Tech Park seeing big improvements, big plans! (Charleston, Huntington: buy, tenants)

[Chriscross309]

The WV Regional Technology Park in South Charleston is going through a big phase change. Several of the large labratory and office structures are being remodeled, new buildings are being built, and the promise of loads of good paying jobs are filling out. The tech park, which is operated by a non-profit group made by the state, expects that this park will attract lots of attention both in the US, and internationally.

Tech park marks first year with state* - Kanawha County - Charleston Daily Mail - West Virginia News and Sports -

Once again, More GREAT news for the state of WV, and the Charleston metro area.

[CTMountaineer]

I certainly hope that place is successful. It would be nice if the state would go to other areas in the state and buy up essentially abandoned facilities, dump taxpayer money into rehabilitating them, and push for tenants. Clarksburg and Fairmont has such successful ventures, but they basically had to do it on their own with essentially no help from state government.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

I certainly hope that place is successful. It would be nice if the state would go to other areas in the state and buy up essentially abandoned facilities, dump taxpayer money into rehabilitating them, and push for tenants. Clarksburg and Fairmont has such successful ventures, but they basically had to do it on their own with essentially no help from state government.

Abandoned facilities? Hardley, but they are state of the art now.

And come on, like the government played no role in the Tech park at Fairmont? That would have never happened without Big Joe leading the way.

[CTMountaineer]

Maybe I read wrong, but seems to me the place was largely vacant. And, I am not opposed to the development. My position is the state has just as much responsibility to do it in Morgantown, Wheeling, Huntington, Parkersburg, and Clarksburg as they do in Charleston. The State invested basically nothing in the developments in Fairmont and Clarksburg. What the Feds did has nothing to do with that fact. Perhaps Charleston has a gripe with them, but state government has basically ignored other parts of the state. It is high time to change that.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

Maybe I read wrong, but seems to me the place was largely vacant. And, I am not opposed to the development. My position is the state has just as much responsibility to do it in Morgantown, Wheeling, Huntington, Parkersburg, and Clarksburg as they do in Charleston. The State invested basically nothing in the developments in Fairmont and Clarksburg. What the Feds did has nothing to do with that fact. Perhaps Charleston has a gripe with them, but state government has basically ignored other parts of the state. It is high time to change that.

Of course there isn't large facilities in other parts of the state that can be revamped into tech parks, but that doesn't mean that the state has ignored the rest of the state. And why shouldn't Charleston get money to do something like this, just because its the state capital. We have needs down here too, and one big one is to make this facility operation and appealing to companies like IBM and Dow.

Just curious, what would you do with the money that is being used for this (besides roads)??? LOL

Remember that this is a job maker, and a major facility that can attract more business to not only Charleston, but the whole state.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Chriscross309

Of course there isn't large facilities in other parts of the state that can be revamped into tech parks, but that doesn't mean that the state has ignored the rest of the state. And why shouldn't Charleston get money to do something like this, just because its the state capital. We have needs down here too, and one big one is to make this facility operation and appealing to companies like IBM and Dow.

Just curious, what would you do with the money that is being used for this (besides roads)??? LOL

Remember that this is a job maker, and a major facility that can attract more business to not only Charleston, but the whole state.

I have trouble understanding why Charleston should get special treatment just because it is the state capital. Being the capital means it is already getting a massive infusion of funding from all over the state to perform the governmental function. Other areas, which are not as fortunate as to get that special funding, should get preferential treatment in my view. The Tech Park has absolutely nothing to do with Charleston's role as Capital.

I don't argue that state government should not be properly funded in Charleston. That state government needs to look to the interests of the whole state, not just the back yard. Charleston has been helping itself to far more than its fair share of the state's general revenue fund for more than long enough.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

I have trouble understanding why Charleston should get special treatment just because it is the state capital. Being the capital means it is already getting a massive infusion of funding from all over the state to perform the governmental function. Other areas, which are not as fortunate as to get that special funding, should get preferential treatment in my view. The Tech Park has absolutely nothing to do with Charleston's role as Capital.

I don't argue that state government should not be properly funded in Charleston. That state government needs to look to the interests of the whole state, not just the back yard. Charleston has been helping itself to far more than its fair share of the state's general revenue fund for more than long enough.

But what will help the "rest" of the state is what I'm asking. This project is just as good if not better than in other project that will create jobs, bring commerce, and help the whole state. I didn't say that it should get the money because it is the state capital, but that why do you and others have a problem that this project is in the capital city. Would you support this, if it were in Morgantown or Clarkesburg??? I'm sure you would, but because its here that it is just another example of how Charleston helps itself. Seeing how Charleston is also the state's largest city, it should get for funding for projects, and it should remodel its current assets into functioning facilities.

