white elephant," which was poorly heated, noisy and dark. Students and teachers took turns cleaning it up, according to histories of the school.

Teachers tried "the Dalton plan" on students. The method was developed to allow students to complete work in installments or on contracts and at their own speed, but it was revised by University High's three founders to include group recitations.

Students and teachers moved again - back to a university building. They held classes in Stewart Hall, the old WVU library that now serves as the university president's office, until its current home at the crest of a hill overlooking downtown was finished in 1933. The Price Street building cost $280,000 at the time, but still 10 times less than the new building in inflation-adjusted dollars.

During the 1929-1931 school years, the football team organized for the first time and wore hand-me-down uniforms from WVU. They held practice on the old athletic field, now the site of the MountainLair student union.

After teacher and coach George Hand left, the team disbanded and went into exile for a decade and a half. Some students left the school to play football elsewhere, such as at the old St. Francis High School. But by 1948, the team was on top and won its final game, to finish undefeated two years in a row, against archrival Morgantown High School before 7,000 fans.

The school continued to grow as the city and university expanded. By the early 1970s, University High and WVU had parted ways so the school could get more funding from the county. Long ago, University ran out of space, and the county continued to build onto it. Now there are 14, mostly dingy portable classrooms placed around the school's property.

The school has suffered indignities along the way - until the new football stadium was built, mainly with money from Milan Puskar, University shared Pony Lewis Field with Morgantown High.

The new University building, designed by Williamson Shriver Architects, Inc. of Charleston is larger than the current three-acre campus. And officials say it's well thought out and impressively constructed.

"You walk into most high schools and they don't have this kind of architectural flair," said Principal James Forst.

Forst, only the eighth principal in the school's history, came to the school 25 years ago. He decided early on that the school needed a new building. The current school, nestled firmly but awkwardly at the top of Price Street, has little room to expand.

County taxpayers went for the idea and approved taking on debt via a bond sale to build the school. The state also chipped in.

Now, just weeks from opening to students in early December, the new University High takes a little time and patience to get through. The large plot of land it sits on gives the school space for a large parking lot, room for auxiliary buildings in the future, including a new field house, and shelters the school from being abutted by the contractors flocking to the outskirts of Morgantown.

The big building also provides a lot of little things that will give teachers and students more flexibility, Forst said.

"It's a facility for the future," he said.

There are careful little details that people who attended older schools or even newer schools in other parts of the state might not expect.

The 800-seat auditorium has a large garage door that leads into a stagecraft area behind the stage. In that area is another garage door that is next to the school's shop room, where there are saws and tools that can be used to construct sets. The arrangement is an efficient, clever, well-thought proximity.

Other "neat little things," Forst points out:
# The walls outside the band room are filled with sand to block sound.
# In the front of the home economics room is a mirror over a table that can be positioned so students in the back of the room can see what teachers are doing with their hands.
# Tables in the art room pivot into drafting boards.
# There's a greenhouse on the roof.

But all that space poses challenges. There are blind hallways, distant stairwells and a whole lot more area to cover. This means school officials are going to have to be more vigilant. There are also "a bunch of cameras," Forst said.

There are other challenges for the new building. The new location, several miles from its old location just blocks from downtown, is likely to drive up transportation costs.

Moving the school outside town means "huge new transportation costs," Forst said.

Nor does the school system have an estimate for how much it will cost to run the 40 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units on the building's roof during the coming winter, said McCabe, the school system clerk of the works.

University continues to grow. Forst expects more students to transfer to the high school because of the new building. But the Morgantown metropolitan area is one of the few in the state to be gaining population. People are attracted by the university and relatively low unemployment. This year, 100 new freshmen showed up for classes at University to put enrollment near 1,300.

But Monongalia County is by no means the only school district with a rising population nor is it the only one to build a big, new school in recent years. Jefferson and Lincoln counties both have new high schools similar in size to University's building. Cabell-Midland in Ona is nearly 280,000 square feet.

Jefferson and Berkeley counties continue to grow and add high schools for increasing populations, not just consolidate or replace old ones, said David Sneed, the chief of architectural services for the state School Building Authority. Berkeley is about to propose a $50 million high school to house roughly the same number of students as University.

Even counties with decreasing populations are building schools to consolidate and take advantage of economies of scale or simply because the old schools have become inadequate. Mingo County is looking to consolidate its shrinking high school student population into a new, $33 million school.

