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Grant a 'tremendous jump start' for tech park
By Charles Owens Bluefield Daily Telegraph 25 October 2007
BLUEFIELD, Va. — The Virginia Tobacco Commission awarded a $1.78 million grant Thursday for the phase one development of the Bluestone Regional Business and Technology Park project
“They did approve it,” Tazewell County Administrator Jim Spencer said. “It’s a tremendous jump start for what we are trying to do. We are just tremendously excited about going out to bid in February or March with the infrastructure.”
The $1.78 million grant was awarded for phase one water, sewer and infrastructure for the Bluestone project, Stephanie Wass, director of financing for the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, said.
“I am so proud that the state of Virginia has had the vision to use their tobacco settlement funds to diversify our economy thereby creating new jobs, and the fruit of their labor is evident through the countless projects in Southwest Virginia and Southside Virginia they have had a hand in funding,” Spencer said. “Truly, they care about job creation in those communities. They took the time from their schedule to come and visit us, and that means a lot to me. Sen. (Charles) Hawkins was in a vehicle with me when we drove out to the Bluestone Center. That mean a lot to me for the chairman of the tobacco commission to visit the Bluestone. Sen. (Phillip) Puckett has always been a tremendous asset to us, and Delegate (Terry) Kilgore and Sen. (William C. “Bill”) Wampler, and all of those folks — I just can’t say enough for them.”
Spencer said the $1.8 million grant is the largest funding award for the Bluestone project since its inception. Spencer said another $2 million grant application for the workforce training aspect of the Bluestone is still pending with the tobacco commission.
The 680-acre Bluestone Regional Business and Technology Center planned near Bluefield, Va. proposes to incorporate a workforce training center, offices, hotels and a conference center, retail stores, residential units and a nine-hole golf course — all within a single development.
Spencer said the infrastructure — including water, sewer and roads — must be developed at the Bluestone site first before construction can begin on the workforce training center.
“This project I think has been special to everybody in this area with the governors coming in and it’s good to see it moving forward,” David Anderson, the Eastern District member on the county’s Board of Supervisors, said. “It’s great news as another step to hopefully jump start the program, but also to prevent the exodus of youth leaving our area, and bringing some of them back for job creation.”
While the county is committed to the Bluestone project and the creation of new technology-based jobs, the search continues for a new industrial site in the Western or Northwestern districts of the county, Earl Griffith, the Northwestern District Board of Supervisors member, said.
“We are definitely looking in the western part of the county for an industrial park,” Griffith said. “I get after him (Spencer) quite often on that — Bill Wimmer and I do. We did the old Richlands Airport property site study, and there were just so many environmental issues — we weren’t able to do anything.”
Griffith said county officials need at least 100 acres of land for a second industrial site near Richlands.
“We are looking at the Bluestone as a technology corridor for Tazewell County, and this would be more on an manufacturing basis,” Griffith said of the second proposed industrial site.
“They did approve it,” Tazewell County Administrator Jim Spencer said. “It’s a tremendous jump start for what we are trying to do. We are just tremendously excited about going out to bid in February or March with the infrastructure.”
The $1.78 million grant was awarded for phase one water, sewer and infrastructure for the Bluestone project, Stephanie Wass, director of financing for the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, said.
“I am so proud that the state of Virginia has had the vision to use their tobacco settlement funds to diversify our economy thereby creating new jobs, and the fruit of their labor is evident through the countless projects in Southwest Virginia and Southside Virginia they have had a hand in funding,” Spencer said. “Truly, they care about job creation in those communities. They took the time from their schedule to come and visit us, and that means a lot to me. Sen. (Charles) Hawkins was in a vehicle with me when we drove out to the Bluestone Center. That mean a lot to me for the chairman of the tobacco commission to visit the Bluestone. Sen. (Phillip) Puckett has always been a tremendous asset to us, and Delegate (Terry) Kilgore and Sen. (William C. “Bill”) Wampler, and all of those folks — I just can’t say enough for them.”
Spencer said the $1.8 million grant is the largest funding award for the Bluestone project since its inception. Spencer said another $2 million grant application for the workforce training aspect of the Bluestone is still pending with the tobacco commission.
The 680-acre Bluestone Regional Business and Technology Center planned near Bluefield, Va. proposes to incorporate a workforce training center, offices, hotels and a conference center, retail stores, residential units and a nine-hole golf course — all within a single development.
Spencer said the infrastructure — including water, sewer and roads — must be developed at the Bluestone site first before construction can begin on the workforce training center.
“This project I think has been special to everybody in this area with the governors coming in and it’s good to see it moving forward,” David Anderson, the Eastern District member on the county’s Board of Supervisors, said. “It’s great news as another step to hopefully jump start the program, but also to prevent the exodus of youth leaving our area, and bringing some of them back for job creation.”
While the county is committed to the Bluestone project and the creation of new technology-based jobs, the search continues for a new industrial site in the Western or Northwestern districts of the county, Earl Griffith, the Northwestern District Board of Supervisors member, said.
“We are definitely looking in the western part of the county for an industrial park,” Griffith said. “I get after him (Spencer) quite often on that — Bill Wimmer and I do. We did the old Richlands Airport property site study, and there were just so many environmental issues — we weren’t able to do anything.”
Griffith said county officials need at least 100 acres of land for a second industrial site near Richlands.
“We are looking at the Bluestone as a technology corridor for Tazewell County, and this would be more on an manufacturing basis,” Griffith said of the second proposed industrial site.
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