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National training on mixed-use real estate development coming to Charleston

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Downtown Buckhannon. Photograph by Kristian Thacker.
BY EMMA PEPPER, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS, THE HUB

The Downtown Appalachia Redevelopment Initiative, a partnership between Natural Capital Investment Fund and the WV Brownfields Assistance Center at WVU, will offer a nationally recognized training on Main Street – Mixed-Use Real Estate Finance from the National Development Council on March 31 – April 2 in Charleston, WV.

A course overview webinar will be held on February 6 – click here to register for the webinar. 

United Bank is the lead sponsor for this training.

Space is limited for this training and interested parties are being asked to submit applications to take part. Applicants must be active in central Appalachia and priority placement will be offered to people working on West Virginia-based projects. The training is valued at $1375, but is being offered free of charge thanks to sponsorship from United Bank and the Downtown Appalachia Redevelopment Initiative.

Download the application as a PDF file »

Download the application as a Microsoft Word file »

Applications are due on Friday, February 21. Email a copy of your completed application to Ray Moeller at raymond.moeller@mail.wvu.edu. Approved applicants will be notified by Friday, February 28.

West Virginia towns are at their best when their historic downtowns showcase their vibrant communities. Understanding how to finance mixed-used real estate development is a critical tool to help energize Main Streets with shopping, dining, culture, and entertainment.

Buildings put to use for opportunities like housing, small businesses and retail, local services like accountants and lawyers, arts and culture, and others are at the core of this kind of activity. Mixed-use real estate development allows for one space to have multiple uses.

The training looks at debt, equity and public/private financing tools available for this type of real estate development with a focus on the topics:

  • Mixed-Use Development Challenges,
  • Mixed Financing,
  • Taxes & Real Estate Development, and
  • Financing Tools.

Lunch will be provided. Travel scholarships may be made available on a limited basis.

Please direct all questions to Downtown Appalachia Program Lead Ray Moeller at raymond.moeller@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-0390.

Spots going fast for Small Communities, BIG Solutions conference

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Conference attendees via The Alliance for the Economic Development of Southern West Virginia Facebook page
BY EMMA PEPPER, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS, THE HUB

Spots are going fast for the Small Communities, BIG Solutions conference. The event looks at economic and community innovation in Southern West Virginia and is hosted by the Alliance for Economic Development of Southern West Virginia, West Virginia Community Development Hub and Coalfield Development.

Small Communities, BIG Solutions will be held at BridgeValley’s Advanced Technology Center, located at the West Virginia Regional Technology Park in South Charleston, on Monday, November 18, 2019.

Find more information and register for the event »

The second annual conference will be an opportunity to share best practices, discuss southern West Virginia successes, explore opportunities that exist in the region and develop new connections and partnerships. A wide array of topics will be discussed by state, federal, community, educational and industry leaders. Some discussion topics include: southern West Virginia’s successes and opportunities; Addiction, Recovery and Reentry; Workforce Development; Education; and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Find more information and register for the event »

Preservation Alliance of WV: Morgantown school building finds second life

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Volunteers at work in Morgantown (Photo from Preservation Alliance of WV story)
BY SUMMER PHILLIPS, WVU BAD BUILDINGS PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS FOR PRESERVATION ALLIANCE OF WEST VIRGINIA

Built in 1910, the Woodburn Elementary School served the children of the Woodburn Neighborhood of Morgantown, WV for decades as a place of education and as source for childhood memories. When the school closed in 2010, the children left but the school building remained, a lonely monument to times gone by in the neighborhood. However, in 2013, the building was acquired by the city and in 2014 the Woodburn School Redevelopment Commission was created in order to bring life back to the building and make it a place for childhood memories once again. 

Thanks to the efforts of the commission, the former Woodburn School building has been transformed into a non-profit hub. It’s home to several programs and organizations that are dedicated to improving the community and serving the children such as Friends of Deckers Creek, Boys and Girls Club, and PopShop…

Read the full story on the Preservation Alliance of WV’s site »

The Journal: 2 Eastern Panhandle communities look toward their downtowns

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Photo from Main Street Martinsburg Facebook page
BY JOSEPH LAFAVE FOR THE MARTINSBURG JOURNAL

Tucked into the Eastern Panhandle about 10 miles from the banks of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, sits the historic town of Charles Town, a quaint community of fewer than 6,000 residents.

However, the town is currently building a reputation as one of the premier destinations in the state of West Virginia, thanks in no small part to the work of the town’s residents to revitalize the downtown area and transform it into a destination.

Bars and restaurants, an art space, a coffee shop and other local businesses line the eight or so blocks that constitute the city’s downtown —  each of these establishments is unique and is part of the larger institution that is downtown Charles Town…

Read the full story on The Martinsburg Journal’s site »

Bluefield Daily Telegraph: National dignitaries in Welch for Reconnecting McDowell groundbreaking

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Photo from the Reconnecting McDowell Facebook page
BY CHARLES BOOTHE FOR THE BLUEFIELD DAILY TELEGRAPH

Local, state and national dignitaries were in Welch Monday morning to celebrate the official groundbreaking of Renaissance Village, a housing project for teachers.

