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On July 2, 2021, residents gathered on a sunny evening outside the Smithers Gateway Center for the monthly First Fridays Farmers Market. This market regularly draws vendors and shoppers from throughout Kanawha and Fayette counties, and even more-so on that day. It was the start of the July Fourth weekend and the unveiling of the community’s new Urban Walking Trail. Mayor Anne Cavalier of Smithers and Mayor Greg Ingram of Montgomery chatted with community members before presenting the new trail to the residents. A small crowd formed around the newly installed sign for the walking trail, wrapped up and covered with a large red bow.
The walking trail is the latest in a series of community-driven, collaborative projects that are making Montgomery and Smithers vibrant places to live, work, and play.
Located in the Upper Kanawha Valley region of West Virginia, the “sister cities” of Montgomery and Smithers, have a combined population of 2,696. These communities, separated only by the Kanawha River, are just 25 miles from the New River Gorge Bridge and home of the country’s newest National Park. Many travelers take Rt. 60 directly from Charleston to Fayetteville, passing right through this community along the way.
“We know that the future of this area has a lot to do with tourism, and we know where we sit geographically. We’re in a sweet spot,” said Mayor Cavalier. Community leaders and volunteers are looking to provide tourists with more reasons to stop and enjoy the assets that both Montgomery and Smithers have to offer. The monthly farmers market, a new event established by a community volunteer team, is just one of these assets. With the addition of the market, walking trail, murals, signage, and more small and large-scale improvement projects, all efforts led by the community, these two towns are working to make their area more visitor-friendly.
West Virginia communities of all sizes are engaging in innovative work. Many of these communities exemplify our Rural Community Building Best Practices, guideposts identified through evidence-based research processes. By looking to these communities as models, we can work together to replicate small wins and major successes.
Many of the community’s projects are driven by volunteers as well as a leadership group known as the Upper Kanawha Valley Strategic Initiative Council, a collaborative council that enables the two towns to partner formally on projects that benefit both areas. The Strategic Initiative Council is an ideal model that opens up new opportunities for communities that are geographically close to one another.
While Montgomery and Smithers are two municipalities, they are able to function as one community through their cooperative agreement. The Strategic Initiative Council is focused on making positive change by sharing ideas, collaborating on cross-community programs, and even sharing funds and resources to advance goals that are mutually beneficial to both towns.
Through this collaborative council, the two towns are able to bring diverse voices to the table when making decisions that impact the entire community. In addition to the mayors of each town, the council includes a councilperson and business owner from both Montgomery and Smithers as well as shared legal counsel. Community members are welcomed to attend Strategic Initiative Council meetings.
As the residents collaboratively identified tourism as a cornerstone opportunity in building their economies, they recognized that focusing on support for small businesses would be a lynchpin in ensuring that they have a strong foundation for their towns to grow.
The businesses are our lifeblood. The more diverse businesses, the better.
Small businesses became a crucial part of the strategies created by the Strategic Initiative Council, and the voices of business owners from both communities as a part of the council were a critical piece of actualizing their ideas. “We knew, almost organically, that we not only needed elected leadership, we needed the business community involved. If we were going to grow the communities, if we were going to build the economic base of these communities, we had to hear from the business people,” said Mayor Cavalier.
Though their collaborations have already seen great success, the members of the Strategic Initiative Council have a common vision to grow and sustain their work, and the trust and relationships are established to help them be successful in their efforts.
The success of the Strategic Initiative Council hinges on the ability of the representatives from both communities to identify common challenges and generate solutions to address them. The two towns regularly share resources, like equipment and even employees, to save the towns, and ultimately, residents, money. They cooperate to go after shared funding opportunities to solve challenges that mutually benefit both communities.
Leaders in Montgomery and Smithers identified abandoned and dilapidated properties as being a significant challenge in both towns, and put forward the solution of a code enforcement officer to help address this concern. Hiring a code enforcement officer presented its own challenge for these two towns that need to make every dollar count in their municipal budgets. In combining their efforts through the council, Montgomery and Smithers were able to hire a joint code enforcement officer to help tackle the issues of abandoned and dilapidated buildings in the community.
