Architectural and engineering services being sought for WV Create Center project

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 2—BLUEFIELD — A step is being taken toward creating a facility that will help bring technology, energy and advanced manufacturing to John Nash Boulevard in Mercer County.

The Bluefield Economic Development Authority recently advertised in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph for consulting architectural and engineering firmed interested in providing advice and professional engineering services for the potential creation of the West Virginia CREATE Center on John Nash Boulevard.

"Basically, what we're trying to do is continue to look for ways to develop the John Nash Boulevard corridor," said Jim Spencer, executive director of the Bluefield WV Economic Development Authority.

CREATE stands for Creating Resilient Economies by Assisting Technology Entrepreneurs, Spencer said. The project would focus on engineering, energy and manufacturing.

Spencer said the West Virginia CREATE Center is a "long-term" project at the John Nash Boulevard corridor, so a date for starting any construction or a completion date have not been established.

The West Virginia CREATE Center was among projects which received federal funding last year. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced the grants when they were secured in the Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2024 funding bills.

A federal grant of around $557,000 for grading and clearing a site for the potential WV CREATE Center was among the allocations.

U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va, said when the grant was announced that the WV CREATE Center will strengthen the advanced manufacturing industry in West Virginia by clustering collaborative businesses, expertise, the private sector and public economic development networks.

Plans for the center include a collaborative environment for entrepreneurial small manufactures launching new businesses in West Virginia, shared use of specialized equipment for designing, prototyping, and testing new products, and prototyping and technical problem-solving services available to innovative small businesses.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com