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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Three years after the administration of justice appeared to be headed in a different direction, a southern West Virginia economic development project is back in the spotlight.
The State Highways Division recently announced the award of a multi-million dollar contract for work at construct an intersection and improve access to the former Hobet mine site in Boone County. A second contract is being awarded for another key part of the project to build a bridge over the railway and the Coal River to the Corridor G site near the intersection with Highway 3.
Boone County State Senator Ron Stollings says it’s nice to have the Rock Creek Development Project back to the foreground.
“We are very excited. It is not as timely as we had hoped. We have lost several years, but there are interested companies, ”he explained.
He couldn’t name any of the companies at this point. In recent years, the region had been viewed as a potential military training center.
The conversion of the reclaimed mine site on top of a 12,000-acre developing mountain was a project of the administration of former Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Initially, it appeared that the The administration of justice was also on board, but the the idea has dried up.
Stollings said it’s not clear exactly what pushed the project up the priority list with the award of the road contracts, but he said the whole region needed it.
“The site is huge and it would have a very positive impact on the economy of all of southern Virginia, including Charleston and Kanawha County,” he said.
Stollings said his main concern now is making sure the roads are built – the infrastructure is built with it. He suggested that the installation of sewers, water, electricity and any other service lines that need to be buried would be best installed during the construction phase of the road.
“Take the infrastructure with you up there as you build the road, so you don’t have to come back to do it later,” he said.
Stollings said the companies had expressed interest, but did not specify which companies or a timeline for their development. The road construction contract is expected to last approximately three years.
“Things in economic development are moving very slowly. It can be very frustrating at times, but we’re about to get excited again, ”added Stollings.
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