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The West Virginia Legislature's visit to the Wheeling area this past week for their interim meetings gave the Northern Panhandle a perfect time to show and tell legislators about all of the economic development and advancements that have been made in the region.
Understandably, many of those legislators meeting in Wheeling have not made it to the area in a while, having to split their energy between their hometowns and Charleston. The traveling interim meetings are a smart way for those folks to get a first-hand view of different regions of the Mountain State.
And economic leaders in the Northern Panhandle did not let the opportunity go to waste. Legislators were able to tour several important economic drivers, such as The Health Plan headquarters, The Highlands and the Highlands Sports Complex and WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. Many of the interim meetings were held at Oglebay Resort, one of the area's shining jewels. Legislators saw with their own eyes what Wheeling had to offer in terms of growing and supporting business in the region.
Officials like Weirton City Manager Michael Adams, Josh Jefferson, president and CEO of the Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED) in Wheeling and Marvin Six, executive director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle, took the opportunity to speak before committees, telling them that economic development in the Panhandle was red-hot with projects like the upcoming WVU Medicine regional cancer center in Wheeling, Form Energy's arrival in Hancock County and others -- and that development shows now sign of cooling down.
It also was good to see legislators throw their support behind the region to further that development, as State Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Trump, R-Morgan, did.
"I congratulate you for all you manage to do," Trump said. "I know in many ways it has been a long, hard road. I think you will find a willing partner in the Legislature to initiate things that will help you advance the ball in the Northern Panhandle."
That's great to hear. While it may sit at the top of the state and hours away from the Capitol, the Northern Panhandle is an important cog in the Mountain State's economic machine. It's important that the Legislature help keep that cog in tip-top working order, so the machine keeps chugging along.