PARKERSBURG — The federal omnibus spending bill passed at the end of 2022 contains millions of dollars in earmarks for projects in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Among those is an effort to redevelop industrial sites in Parkersburg, particularly in the areas of Depot and Jeanette streets, East Street and Camden Avenue, according to a list of earmarks provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

A release from her office said she secured spending for the projects, some of which were also advocated for by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and/or former Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va.

Lindsey Piersol, executive director of Wood County Economic Development, said she hopes to make it a public-private partnership where properties are acquired, cleaned up and reused or replaced.

“We’re on step one of many,” said Piersol, noting an additional $900,000 in federal funds have also been allocated to the effort. “Our goal is to clean up and revitalize and bring good-paying jobs back to Wood County.”

West Virginia University at Parkersburg will receive $596,000 to develop a program to retrain workers that will serve as a template for the other eight community and technical colleges in the state. The funding will include mobile training labs for the participating schools, said interim WVUP President Torie Jackson.

“We’re looking at creating the model for incumbent worker training,” she said.

Jackson said federal officials took note of a program WVUP established with Chemours to help their employees get two-year technical degrees.

“They wanted to see more of that continuing in the Mid-Ohio Valley and throughout the state,” she said. “We’re looking at creating the model for incumbent worker training.”

The largest single project award is $3.5 million for work at Ravenswood’s sewage treatment plant. Ravenswood Mayor Josh Miller said this funding will go toward the city’s efforts to support development of BHE Renewables’ planned titanium product-manufacturing facility at the former Century Aluminum plant in nearby Millwood.

“With the rapid amount of growth that’s going to happen, the capacity needs are going to be there and Ravenswood can meet those needs,” he said.

The earmarked funds will be used to upgrade lift stations and build a new, closed sewer system, allowing the existing lagoon to be decommissioned and replaced with potential new developments, Miller said.

Ravenswood will also receive $810,000 to build a pedestrian bridge to provide safer access to its Riverfront Park. The bridge would cross Sand Creek to connect the park with the Ravenswood Development Authority’s point property, Miller said. With a grant covering design costs, the federal money should pay for the rest of the estimated $1 million cost, he said.

The City of Spencer is in line for $1,652,000 to help reduce the infiltration of outside water into its sanitary sewer system.

It’s “a big problem in every sanitary sewer,” Spencer Mayor Terry Williams said, noting the city has been working to address the issue for years.

When excess water gets into the system during heavy rain events, it can cause overflows, letting untreated wastewater reach public streams.

“We just have to continue working on it,” Williams said.

The money will go toward a $3 million project to separate storm and sanitary sewer lines or install new stormwater infrastructure, primarily on the north side of Spencer, he said.

There’s also a $10 million earmark for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects in an 18-county area that includes Calhoun, Jackson, Roane and Wirt.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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Mid-Ohio Valley earmarks from the omnibus spending bill

* Ravenswood, Sewage Treatment Plant — $3,500,000

* Spencer, Municipal Wastewater System Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Project — $1,652,000

* Ravenswood, Washington Park Pedestrian Bridge — $810,000

* City of Ripley, Viking Lane Storm Drain Project, Phase II — $750,000

* WVU Parkersburg, Upskilling West Virginia’s Incumbent Workforce — $596,000

* Wood County Site Readiness and Redevelopment for Manufacturing and Industrial Projects — $500,000

* Mellin Ridge Water Line Extension Project, Harrisville — $400,000

* Minnie Hamilton Critical Access Hospital Renovation Project — $339,000

* Roane General Hospital, Walton Clinic — $300,000