Local Groups Get Millions in Grants for Arts, Environment

MOUNDSVILLE - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice helped hand out millions of dollars in environmental and arts grants during a ceremony held Thursday at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville.

Justice received help from Randall Reid-Smith, curator of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, and two local West Virginia Commission on the Arts members - Michelle McCracken and Ohio County Commissioner Zach Abraham.

Before the awards were presented, Justice was treated to a musical performance by an ensemble of Marshall County students.

"Do you have any idea how big of an honor it is to be your governor and to be able to sit and just watch the greatness of our kids?" Justice said following the music. "I mean it's unbelievable. ... Your talents are just dumbfounding. It's amazing and it's a real honor and a real big honor for me to be here with you."

One local grant was a $2,012,000 abandoned mine land grant for the Wheeling Gateway Center through the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization Program. The program funds projects that will utilize nearly $30 million in federal grant funding for economic development at abandoned mine land sites across the state.

The Gateway Center will be located on a plot of land currently occupied by the former Wheeling Inn.

Frank O'Brien, director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the funding will help the project stay on its timeline of having the former hotel razed this year.

A new visitors center, plus possible retail space and more, will be housed in a brand new structure to be built on the land.

O'Brien said mining occurred underneath much of Wheeling including the downtown, making the project eligible for the funding.

"It's another resource for us that we tapped into. It's going to take a multitude of funding sources to make this project happen," he said. "We still have the $5 million earmarked from the federal government."

O'Brien said the project would apply for additional environmental grants next year.

Another AML grant is headed to Brooke County. West Virginia Farm Foods, LLC, will receive $4 million for its project, tol design, build, and operate a U.S. Department of Agriculture abattoir that will primarily process cattle from nearly 7,000 farms across three northern West Virginia regions.

Other AML grants will go to projects in Tucker, Kanawha, McDowell, Marion, Lewis, Logan and Mercer counties.

Local arts grants included $6,200 and $1,500 for West Liberty University; $1,000 for Moundsville Middle School; $65,195 and $175,000 for Oglebay Institute; $69,036 for the Wheeling Symphony Society; $18,471 for ArtsLink Inc.; $8,580 and $28,991 for the Strand Theatre Preservation Society; $2,000 for Grow Ohio Valley; $3,303 and $3,908 for House of Hagar-Share; $10,000 for the Ohio County Board of Education; $575 for plein air artist and teacher Eric Dye; $2,000 for Wheeling Park High School; $40,000 Save The Music grant for Cameron High School; $40,000 Save The Music grant for Moundsville Middle School; $40,000 Save The Music grant for Triadelphia Middle School; $40,000 Save The Music grant for Warwood School; $6,575 for Marshall County Board of Education; $25,000 for the Arthur I. Boreman statue project; $27,277 for Independence Hall Museum; and $59,058 for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra.

Also, Market Street Now LLC was presented a $50,000 state development grant.

The local abandoned mine land grant was among 10 handed out across the state, totalling $30,000 in federal dollars. The local arts grants were among 25 across the Northern Panhandle, totalling $738,969.