The old University building will have a new life, McCabe said. It will be turned into a new middle school for students from the Cheat Lake area, another part of the county that continues to grow.

seicer

October 29th, 2008, 05:15 AM

Beckley ARH plans 150-bed psychiatric care facility (http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_302221322.html?keyword=topstory)
By Fred Pace, Register-Herald, October 28, 2008

Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital is proposing the construction of a new $70 million, 150-bed facility it hopes will help the state address its growing problem of inadequate in-patient psychiatric care services.

Providing psychiatric care to patients under court order has created overcrowding problems at both state hospitals and at private community hospitals as well, according to state Department of Health and Human Resources spokesman John Law.

“There is overcrowding at both of the state’s psychiatric hospitals in Huntington and Weston,” Law said. “The reason is patients are court ordered to the hospital and we can’t turn people away.”

Law says the state is looking at a variety of ways to ease the overcrowding and stress on hospital staffs, including going into state and private community hospital partnerships.

“We are also looking at adding new beds at the two state hospitals as well,” he said.

Beckley ARH, however, says its plans will provide a helpful solution to the problem.

“Overcrowding at the state’s hospitals creates a backlash that means emergency departments across the state have backlogs of psychiatric patients,” Rocco Massey, the hospital’s chief executive officer, said. “There are no beds available. There is more demand than we or the state can meet.”

Massey says Beckley ARH’s proposed expansion, along with its vast experience and the state’s need, will create a perfect state and private partnership.

“Beckley ARH has more than 34 years of providing psychiatric services to the people of southern West Virginia,” Massey said. “We have become recognized as a leader in providing these services.

“We have the full continuum of care here and the psychiatric care infrastructure already in place.”

Beckley psychiatrist Dr. Ahmed Faheem of Appalachian Psychiatric Services agrees with Massey and is vice chairman of the state’s Mental Health Commission, which was formed about a year-and-a-half ago at the request of the state Legislature.

“Everyone knows there is a major need,” Faheem said. “Also, officials with the state Legislature agree that a non-profit hospital like Beckley ARH that already has the services and programs could help the state with this urgent problem.”

Faheem said a state and private partnership for psychiatric care is already being done with some patients.

“They have contracted with Thomas Memorial Hospital in Charleston and I think a contract with Beckley ARH would be beneficial for both as well,” he said. “Beckley ARH has many years of experience, is already a proven provider of these types of services and programs, and is a union hospital.”

Faheem said the Beckley area has a large concentration of well qualified, board-certified doctors with various specialties.

“Many communities are not as fortunate as Beckley in this regard,” he said. “Beckley ARH has the structure, resources, specialists and desire to work out something with the state.”

Law said the state understands the urgency of the issue, but is not at a point it can make guarantees to private community hospitals.

“There are several providers that want us to commit now, but we are not at that point yet,” he said. “We have told hospitals to look at their need and go forward.”

Law said the state is not ruling out future state and private partnerships.

“We have not ruled out anything at this point,” he said. “We are looking at it, but we are not at the point were we can make any commitments.”

Massey says Beckley ARH is not seeking state funding to build its new facility, but would like to help ease the overcrowding at the state’s hospitals by entering into new contracts with the state.

“We have nine facilities in the ARH system, including one in Hazard, Ky., which has entered into a partnership with the state,” Massey said. “Kentucky has already recognized the large cost savings with this partnership. It’s been a significant cost savings for that state. We think it could be the same in West Virginia. The state would save dollars.”

On Oct. 17, the hospital submitted its letter of intent with the West Virginia Health Care Authority to build the new psychiatric care facility.

“We want to sit down with the DHHR and the governor’s office to clarify the points of our proposal and project,” Massey said.

Law said those talks would most likely take place soon.

“We are not ruling out future talks,” he said. “They will most likely take place soon, but this issue isn’t going to be solved overnight.”

Beckley ARH currently has a 60-bed in-patient psychiatric care facility and 10 of those beds are already contracted with the state.

“We not asking the state to build or help build the new facility, but merely asking for them to contract additional beds similar to what they are already doing now,” Massey said.

Recently, Delegate Rick Moye, D-Raleigh, berated DHHR over its failure to fund programs for the mentally challenged and to reimburse hospitals providing psychiatric care to patients under court orders.

Moye was miffed at DHHR for not moving to help mentally challenged West Virginians still on a waiting list, even though the agency has a massive surplus.

Moye complained that mentally challenged residents are being denied assistance while DHHR is nesting on a $393 million surplus — about $100 million than the state’s general revenue account’s leftover money.

“I cannot grasp why there’s a $393 million surplus and people are doing without,” he said.