Business

Wood County Commission, Piersol discuss grant, developments

PARKERSBURG ­-- The Wood County Commission approved a resolution to apply for an economic development grant and talked about development in the area.

Lindsey Piersol, Executive Director of Wood County Development, appeared before the commission Monday to get their approval to apply for the Local Economic Development Grant from the state of West Virginia.

"Every (economic development authority) in the state is eligible to apply," Piersol said. "It comes with a match and the county is our matching agency."

The grant was increased to just over $31,000. The county has received the same grant amount over the last three years. Last year, the county received $22,727 before the county's portion.

The commission unanimously approved the resolution.

Officials were interested in what was happening locally in regards to development.

"There is a lot of stuff going on," Piersol said.

A housing study the commission had contributed to recently was attributed to apply for the Build West Virginia designation which the county received, making it one of seven statewide to receive that designation.

Residential developers can apply to have their project accepted into that.

"We do have several Wood County builders in the process of applying through the state development office," Piersol said, adding they have contacted all the builders they could contact to apply.

As far as other development, Piersol said she is very limited about what she can say due to non-disclosure agreements.

Commission President Blair Couch said an announcement for something in the Washington area should be coming soon. He did not elaborate on what that would be.

"We are waiting on the proper people who want to announce it," he said.

Piersol said other announcements should be coming in the near future as some are working through the permitting process and other factors that have to be worked through.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo asked what the time frame was between something being announced to construction work starting to the business actually opening.

"Sometimes the announcement and the start of something is so far apart," Colombo said.

Piersol used the FedEx Distribution Center in south Parkersburg as an example. It was first brought to the development authority in August 2020 and the building opened in 2022.

"These things take a lot of time to get from start to finish," Piersol said.

The Washington area project has been in the works for over a year and a half, officials said, adding projects like Hino also took awhile to come to fruition.

Many businesses are also expanding, like Mister Bee Potato Chips and the Fontaine Modification Company. A master plan is being worked up about what can be utilized at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport to expand business.

"People say nothing is happening, but there is," Columbo said of the FedEx facility and Old Dominion Trucking in south side and more. "There are a number of jobs. People think we have lost everything we have not lost."

Piersol said she would love to be able to talk about everything going on.

"We are bound by non-disclosure agreements," she said. "There is very little I can say about a lot of projects. They also take a very long time. There are things that have been in the works for a year and a half to two years that should be coming to the point they are going to be making an announcement, but we are not there yet.

"There is good stuff to be announced, probably in 2024."

In other business, the commission opened two bids for 12 computers that will be used in the new Wood County 911 Center.

MRA International of Long Branch, N.J., put in a bid for $23,917 and Platinum Micro Inc. of Sylmar, Calif., for $46,748.

The commission took the bids under advisement and will allow their information technology people to review them and come up with a recommendation. They will also look at state contracts to see what is available.

The computers will be used for dispatching at the center.

The county has not gotten full possession of the new building yet. The commission wants to tour the facility next week.

The commission also swore in Mike Shook as the new 911 Director and John Woods as an assistant prosecutor.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com