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Huntington Herald-Dispatch: ReWire Appalachia to Train, Employ Displaced Coal Workers

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Photo by Lori Wolfe/Herald-Dispatch

Photo by Lori Wolfe/Herald-Dispatch

By Josephine Mendez/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

ReWire Appalachia, an initiative of the Coalfield Development Corporation to train displaced coal and manufacturing sector workers in solar roof installation, is not only changing the community, it’s changing lives, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said.

The enterprise was celebrated Wednesday at the West Edge Factory in Huntington’s Westmoreland neighborhood when representatives with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo presented Coalfield Development with a 2016 CommunityWINS grant for $150,000 for its work with the West Edge Factory Solar Training Institute.

Adkins said he was more than blessed to be able to transition into a new career through the help of Coalfield’s solar training program.

To commemorate the award, Williams, along with representatives from U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wells Fargo and Coalfield Development, ceremoniously raised a solar panel on top of a makeshift roof at the factory that is used to train ReWire Appalachia crew members.

“We are so proud of what the Coalfield Development Corp. has been able to do,” Williams said. “We are able to stand here together and say that we can create a new future for those who live within our community and beyond.”

Robert Adkins, a crew chief with ReWire Appalachia, is helping to drive that future.

After working in the coalfields for seven years, Adkins, like others, found himself without a job.

“Everybody knows that the mining industry is declining, and it’s a scary feeling to leave for vacation – and even the weekend – and not know if you are going to have a job when you get back,” he said.

With the added pressure of wanting to provide for a wife and 10-month-old baby girl, Adkins said he was more than blessed to be able to transition into a new career through the help of Coalfield’s solar training program…

Read the full story at www.herald-dispatch.com

Announcing the West Virginia “What Moves You” Photo Contest Winners!

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I’ve had so much fun seeing all the photo contest entries posted on social media for the #WVWhatMovesYou Photo Contest.

It was great to see that we had entries from all over the state, representing all different forms of physical activity, and to see all the unique opportunities to be physically active that West Virginians take advantage of.

For many, it’s not just as simple as going to the gym because in many parts of the state communities don’t have access to a traditional gym.

But what we do have are trails, lakes, rivers, public lands and, most importantly, family and friends to enjoy it all with.

So, drum roll please, I’d like to announce the contest finalists and winners!
1st place goes to Beth Rota

beth-rota

Beth said that being active offers a great way to spend time together as a family and her family enjoys being active during their morning commute to daycare.

Check out the image carousel, below, for all the finalists and some other great entries!

2nd place goes to Jennifer McQuerrey in Charleston. Jennifer said that she and her daughter try to find an opportunity to be active no matter where they are or what they’re doing.

3rd place goes to Charles Perry in Clear Fork. Charles says he is moved to be active in an effort to teach his kids the value of being out in nature.

Thank you to all those who participated in the WVWhatMovesYou photo contest! Together we can turn the tide for health in West Virginia by counteracting negative media attention with all that we are doing to make West Virginia more physically active.

Your participation encouraged your friends and family to think about physical activity and connect to the West Virginia Physical Activity Network.

Be encouraged to continue displaying your active lifestyle on social media and use the hashtags #WVPAN #BeActiveWV #ActiveWV and/or #WVWhatMovesYou.

I hope you all will continue to model and encourage friends and family to be physically active.

Finally, a huge thank you goes to our sponsors for providing prizes for contest winners this year…

  • Tucker Community Foundation
  • Highland Market
  • Potomac Highlands Food & Farm Initiative
  • WV Yoga Girl
  • Appalachian Boarding Company
  • Blackwater Bikes
  • Adventures on the Gorge
  • New River Bikes
  • Harrison Rail Trails
  • WVU Extension – Family Nutrition Programs
  • Little Kanawha River Trail
  • Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
  • Mountain Surf Paddle Sports

Courtney-Roark

Bluefield Daily Telegraph: Trail System a Wellspring of Business Opportunities in Southern West Virginia

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Photo by Hatfield McCoy Trails

Photo by Hatfield McCoy Trails

By Charlie Boothe/Bluefield Daily Telegraph

More businesses have opened in the area to serve the growing tourism draw of the popular ATV trail systems.

