In a case of good timing, a larger funding bill that includes $3 million for a natural gas line extension near Exit 1 in Bluefield has crossed the congressional finish line.
The funding request was made last year by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and was included in a larger $241 million congressionally directed spending request in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations omnibus package.
While it took a while for the spending package to make its way through Congress, the funding approval now ensures that the natural gas line extension project will be available to serve both the new Omnis Building Technologies plant currently under construction at Exit 1 in Bluefield as well as the nearby Cumberland Industrial Park. The gas line also will accommodate other future developments along the John Nash Boulevard and Exit 1 corridor.
Omnis Building Technologies is developing a $40 million manufacturing plant near the heavily-traveled Interstate 77 corridor in Bluefield. The 150,000-square-foot facility will manufacture pre-designed, turn-key ready housing, and will employ about 300 people. The company relocated from California to West Virginia.
The gas line project was initiated by the Mercer County Economic Development Authority in cooperation with the city of Bluefield.
The natural gas line will connect to the cutoff point at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 and extend four miles along John Nash Boulevard to the Cumberland Industrial Park, according to Development Authority Director John O’Neal.
The spending bill that recently cleared Congress also includes federal funding for Bluefield State College and Concord University.
Concord University will receive $850,000 for a health workforce initiative and $1.6 million for a new school of nursing facilities and equipment. Bluefield State, which already has a thriving nursing program, will receive $300,000 for medical education facilities and equipment.
The federal funding infusion is good news for the region, and another win for the ongoing efforts to open up the John Nash Boulevard and Exit 1 corridor in Bluefield to new economic development and business growth.