I will agree that the whole state could use some help, and alot to be exact. But just because the help isn't coming up north "where the grass is greener", doesn't mean that the state gov has got it out for you guys! It just means that the money is funding projects that can change a whole economy around. Right now Charleston is seeing a huge boom. Don't know if its from the tax payer's influence, but I can tell you that the business that will be created here in the next 10 years will pay every dime back ten-fold! Not sure what you had in mind to do with that money, but atleast it isn't being wasted, its being used to make WV as a whole a more business friendly place.

[CTMountaineer]

Like I said, I don't have any problem with the project, but they should have allocated similar funding to other areas of the state for economic development in the same manner. Charleston might have more "premanent" residents, but both Huntington and Morgantown have more residents counting the transient populations, so the argument that Charleston should get more funding doesn't hold up. It is not fair for Charleston to get this development funding and other cities in the state to not get it in comparable form. The Tech Park serves the parochial economic interests of your area, not the function of state government.

As to the notion that it will pay for itself over time, that is entirely possible. It would also pay for itself over time if it were invested in Huntington, Morgantown, Wheeling, or Martinsburg too.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by CTMountaineer

As to the notion that it will pay for itself over time, that is entirely possible. It would also pay for itself over time if it were invested in Huntington, Morgantown, Wheeling, or Martinsburg too.

Not in the same manner. Here what is not being used to its potiential is being utilized, and anywhere else it wouldn't go as far. For example, if this money went to promote development in Fairmont, where would the money go? To business owners or to create some kind of tax payer owned development? Sure it would be good for that community, but this Tech park could establish state-wide commerce. What I mean is, with the inclusion of the new training center, this tech park with generate jobs and business all over the state because of the research that will be done here. This park used to do this a time ago when Union Carbide owned it and used it as a center piece in their state-wide industry. An energy company could use this facility and in return invest more money in other parts of the state as a result of that compaines work here. This is all in theory, but there is nothing like this facility in the state of WV. Any other form of state funded development wouldn't carry the same weight, and sure wouldn't have the same impact.

As for Charleston, remember that it has an urban metro of over 200k, and an entire metro of over 300k. Charleston is more than its city limits. And this park is in South Charleston for starters.

I'm not saying that you are wrong either, because you are not. I'm just saying that why shouldn't we use our money here. Of course if there was a little bit more $$$ to go around, then our whole state would be alot better off.

[CTMountaineer]

Originally Posted by Chriscross309

Not in the same manner. Here what is not being used to its potiential is being utilized, and anywhere else it wouldn't go as far. For example, if this money went to promote development in Fairmont, where would the money go? To business owners or to create some kind of tax payer owned development? Sure it would be good for that community, but this Tech park could establish state-wide commerce. What I mean is, with the inclusion of the new training center, this tech park with generate jobs and business all over the state because of the research that will be done here. This park used to do this a time ago when Union Carbide owned it and used it as a center piece in their state-wide industry. An energy company could use this facility and in return invest more money in other parts of the state as a result of that compaines work here. This is all in theory, but there is nothing like this facility in the state of WV. Any other form of state funded development wouldn't carry the same weight, and sure wouldn't have the same impact.

As for Charleston, remember that it has an urban metro of over 200k, and an entire metro of over 300k. Charleston is more than its city limits. And this park is in South Charleston for starters.

I'm not saying that you are wrong either, because you are not. I'm just saying that why shouldn't we use our money here. Of course if there was a little bit more $$$ to go around, then our whole state would be alot better off.

I don't follow you there. You're saying money invested in Charleston would create statewide commerce, but money invested in Fairmont would not? How in the world are you coming up with that? The very same benefits would accrue to the state with the same investment in either locale. In fact, a case could be make that it would be better and more efficiently spent in Fairmont since that city is far closer to major metro areas than is Charleston, which is basically isolated.

You're quoting Metro Area figures, and those are misleading at best. You mentioned Fairmont, so lets go from there. Pond Gap (in Kanawha County) is in the Charleston Metro Area. They don't even have a paved road to the place, so how does that impact commerce even in Charleston? Glasgow/Cedar Grove is counted in that area and it is 25 miles away. Fairmont is located just 25 miles from the Pittsburgh Metro Area which has more than 2 million residents. When it comes to matters like this, metro area means squat. And, by the way, the last figures I saw for the Charleston area were less than 200,000. The Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg area has mas many residents and that doesn't even count nearby Uniontown or any of the Pittsburgh periphery.

I don't mind giving Charleston its due as the biggest small town in West Virginia with 50,000 permanent residents, but it does get a little tiresome hearing its residents talk like it is some kind of metropolus or something. It is basically the same as Morgantown, Huntington, Wheeling, Martinsburg, or Parkersburg.
It serves a different role, so it looks a little different, but it really is not any more of a city.