The Busted ATV Resort, in Bramwell, opened in April by owners Robert Hedges and Pat Brabbs, both of Daytona Beach, Fla.

“We used to race four-wheelers and we’ve been coming to the trails for 14 years,” Hedges said, adding that their trips here gave them the idea to open the resort.

“We’ve been coming to the trails for 14 years.” Their trips here gave them the idea to open the resort.

“We started (on the project) three years ago,” he added.

Hedges said they own “a mountain,” Mt. Me, and plan to expand their business by offering mountaintop camping, among other things.

They also plan to move here.

“Once we get up and running we’ll move here,” he said. “That’s our goal.”

Hedges said the resort will keep growing, and expanding services. “There’s plenty more to come,” he added.

The resort is located on Rt. 52 in Bramwell and is a half-mile from the Hatfield and McCoy Trails and five miles from the Spearhead Trails in Virginia.

The fully remodeled historic 1880 Bramwell House and adjacent quarters are at the base of Mt. Me and offers accommodations.

Expansion of accommodations is continuing, he said, and the mountaintop camping experience will open next year.

The resort’s website is bustedatvresort.com and the email is bustedatvresort@gmail.com.

Another ATV resort now open is the Trailhead Inn in Rock…

Read the full story at www.bdtonline.com

In Grafton, 9/11 Day of Service a Gathering of Hardworking VISTA

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vista

Photo by The Hub.

We knew it was going to be a good day for the 9/11 National Day of Service Project when we arrived at the Grafton rail yards on Monday and were greeted by an engine with the number 911 on its side.

Our project in Grafton was to prepare and paint a block wall for a mural which will dress up the area around Toad Hall. Toad Hall is a large open area overlooking the rail yard where the town built an open deck last year and that now holds many festivities, such as All Aboard Grafton’s First Fridays.

Armed with mason hammers, ladders, and brooms the members chiseled away excess cement from block seams to smooth the surface, pulled down old vines and then clean up the debris.

The next step was to prime and paint the surface to prepare it for the mural. At this point the wind began to pick up, presenting some challenges for the group, but with determination the project came in almost totally complete before the thunderstorm hit.

In all, seven AmeriCorps VISTA members assembled at Toad Hall in Grafton for the day of service.

  • Breanna Collins with Turn This Town Around, Grafton;
  • Emily Birckhead with Try This, West Virginia;
  • Walter Barnes with Project Hope;
  • Courtney Roark, Marissa Russell, Nicole Marrocco and Terry Bartley with The Hub.

VISTA members were treated to pizza for lunch provided by Tom Hart of Arts and Treasures of Grafton!

If you’re interested in becoming a VISTA, or just want to learn more, email me!

Louise-Henry

Des Moines Register: Can Vacant Buildings and The Arts Save Small Towns?

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Photo by Orignaux Moose/FlickrCC

Photo by Orignaux Moose/FlickrCC

By Kyle Munson/Des Moines Register

WALNUT, Ia. — Gene Larsen comes to a halt. He lingers just inside the doorway of a silent, dim classroom. His distant gaze suggests a reverie in which he’s the only one who sees and hears some bygone bustle.

“This is the room I was in when Kennedy was killed,” says Larsen, surrounded on this day by a gaggle of his neighbors as well as a handful of officials from out of town. Everybody is intent on seeing this space reborn to become more than a crumbling shrine to childhood memories.

The arts and culture evangelist from New York scoured the nation for up-and-coming cities and chose Des Moines as his new entrepreneurial playground.

Larsen, 65, is the mayor. Walnut’s school shut its doors in May after 144 years of proudly supporting its own district.

It’s almost as if a question hovers in the air: Should Walnut and other rural communities still hold out hope for revival despite decades of social and economic erosion? Or could vacant buildings such as this help spark a turnaround similar to what we’ve witnessed in the last 20 years in urban downtowns such as Des Moines?

This 77,000 square feet lines a prominent stretch of the “Antique City Drive” that leads south of Interstate 80 into a business district dominated by the secondhand shops that lent this town of fewer than 800 residents its oversized tourism identity.

