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Arts & Culture
Communication & Transportation/Utilities
& Infrastructure
Education & Training
Human & Family Services/Public Health,
Fitness & Safety
Recreation, Entertainment & Tourism
Building, Land Use & Development/Planning,
Management & Governance
Economic Development
Natural Resources, Environment & Conservation/Farms
& Agriculture
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The
planning work was an incremental process. Initially,
each committee worked independently, with little exposure to the other
eight focus groups.
Next, the committees
reviewed the work of the other groups to coordinate and prioritize projects.
The elements of the Upper Kanawha Valley strategic plan were developed
jointly by the CPEC Committees as they discussed personal experiences and
compared their own problems to community initiatives that have worked
elsewhere. In
many instances, the committees targeted "cross-cutting" issues, goals,
objectives, and proposed actions accordingly. The resulting plan synthesizes the efforts of many community members who, facing the manifestations of economic downslide in their region, have decided to take responsibility for strategies that can realize their vision for the Upper Kanawha Valley.
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Community
Participation in Determining EC Area
Census tracts eligible
to be considered in the EC application were first identified by the Kanawha
County Planning Development staff and were grouped into alternative boundary
configurations. The staff then convened meetings with residents in each
proposed census tract to determine their interest and willingness to participate
in the intensive EC planning process.
Residents of
the Upper Kanawha Valley living in census tracts 121, 122, and 207 reported
they were aware their area is stuck "between counties". Tracts 121 and
122 are Kanawha County while the adjacent CT 207 is in Fayette County.
The counties share the City of Montgomery, a community long neglected by
regional development efforts due to its remote location. Community members
in these three census tracts said they desperately need a "jump start"
to improve basic living conditions and community infrastructure necessary
to approach a level of prosperity evident elsewhere in their counties
and state. The residents’ eagerness and determination settled the matter
of where to pursue the designation. back
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Location
of the Upper Kanawha Valley Enterprise Community
The Enterprise Community
is located in West Virginia, the second most rural state in the nation.
Rugged topography and expansive floodplains restrict the development potential
of the region. Portions of both Kanawha and Fayette counties are included
in the UKVEC.
Kanawha and Fayette
are two of the 55 counties in West Virginia. Their 1990 populations were
207,619 and 47, 952, respectively.
Fayette County
is east of Kanawha County, in the south central region of the state.
Kanawha County
is one of two urbanized counties which make up the Charleston, WV Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA). However, 89% of the total area of the county and
its neighboring Fayette County is undeveloped forest land.
The Upper Kanawha
Valley is the southeastern portion of Kanawha County, and includes the
western part of Fayette County.
Kanawha and Fayette
counties are located within 500 highway miles of these major US cities:
Atlanta 499
Baltimore 361
Charlotte 285
Chicago 470
Cincinnati 205
Columbus 170
Detroit 399
Indianapolis 317
Nashville 419
Philadelphia 482
Pittsburgh 237
Washington, DC 342
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Threshold
Requirements
The Upper Kanawha
Valley is an area of pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress.
Both the housing stock and resident population have suffered significant
losses during the past forty years. The extractive industries of coal mining
and timber operations have grown in output while diminishing in employment
levels as both become increasingly mechanized.
According to
the 1990 Census, more than 4,354 persons in the EC were living at or below
the poverty level in 1989. This represents 25.1% of the resident population.
Many surrounding census tracts, including the contiguous Central Appalachia
Enterprise Community, have poverty rates ranging between 20% and 25%, with
some as high as 56%. back
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Proposed
Major Benchmarks
The strategic plan
enumerates a comprehensive list of benchmarks-projects designed to address
all the needs of the community and take advantage of emerging opportunities, including
these major categories of benchmark projects:
Basic
Living Needs
Provide safe, potable
drinking water to existing and future rural development areas
Eliminate immediate
threats to public health (i.e, outbreaks of Enterovirus Encephalitis)
Protect water quality
by expansion of the sanitary sewerage collection and treatment systems
Improve local Insurance
Service Office (ISO) fire classifications to a 5 or less
Create new, decent,
safe, sanitary and affordable housing opportunities
Establish an emergency
shelter and transitional housing for those in crisis
Provide individual
and family support services for at-risk households
Expand basic prenatal,
primary health, dental and vision care. back
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Enhanced
Living Environment
Recruit providers
of essential community goods and services
Revitalize the historic
commercial district(s) of the Upper Kanawha Valley
Expand health education,
preventive care, primary health and mental health care
Establish community
policing programs to improve public safety
Target substance
abuse, juvenile crime, delinquency and vandalism for enforcement
Expand access to
and sustain family planning, reproductive health, childbirth training and parenting
classes, as well as prenatal and early childhood care programs
Establish adolescent
health services in community schools
Expand and sustain
community-based primary health care clinics
Establish a centralized
family resource center for coordinated delivery of social services
Establish outreach
services based from the family resource center
Expand child daycare
and youth development programs to increase opportunities for parents to
reenter the labor force
Expand adult daycare