A $7 million project by the revitalization group Reconnecting McDowell, the four-story facility, which is located beside the movie theater in downtown Welch, will include 16 apartments designed specifically to house teachers, offering rental property at an affordable price.

It will also include retail commercial space…

Read the full story on the Bluefield Daily Telegraph site »

Congratulations to the Rural Economic Development Innovation assistance winners

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BY EMMA PEPPER, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS, THE HUB

Congratulations to the City of West Huntington, Mingo County Redevelopment Authority, and Economic Development Greater East (EDGE) for being selected to be a part of the Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) initiative provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture!

Through the REDI initiative, these groups and associated communities will receive free technical assistance for up to two years to help create and implement actionable economic development plans.

Actionable actionable economic development plans include:

  • Evidence-based assessments;
  • Quantifiable goals;
  • Plans to improve the local and regional economy; and
  • Metrics to track implementation and progress.

The USDA’s Innovation Center created REDI to support recommendations identified in the Report to the President from the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity.

WVPB: Reviving Appalachian towns with local assets

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Image via Greensboro Art Cooperative Facebook page
BY CAITLIN TAN FOR WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Walking down the streets of Greensboro, Pennsylvania, it feels a bit like a ghost town. There are houses, business signs, a post office, but only two cars drive by in 10 minutes and no one is walking the streets.

The small town in southern Pennsylvania is just across the West Virginia border. It sits on the banks of the Monongahela River, surrounded by small hills and patches of trees. In years past, the town has weathered the boom and bust of a pottery industry, river trade and coal. Lately, it has been more bust than boom.

But now, some artists are trying to stimulate the local economy using what they know best: creativity…

Read/listen to the full story on the WVPB site »

Tamarack Foundation looking for Emerging Artist Fellows

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At the Emerging Artist Fellows exhibition at Taylor Books (via Tamarack Foundation for the Arts Facebook page)
BY EMMA PEPPER, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS, THE HUB

The Tamarack Foundation for the Arts is looking for the next round of Emerging Artist Fellows to participate in this program to boost creative careers, develop leadership skills, and build a network with established artists from across the state.

Nominations are due June 14, 2019.

From the organizers:

“Emerging Artist Fellows are thriving early-career artists. They demonstrate not only a superior level of mastery in their craft, but also the aptitude to become successful professionals leading well-managed creative enterprises. Two fellows will be selected by an independent committee comprised of master-level artists and arts leaders from across the state of West Virginia.

You can self-nominate or have your college professor, mentor, colleague, or other individual nominate you based on your work in the arts. Fellows will be evaluated based upon the level of mastery they have achieved in their creative practice as well as their aptitude and/or desire to achieve professional success.”

To nominate an artist for this fellowship and to find more information, visit the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts site »


Daily Yonder: Thomas, WV – the town the arts (re)built

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Poster for Amanda Blake exhibition, to open soon at Lamplight Gallery in Thomas (via Lamplight Gallery’s Facebook page)
BY BRYCE OATES FOR THE DAILY YONDER

The city of Thomas, West Virginia, like a lot of municipalities in the Mountain State, owes its initial development to coal.

Today, however, the downtown of the small town in eastern West Virginia has redeveloped in response to another economic sector – arts and culture.

“All over West Virginia the arts and culture economy, coupled with outdoor recreation and tourism, are just growing,” said Emily Wilson-Hauger, program director of Woodlands Development Group.

The trend is national, according to a National Governor’s Association “action guide” that describes how rural communities can build on culture and art to renew distressed economies…

Read the full article on the Daily Yonder site »

Check out the West Virginia Forest Products Cooperative’s new space at this event

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BY ERIN BECKER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, WV FOREST PRODUCTS COOPERATIVE

The West Virginia Forest Products Cooperative (WVFPC) will host an Open House to show of its brand new state-of-the-art manufacturing space and talk about its role in revitalizing Appalachia’s economy through developing the value-added forest products industry.

Event Details:

Dates: Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27
Times: 9am to 4pm
Location: 325 Hardwood Ln, Princeton, WV 24740

The event is open to the public and is especially geared toward those with interest in woodworking and wood manufacturing. Anyone who is interested can stop by at any time during the 2-day event to tour the space, meet the staff, see equipment demos, and enjoy refreshments.

The WVFPC is a nonprofit whose mission is to support artisanal forest products businesses by providing access to state-of-the art manufacturing equipment, ongoing technical training, business coaching, and product marketing through its website.

Environmental sustainability is also a large focus at the WVFPC, which takes care to use only wood sourced from sustainably managed Appalachian hardwood forests and to always look for ways to lower its environmental impact.

“Our goal is to establish West Virginia as a national center of expertise for sustainable hardwood forest management and innovative wood products manufacturing,” says CEO and Founder Joseph Howard.

The space is equipped with several CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) machines, 3-D printer, Laser Cutter/Engraver, 6-head moulder, plus a variety of legacy woodworking tools. “Since we got started in October 2018, our small team has been working hard to order our machinery and get it up and running, and now we’re ready to show everyone what we can do,” says Chief Marketing Officer Erin Becker.

For more information about the WVFPC, visit them on the web at wvfpc.com and on Facebook @wvfpc. Also feel free to email at info@wvfpc.com or call at 304-716-4846.