What at first glance might look to outsiders like derelict property threatening to become an eyesore, in many towns often is a beloved (if not bittersweet) landmark for local residents whose lives have played out in and around them.

“We just can’t ignore this,” Larsen says.

The mayor’s resolve may seem futile considering his school’s only current resident is a dead bird plopped on the hardwood floor next to a cold radiator.

But there’s also a fresh groundswell of support eager to help him.

What might look to outsiders like derelict property threatening to become an eyesore can be a beloved (if not bittersweet) landmark for local residents.

One of the familiar characters walking down memory lane with the mayor is Zach Mannheimer, 38, the arts and culture evangelist from New York who nearly a decade ago scoured the nation for up-and-coming cities and chose Des Moines as his new entrepreneurial playground.

His flagship became a downtown centerpiece known as Des Moines Social Club, a mixed-use urban magnet overseen by a nonprofit that now houses arts groups, a basement bar/music venue, black-box theater, coffee shop, restaurant and other components…

Read the full story at www.desmoinesregister.com

Follow the author on Twitter @KyleMunson

What Is Placemaking and What Could It Do For West Virginia?

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Photo by Smart Growth Network

Photo by Smart Growth Network

What is placemaking?

Well, one formal definition from Wikipedia describes it as, “a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces.”

“Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being. It is political due to the nature of place identity. Placemaking is both a process and a philosophy.”

In West Virginia’s currently changing economy, placemaking is one strategy with real potential to help us find a way forward.

To me, this sounds very close to the work we do here at The Hub. It relates very much to the broader goals of community development.

Focusing on your community’s assets, and the potential that is already there, is key to growing local economies in West Virginia.

Just look at the great success in Fayetteville, around its natural assets, in Thomas around buildings and location, and Lewisburg, with the proximity to students.

Better health, happiness and well-being is also a huge goal for both West Virginia as a whole, and here at The Hub, exemplified by our work behind the West Virginia Physical Activity Network.

As both a process that we do everyday in creating positive changes in our communities, and as a philosophy that guides the kinds of projects that we do, the opportunity for greater placemaking in West Virginia is ample.

So, as a resource around this great opportunity, an organization called the Smart Growth Network is offering a free webinar soon that touches on how placemaking and economic growth go hand in hand.

The webinar explains how successful placemaking strategies can be implemented in other cities.

In this webinar, experts will explain how strategic placemaking and broad stakeholder participation is improving the quality and amount of redevelopment in Michigan’s urban centers, and how these strategies can be implemented in other cities.

In West Virginia’s currently changing economy, placemaking is one strategy with real potential to help us find a way forward.

If you are interesting in tuning in, the “Placemaking as Economic Development,” webinar will take place on October 7 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Dan-Taylor

West Virginia’s Finest – In Praise of the Wonder Women of Whitesville

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Ladies at work.

Just some of the hardworking women behind Whitesville’s Turn This Town Around effort. Photo by Turn This Town Around Whitesville.

Last Saturday I was out having lunch with some friends and was skimming through the new issue of WV Living magazine when I came across the 2016 list of “West Virginia’s Wonder Women.”

I was excited to see that our very own Stephanie Tyree was part of that list.

But I was even more excited when I saw a picture of five amazing women representing all the wonderful women from Whitesville. I have had the pleasure of working with these women over the last two years and can say they have been instrumental in turning their town around. And they haven’t stopped!

Striving everyday to make their community a better place to live.

Marsha Shonk was able to raise money to have all the fire hydrants in town painted by volunteers. I knew it was going to be great, but was shocked – in a good way – when I saw the photos of the completed hydrants. There are some very creative folks living in Whitesville!

Sheila Combs continues to do amazing things in the community. She recently received a Try This mini grant to start a fishing and biking club for the youth in Whitesville. I have been keeping up with the group on social media and can’t wait to see everything they accomplish in the coming months.

And of course I can’t forget Betty Ann Williams and the wonderful crew of folks helping to plan the second Whitesville Fall Festival. I wonder how many folks will show up this year!