and assisted-living programs to increase opportunities for elderly to remain
independent back to
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New
Economic Opportunities
Restructure the
regional economy to reduce and eventually eliminate continued dependence upon the
extractive industries of coal mining and timber operation
Identify, protect
and develop suitable sites for future industrial, commercial, residential
and recreational land uses
Redevelop existing
brownfield sites to host new investment and employment opportunities
Develop new greenfield
sites for light industrial, commercial, and residential land uses
Establish a port
authority to manage new investment in multi-modal development sites
Initiate
a shell building program and other "turn-key" employer recruitment projects
Create an eco-industrial,
automotive component or technology park
Revitalize existing
commercial districts to provide essential community goods and services
Build a small business
incubator to serve the needs of start-up businesses in the Upper Kanawha
Valley
Initiate job retention
and recruitment programs
Train and financially
support (RLF) small business entreprenuers
Train and promote
candidate businesses for entering the world of electronic commerce
Develop vacant sites
for construction of infill housing
Reduce air pollutants,
with particular emphasis on ozone precursors (VOC and NOX)
Preserve historic
resources, sites and structures throughout the region
Create new opportunities
for outdoor recreation, exercise, and alternative transportation (i.e.,
athletic fields, bikeways, trails)
Recruit all-season
recreational and entertainment activities (i.e., movie theater, health
club) back to top
of page
Families
and Neighborhoods
Establish a conveniently
located public facility for hosting abroad range of cultural events and
programs
Reestablish the
"Community Schools Program" to constructively expand the role of existing
educational facilities and programs in the daily lives of UKVEC residents
Adopt and enforce
minimum performance, quality and safety standards for new land development
and the built environment
Develop, adopt and
enforce a master land use plan for the UKVEC
Upgrade US Route
60 - the Midland Trail Scenic Highway - to improve access to the Enterprise
Community and develop new opportunities for tourism attractions
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Community
Empowerment
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Establish
community-based citizen action groups to engage in decisions affecting
their lives |
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Provide
technical assistance and staff support for the Enterprise Community governing
board |
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Establish
Community Development Corporations (CDC’s) within each neighborhood |
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Create
a venture capital fund for major new investments in the community |
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Establish
a local Community Learning and Information Network (CLIN) site and computer
learning center for public use |
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Create
a "Welfare to Work Advisory Council" to monitor progress and recommend
action |
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Provide
affordable transportation from home to work, school and shopping |
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Establish
a scholarship program for at-risk students and displaced workers |
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Establish
volunteer recruitment and training programs (i.e., SCORE, home repair)
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Communication
& Transportation
Sponsor a program
of events that offers "something for everyone" and promotes widespread
participation by Enterprise Community residents
Inform
Enterprise Community members directly about community affairs, issues, alternatives,
and pending actions
Publish an Enterprise
Community Newsletter and establish a corresponding web page back
to top of page
Planning,
Management & Governance
Conduct and maintain
an inventory and assessment of economic, natural, and human resources
Apply Total Quality
Management (TQM) principals to the implementation of Enterprise Community
projects and programs based upon a comprehensive development plan and performance
standards back to
top of page
Resource
Analysis
The Upper Kanawha Valley is fortunate to have several substantial institutions to assist in implementation of the strategic plan. The following is a short-list of the most active and capable of those community resources:
West Virginia University Institute of Technology - Montgomery, WV
The faculty and resources of this state university will provide technical assistance and other resources
Montgomery General Hospital - Montgomery, WV
Medical, mental health, and skilled care residential facilities for seniors are among the specialized services available through Montgomery General Hospital
Upper Kanawha Valley Economic Development Corporation - Montgomery, WV.
This community-based nonprofit corporation was instrumental in recruitment of a $60 million State correctional complex and will assist in implementation of several bench mark projects
Upper Kanawha Valley Chamber of Commerce - Montgomery, WV
A 501©(4) business corporation, the UKVCOC will be a partner in governance of the EC Business and Industrial Development Corporation (BIDCO) 8-county area. This public-private regional economic and jobs development organization has been very successful in recruiting new employers and retaining existing industries
City National Bank - Montgomery, WV
United National Bank - Montgomery, WV
Upper Kanawha Valley Rotary International - Montgomery, WV
This community service organization is one of several that will assist in the implementation process.
Lions Club of the Upper Kanawha Valley - Montgomery, WV
Volunteers from this organization are very active in the community.
Lower Paint Creek Watershed Association - Paint Creek, WV
Incorporated only a few years ago, this group has already cleaned up several environmental hazards
Lower Paint Creek Trail Association - Paint Creek, WV
Incorporated in 1997, this 501©(3) is dedicated to building recreational trails
Additional community
resources are available; many of which are based outside the Upper Kanawha
Valley. Nevertheless, they have pledged their support of efforts within
the UKVEC.
