BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Members of the City of Beckley’s Common Council on Tuesday voted to convey the Pinecrest Industrial Park property to the Raleigh County Commission for the purpose of economic development.
The development occurred during the October 22, 2024, meeting of Beckley City Council, with the decision to convey the property in question having passed by a margin of six-to-one, with Councilwoman At-Large Sherrie Hunter having been the lone vote cast in opposition to the conveyance.
The Industrial Park property has been the subject of much debate in recent weeks, with the conveyance initially having passed on first reading but failing to pass on second reading.
A public workshop regarding the ordinance in question was held last week and featured input from individuals such as City Attorney William File, New River Gorge Regional Development Authority Executive Director Jina Belcher, and attorney Jim Sheatsley, who partook in the drafting of the agreement between the City of Beckley and Raleigh County regarding the property.
During Tuesday’s session, upon the calling for a motion for approval of the ordinance, members of council were presented with documents by Councilwoman At-Large Hunter detailing a dozen proposed amendments to the ordinance as proposed.
“If we’re giving this to the county commission, and it’s several millions of dollars of property, we need to make sure that we’ve done our due diligence,” said Hunter with regard to the ordinance. Mayor Ryan Neal countered that members of council had discussed the issue at length, including as part of public hearings and workshop meetings, and that the appropriate accommodations had been made to ensure due diligence on the part of the city.
Recently appointed Ward 3 Councilman Kip Buchanan – who appears to be exhibiting an increased confidence and willingness to engage in proceedings with each passing meeting – remarked that the economic development for which the property stood to be conveyed could have a significant long-term impact for both Raleigh County and the City of Beckley. This could be particularly applicable, as Councilman Buchanan stated, with regard to retaining members of the workforce and general population.
“This is just an opportunity for us to keep our young workforce [and] our children – our greatest resource – here or give them the opportunity to stay here after college,” said the councilman.
Mayor Neal concurred with this assessment and – despite expressing admiration for the passion and courage exhibited by those who spoke out in opposition to the property transfer – noted that the failure to seize economic opportunity on behalf of the city would only further contribute to the growing issue of young residents choosing to leave the state in search of more worthwhile employment opportunities.
“Councilman Buchanan is absolutely right… How do you keep your young professionals here? How do you keep your top talent? They’re going to go where the opportunities are,” said Mayor Neal. “I certainly have respect for [Woodrow Wilson Cross Country] Coach Barbera; I have respect for the kids that came up and spoke and [for] how articulate they were; how much passion they had… They’re probably going to go out of college and be successful. But the sad reality is, they’ll probably be successful somewhere other than Beckley, West Virginia, and we’ve got to figure out a way to reverse the trend.”
The next meeting of Beckley City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