I want to say a huge thank you to all of the wonderful women in Whitesville who are striving everyday to make their community a better place to live. I feel lucky to have met and worked beside many of you.

See you all in October at the Fall Festival!

Hi, Amanda.

Herald-Dispatch: Could The Humble Potato Help Fuel West Virginia’s Post-Coal Economy?

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potato

Photo by Martin Fisch/FlickrCC

By Bishop Nash/Herald-Dispatch

Under the backdrop of diversifying West Virginia’s economy beyond energy, Walt Helmick and Kent Leonhardt agree on the role agriculture could play in creating new markets, careers and revenue for the state.

Aside from the potential of agriculture, Helmick, the Democratic incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture from Marlinton, and Leonhardt, a Republican state senator representing Monongalia County and Helmick’s now two-time challenger in the commissioner’s race, agree on little else.

The Department of Agriculture has taken the plan’s next step, processing the potatoes for sale…

Chief among contention between the two candidates: the Potato Demonstration Project, an initiative in place by Helmick’s administration aimed at developing the potato into one of the state’s major cash crops.

Helmick, a former state senator, noted the potato was once West Virginia’s top producing crop, citing USDA figures that showed 53,000 acres dedicated to potatoes statewide in 1927, the crop’s best year. The Department of Agriculture has taken the plan’s next step, processing the potatoes for sale, when it opened its first crop “aggregation point” at the former National Guard armory in Huntington’s West End.

The first of a planned seven or eight processing facilities scattered across the state, the Huntington plant serves between 35 to 40 potato growers in Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam and Jackson counties…

Read the full story at herald-dispatch.com

Gazette-Mail: In Charleston, Wrestling With How to Rein In Delinquent Property Owners

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Photo by Christian Tyler Randolph/Gazette-Mail

Photo by Christian Tyler Randolph/Gazette-Mail

By Elaina Sauber/Gazette-Mail

Three years ago, Janie Hamilton moved back to her childhood home on Woodland Drive, only to discover the prominent, Colonial-style house next door that once anchored the hilly neighborhood had become a living nightmare.

In the 1960s, she remembers, its previous owners lovingly tended to the home and grew flowers and vegetable gardens in the backyard.

The charming home from Hamilton’s youth has now been vacant for more than a decade. What remains now is a kudzu-covered ghost of Hamilton’s memories. She refers to it as “the jungle…”

The lien purchaser, an Atlanta-based limited liability company. It remains to be seen whether the new owners will make improvements to the property.

…As the home’s physical state worsened, its owner Kenneth Nicholas, a relative of the previous owners, stopped paying property taxes.

Eventually, the property’s liens were auctioned off at a Kanawha County tax sale in 2014 for $2,000.

The lien purchaser, an Atlanta-based limited liability company, took title to the property in April after Nicholas failed to redeem it. It remains to be seen whether the new owners will make improvements to the property.

“I’m here alone, 60 years old, and I’m here fighting a jungle,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton’s story is just one example of West Virginia’s tax lien system and its trickle-down effect across the capital city’s neighborhoods.

Proponents of tax lien sales, which are used in at least 30 states, argue that the process is a tool for cash-strapped local governments to quickly collect on debt. The county receives the amount it’s owed for property taxes immediately after the liens are sold — and it also gets to pass off the burden of collection to a private third party.

Charleston’s Building Commission is scrambling to consistently update its vacant building registry.

Critics argue that the practice perpetuates the cycle of delinquency that frequently accompanies long-vacant, low-value properties because there’s no way to ensure investors will make them safe and habitable.

As Charleston’s Building Commission scrambles to consistently update its vacant building registry — a list of roughly 400 empty, blighted properties in the city — it’s losing the battle of addressing those that have been cycled through the tax lien system.

A Gazette-Mail investigation found that nearly 170 of those vacant properties — more than 40 percent — have gone through the tax lien system at least once in the past decade. Many of these properties are clustered on the West Side flats around Mary C. Snow Elementary, and also in various neighborhoods on the West Side hill…

Read the full story at wvgazettemail.com

Follow the author on Twitter @elainasauber