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St. MARYS -- Pleasants County wants you.
The Pleasants County Development Authority on Monday announced the residency pilot program to attract and retain residents by offering up to $1,000 for a family to buy or build a home in Pleasants County and up to another $500 for children enrolled in the school system or in a licensed day care.
The goal of the program is to encourage employment and retention of Pleasants County residents and encourage families who are employed by companies located in Pleasants County, but are living elsewhere, to purchase or build a primary residence in Pleasants County, said Jody Murphy, special projects coordinator with the development authority.
The program has been periodically revived as an added incentive for industry and employees, Carl Guthrie, director of the Pleasants County Development Authority, said. This year the county has a number of industries seeking employees.
"As we discussed this, it didn't make sense to do a program for one plant and another agreement for someone else," Guthrie said. "We structured this to best fit all of our companies and industries, and new residents."
The pilot program begins July 1 and is designed to entice new, full-time employees to buy or build a home in Pleasants County. It can also be used to retain residents and new graduates to their native Pleasants County.
To qualify for the program, a person must either be employed full-time by a Pleasants County-based business for either one year or complete a company-mandated probationary period or have operated a business in the county for at least one year.
"We have several plants looking to hire workers now. And we have a few others planning large-scale expansions over the next two years. We have a need for workers and we want those workers to live here,' Murphy said.
Axens North America, Solvay, Summit Environmental, Sistersville Tank Works, Ply Gem Industries and the state Division of Corrections are seeking employees, Murphy said.
"The state is in desperate need of corrections officers, and to attract more, has bumped the pay scale," he said. "Our hope is those officers hired to work in St. Marys will look to live in Pleasants County as well."
In addition to the new residency program, the Development Authority is also offering funds for new residents who enroll their children into the Pleasants County school system or a licensed day care in Pleasants County. Murphy said the county is also hoping to catch disenfranchised school-age families from Ritchie County. Voters in neighboring Ritchie County recently rejected a proposed school bond for the second time in less than a year.
"Good, bad or indifferent, days following the failed vote, I'm reading on Facebook, where families are talking about moving to Doddridge County and Williamstown. And I'm like 'Why not Pleasants County," Murphy said.
Pleasants County has a new 21st century high school with modern athletic and academic facilities, he said. Pleasants County Middle School has a pool, where students can take swim lessons, a skill that compliments the county's aquatic center, Murphy said.
"You read a lot about the state's declining population. Its declining workforce, and the brain drain West Virginia is facing," Murphy said. "The Pleasants County Development Authority is trying to be proactive and attract and retain residents."
County officials leased billboard space on W.Va. 2 and created a "Why Not Pleasants County" Facebook and webpage to draw attention to Pleasants County.
"We are serious about growing the county. And about bringing families here to work and live. This is a great place with a lot going on," Guthrie said.
Eligible residents and employees can apply for the program through the development authority. Applications are available from several of the plants' human resource departments or at the Pleasants County Development Authority office in St. Marys.