Like many communities in West Virginia, Montgomery and Smithers are no strangers to navigating economic hardship. A few key events led to the loss of jobs in their community. The decline of the coal industry has had a significant impact on their area over time. In 2017, West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) moved their entire campus from Montgomery to Beckley, taking nearly 300 jobs with it. Then, in 2019, the local high school in Smithers closed and jobs ended along with it.
“It was a devastating blow,” said Mayor Ingram while speaking of losing WVU Tech in their community.
Failure is not getting knocked down; failure is when you don’t get back up.
Through the Strategic Initiative Council, there are pathways and relationships in place to bring forward the voices of many residents in both Montgomery and Smithers, and community engagement is a key tactic. The leadership on the Council has placed a strong emphasis on being transparent in acknowledging the community challenges and collaborative in identifying solutions, and the trust built through this unique partnership creates the climate needed for the two towns to weather shocks and downtowns in their economies together.
“We’re all in this together, and we’re either going to solve it together or we’re going to go down together,” said Mayor Cavalier.
Through community-wide participation in the WV Community Development Hub’s Cultivate West Virginia program, 20 resident-led teams are moving forward small scale projects to build momentum in Montgomery and Smithers. Public art, special events like the farmers market and yoga classes, streetscaping and signage, a community garden, and more projects help to engage volunteers and build the foundation for positive change that is led by residents. Community members have their own agency when proposing projects and are offered as many resources and tools as possible. Ultimately, these volunteers take initiative and grow in their leadership through the projects. New leaders are identified and welcomed into the work of the community.
Community leaders and volunteers in the area are hopeful, and businesses and organizations see the value in Montgomery and Smithers. BridgeValley Community and Technical College is now taking up many of the buildings left behind by WVU Tech, bringing jobs and economic growth to the community. Start-ups, like Ranger Scientific, are establishing roots in the community. And more recently, West Virginia State University Extension assigned an Extension Agent to Montgomery and Smithers to build community and economic development in the Upper Kanawha Valley region.
The residents of Montgomery and Smithers became experts at working together, and they found that they thrive when more people are welcomed into their efforts. “We’re not always going to agree, but we’re always going to support each other,” said Mayor Cavalier.
Our work is made possible thanks to incredible partnerships with other community development organizations across the state. From local economic development authorities (EDAs) to state level nonprofits working to uplift communities, all of our partners are crucial in making West Virginia the best it can possibly be by working together.One partner that made our work truly profound this year is Coalfield Development. For years, Coalfield Development has worked to rebuild Appalachian communities by inspiring the courage to grow, activating the creativity to innovate, and cultivating communities of opportunity in central Appalachia.We are proud to be part of Coalfield Development’s ACT Now Coalition, a broad network of organizations working hand-in-hand to uplift communities throughout Southern West Virginia. The ACT Now Coalition is infusing more than $63 million into programs to help communities using business development, building revitalization, and so much more.The Hub is leading the Community and Business Resilience Initiative as part of the larger ACT Now Coalition to bring other partners with us to build up community and business resilience in the Coalition’s footprint.“For decades, we’ve known the economy of southern West Virginia needs diversification. Some progress has been made on this goal, but not nearly enough,” Brandon Dennison, CEO of Coalfield Development, said about the ACT Now Coalition. “ACT Now constitutes a tangible opportunity to take a major leap forward in this generational challenge to become a vibrant, growing, diversified economy. In the wake of continued coal-job losses, nothing could be more important for our region.”Our partnership with Coalfield Development is giving us a chance to take our work to new communities and to build upon our years of experience. Working alongside Coalfield Development in this large undertaking to bring $63.8 million to communities in Southern West Virginia is validation that the work happening to uplift West Virginia communities continues to grow.
