Federal grants secured for economic development projects in Bluefield
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Jul. 22—BLUEFIELD — Federal funding acquired by West Virginia's representatives in Congress will be used to develop additional sites along John Nash Boulevard off Interstate 77 and help attract more industries interested in coming to the state and setting up shop.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced this week that he had secured a number of West Virginia priorities in the Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water (E&W); Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD); and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) funding bills. This funding includes $77 million earmarked for specific West Virginia projects.
Among the projects is the West Virginia CREATE Center for site development on John Nash Boulevard. A grant of around $557,000 to the Bluefield WV Economic Development Authority (BEDA)will be used for grading and clearing available project for future growth. The project is under the WV CREATE Center.
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, according to U.S. Rep Carol Miller, R-W.Va.. The Center will 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.
"I am pleased that the Committee has advanced bipartisan appropriations bills that provide funding to West Virginia for some of the state's top priorities: supporting coal communities that built this great nation, completing Corridor H, and addressing youth homelessness. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am committed to bringing back regular order, doing our job, and passing these funding bills on time to deliver these crucial resources to West Virginia," Manchin said.
BEDA has procured the services of an engineering firm to perform a site selection study on potential sites for developing along John Nash Boulevard. BEDA has had success in landing new businesses in the Carbon Corridor such as Omnis Building Technologies at Exit 1 and X-MAT which is a current tenant of the Bluefield Commercialization Station, a mixed-use incubator. The limiting factor for attracting new business is the lack of sites ready for new development. The WV CREATE Center, which is owned by BEDA, has land that can be developed to attract new industry. Funding will be used to create a 3.5-acre graded pad adjacent to the WV CREATE center.
"The manufacturing industry is a crucial aspect of West Virginia's economic prosperity. Securing $566,370 in Community Project Funding for the West Virginia CREATE Center's carbon corridor was a top priority for me during the appropriations process and will provide resources for entrepreneurs across the state. I was glad to see that the House Appropriations Committee included this funding in their FY24 proposed funding tables. I look forward to all the innovation that will come out of the CREATE Center for the future of West Virginia," Miller said.
BEDA Executive Director Jim Spencer thanked both Miller and Manchin for supporting development along John Nash Boulevard.
"These sites will be developed to attract more industry to the area," he said.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
