Gov. Jim Justice speaks at a ceremonial bill signing even for House Bill 117, appropriating $45 million for Marshall University’s Institute for Cyber Security. (Photo courtesy of the WV Governor’s Office)

CHARLESTON — One day after the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill to fund a new cybersecurity center at Marshall University, demolition began at the site at Fourth Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard in Huntington, across the street from a small parking lot owned by one of Gov. Jim Justice’s companies.

While there was much discussion during the August special session about a bill to provide $45 million to Marshall University to create the Institute for Cyber Security, there was no mention of the Justice-owned property, located at 1559 4th Ave. within eyesight of Marshall’s historic Old Main Building.

The property in question is a small parking lot purchased by James C. Justice Companies, Inc. in 2005 for $300,000 according to records from the Cabell County Assessor’s Office. The total assessed value of the property, barely a quarter of one acre, is $72,000 and its total assessed value for tax purposes is $43,200.

The Cabell County Sheriff’s Tax Office shows no taxes have been paid for the property for this year as of Thursday, with $1,451 due by Oct. 31. Taxes past due for the previous tax year include $1,647.

The Legislature passed House Bill 117, supplementing and amending the appropriations to Higher Education Policy for Marshall University. The bill was one of 34 bills passed by the Legislature and one of 34 bills signed by Gov. Jim Justice after calling a special session Aug. 6. Justice placed 44 bills on the special session call.

One of Gov. Jim Justice’s companies owns a parking lot across the Marshall University’s main campus along Hal Greer Boulevard in Huntington, and across from where the new Institute for Cyber Security is being built along 4th Avenue. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

Ann Ali, the deputy chief of staff and communications director for the House of Delegates, confirmed Thursday that HB 117, the funding for Marshall’s Institute for Cyber Security, was included on the special session call by legislative leadership after Marshall approached lawmakers about the project, though Justice’s nearby property was not discussed.

“The nearby property ownership was not something the House Chief of Staff was made aware of in any discussions about the bill, which was brought to the Legislature by Marshall University for consideration and legislative leadership asked the executive branch if it could be included in the call for an extraordinary session,” Ali said. “…The governor sets the agenda for a special session call, but this administration generally does it in consultation with legislative leadership.”

The House of Delegates passed HB 117, appropriating the $45 million to Marshall, on Aug. 8 in a 65-29 vote. The Senate passed the bill that same day in a 28-3 vote. All of the opposing votes came from Republican lawmakers.

House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss, R-Wood, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, both confirmed Thursday that there were no discussions about Justice’s property in conjunction with discussions of HB 117.

“That was never discussed with us,” Criss said by phone Thursday.

An artist rendering of what Marshall University’s Fourth Avenue Innovation District would look like when complete shows an empty concrete area where the Justice-owned parking lot is currently located. (Image courtesy of Marshall University)

“I’m aware of absolutely no disclosure to anyone in the Legislature that Jim Justice owns property or would have personal gain related to the Cyber Security appropriation request,” Tarr said by email. “If that is the case, it is certainly something that should have been disclosed so that it could be discussed and addressed to eliminate any perception or possibility of impropriety in the Legislature’s consideration of the Governor’s appropriation request.”

Speaking Thursday afternoon when asked about the property during his weekly administration briefing, Justice called any accusation that he is personally benefiting from his property being near the Institute for Cyber Security “silly.”

“Let’s not be completely silly,” Justice said. “I had no idea even where they were going to build it. We’ve had a parking lot down there. If this is built close to the parking lot, then yay yay… Where that property is located versus what will be built down there, I don’t know how they touch or complement each other in any way.”

Marshall University released its Campus Development Master Plan in June, which includes creating a Fourth Avenue Innovation District, with the Institute for Cyber Security and the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation is located. The Brad D. Smith Center, named for former Intuit CEO and current Marshall University President Brad D. Smith, is already under construction on the 1400 block of Fourth Avenue.

The Fourth Avenue Innovation District would extend from Hal Greer Boulevard to 11th Street, and between Third Avenue and Fifth Avenue, converting the section of Fourth Avenue in between into a walkable street. An artist rendering of what the Fourth Avenue Innovation District would look like when completed shows the area where Justice’s parking lot is located as empty.

“The overall innovation district has several parcels that are privately owned,” said Leah Payne, a spokesperson for Marshall University. “Both Marshall and the third-party developer for the project have had preliminary discussions with several of those individuals, but at this point, no additional land purchase agreement has been executed.”

Justice’s property near the Institute for Cyber Security was the second instance revealed this week of personal connections Justice has to property adjoining recent announcements involving taxpayer dollars. According to his state and U.S. Senate financial disclosures, a limited partnership that includes Justice receives dividend income from property in Morgantown where a new interchange and bridge were announced.

Justice announced last week a new interchange will connect I-79 directly to the Morgantown Industrial Park, and a bridge will be built over the Monongahela River to connect the park to U.S. 119 and to I-68. The project is slated to cost $70 million.

Justice is part of Morgantown Industrial Park Associates, a limited partnership that was first created approximately 50 years ago by several southern West Virginia coal company owners, including Justice’s father, According to his Senate financial disclosure, the asset is worth between $50,001 and $100,000, and he earns incomes from dividends between $2,501 and $5,000 from the stock.

The Morgantown Industrial Park property was sold nearly 20 years ago to Enrout Properties, the current developers of the site. But Justice confirmed Thursday that the limited partnership still derives revenue from mineral rights interests on the property from natural gas.

“Now after it was all brought up and everything and we checked it out, I do think that our family still has some mineral rights on that property, but how in the world is that bridge going to affect the mineral rights of gas underneath that land? I had no earthly clue in a million years,” Justice said.

Justice, who is wrapping up his second term as governor and campaigning for the U.S. Senate, reiterated Thursday that he has no desire to financially benefit from his office. Justice still chooses to reside in his Lewisburg home instead of at the Governor’s Mansion in Charleston. He drives his own personal vehicle to Charleston. And he donates his gubernatorial salary to the Communities in Schools program.

“I can’t do any more in life than help people and serve as your Governor and not want a thing,” Justice said. “I don’t know how I can make it any more plain. We do have stuff across the state. We have a family that started out with nothing and built an empire along the way.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.