The Hub works alongside communities across West Virginia coaching community teams as they come together to make transformative changes in their towns. In 2022, one town stands out for its continued work and unwavering commitment to making its community a place where people want to live, work, play, and visit.Petersburg, located in Grant County at the northernmost point of the Mon Forest, is filled with community members who want to make their town a destination. Not only have businesses opened, and stayed open, the town has transformed the way they present to the world through rebranding and outdoor recreational development.As part of the HubCAP IV program, Petersburg utilized its technical assistance to push forward with projects to bring transformative change to its community. Part of the work Petersburg worked towards was creating plans to pave a hike and bike trail that runs along the Petersburg dike. The proposed trail will run approximately three miles along the Petersburg dike and will include multiple entrances for walkers and bikers. The group secured a $25,000 grant from Senator Hamilton, which was matched locally by the City of Petersburg, the County Commission, and the Board of Education, each adding an equal share to bring the total to $50,000.This year, Petersburg witnessed a major upgrade to one of the town’s most iconic and historic structures: The Hermitage Inn. The hotel, which dates back to 1841, has been renovated and once again welcomes guests to stay the night and have a nice dinner in the restaurant.The Hermitage Inn is the first project initiated and completed as part of the Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program. Seeing the old hotel returned to its majesty has been an incredible development for Petersburg adding another jewel to the downtown area.Seeing Hub communities come together to create transformative change thrills us. Community members are the subject matter experts on what their towns need. Our commitment to accompaniment and walking alongside communities as they do the hard work guides us in our work. Celebrating their victories with them gives us a moment to uplift those making the work happen.
Since 2018, The Hub has been working diligently to bring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our work. For years, the organization has been working internally to expand on one of our core values: “We believe diversity creates strength.”We believe that now is a time when we must work from the ground up to commit to long-term efforts to build power through leadership development, programmatic strategies, and partnerships that commit to building power and advancing racial equity.Looking back at our organizational history, we acknowledge that our work in rural communities with populations of less than 15,000 has not reached a diverse cross-section of people in West Virginia. Because of this, we began to ask, “Who isn’t here?” when examining our involvement in communities. The social unrest in 2020 led us to examine our role in white supremacy, ableism, classism, and gender discrimination, and the ways we have perpetuated unjust systems in our communities and across West Virginia.Since 2020, our equity journey has included a staff racial equity learning series, making internal commitments to increasing our hiring and retainment of diverse staff including creating full-time Racial Equity Fellowship and VISTA positions, committing to increased coaching for rural communities of color across the state, and tackling the inherent challenges of advancing equity across the community development field within a highly rural, majority white state where Black and brown leadership has been historically marginalized and under-invested.Our belief in the power of local people to see the value and the potential of their place, and of each other, is at the core of our belief in the potential we have to build power in West Virginia to advance racial equity, inclusion, and accessibility while disrupting systems that have historically excluded some communities.We are committed to engaging in conversations to uplift communities and leaders of color to move from talk to action on why race matters in West Virginia as we work to disrupt these systems. We will support investment in Black-led organizations and rural Black leadership. And we are committed to driving public and private investments into these spaces, both organizational and geographic.
A core team led by Unleash Tygart, Inc participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Core teams led by Thundercloud, Inc. and the City of Huntington participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support community development projects located in Opportunity Zones.
A core team led by Crawford Holdings, LLC participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
A core team led by Woodlands Development Group also participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Watch their community documentary.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
It has been a year of abundant opportunities and partnerships across the state, and a year that has pushed all of us to work harder, faster, and smarter – together.At The Hub, we say that “the work works when you put in the work.” This means that our approach to community-based development, and individual leadership development, really does transform local communities, especially when we all work together for the same goal, and stay committed to working together for the long haul.In 2023, we continued to be amazed at the local leadership, drive and innovation we saw in communities throughout the state that are building locally-driven development from the ground up. Our network of community leaders, partners and opportunities keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing in 2024!
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone for being part of the larger Hub community as we reflect on this year’s deep impact in West Virginia communities through our work. We are thrilled to have champions who believe in our mission that every community in West Virginia can achieve economic growth when they are supported with the tools and training they need to lead and spark positive change.
We believe strongly in the fact that putting in the work yourself to improve your neighborhood, your town, and our state is where true transformational change happens. With strategic partners and thought leaders like you in the work with us, we continue to be able to walk alongside community teams as they do the work to uplift their communities.Thank you to all of the community teams and leaders who are brave enough to keep showing up every day, and putting in thousands of hours of volunteer time to support your communities and the entire state. Your determination in the face of difficult work and far-off successes is something to applaud yourself for – and to celebrate.Whether you’re volunteering on the ground in your community, sharing our stories of hope with your friends and neighbors, or attending a virtual event with The Hub, your participation in our work is what keeps it going. Thank you for all your work and support this past year, and we are excited to continue in the work with you in 2024!In Continued Accompaniment,