GVEDC gets insurance estimate on ice damage

March 22--MAXWELTON -- It's been a tough winter for the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corp.

Snow and ice damage sustained at the Rahall Building in the Airport Industrial Park has already cost the GVEDC $11,559 in out-of-pocket expenses, with an insurance adjuster estimating the remaining tab will run just over $32,000, according to the development agency's executive director, Steve Weir.

That amount does not include the possible replacement of exterior walls, which the insurance adjuster said might require an inspection by a structural engineer, Weir reported to the GVEDC board of directors during a Thursday meeting.

Whatever the cost, Weir told the directors, "We really need to get this resolved."

Last month he advised the board that the damage was the result of structural defects in the roof and its drain-age system that caused melting ice and snow to leak into the GVEDC-owned building at multiple points.

The GVEDC's headquarters and a number of businesses, including Seneca Health Services, are located in the building, which is nearing 100 percent capacity.

Another result of an unusually harsh winter was a steep increase in the building's natural gas bill, Weir also reported Thursday. Gas consumption this winter was 66 percent higher than last year's, he said. That represents a monthly budget increase of around $1,000.

Predicting that next year's demand would decrease, Weir recommended the board just absorb this winter's increase for now rather than prematurely initiating renegotiations on tenants' leases to reflect the higher utility costs. The board concurred.

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Weir reported that both the Pocahontas County Board of Education and the West Virginia Division of Highways have expressed interest in possibly acquiring the GVEDC-owned Edray Building near Marlinton in Pocahontas County.

The proposal from the school board was presented to GVEDC's directors in writing, outlining plans for expansion of the county's vocational education program as well as the relocation of the school system's central office.

Weir said the state Department of Agriculture is trying to "breathe life" back into vocational agriculture programs in public schools, and that the Pocahontas County project might well serve as a model for the rest of the state.

Neither the school board nor the DOH has yet made any concrete financial proposal regarding the Edray property, Weir said.

"First person to the desk with a check gets it," he quipped.

In other Pocahontas County news, Weir said the state budget did not include funds that had been requested for the rehabilitation of downtown Marlinton following December's devastating fire that destroyed several commercial buildings.

He said all of the post-fire debris has now been cleared away, and the properties are available for construction. Any new structures erected on the lots -- all of which are located in the flood plain -- will have to be constructed at least 2 feet above flood stage, putting them 6 feet above sidewalk level.

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The GVEDC is a tri-county economic development authority established by the West Virginia Legislature to represent Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties. It is governed by an 18-member board of directors, with six coming from each of those three counties.

The agency provides a variety of services to new and existing businesses, including financing, general and technical assistance and site selection.

For more information about the GVEDC, visit www. gvedc.com or call 304-497-4300.

-- E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com

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