Published: June 30, 2009 05:10 pm      

Another empty building?

State, federal mandate unfair to city

The West Virginia Division of Public Transit should not be allowed to punish the city of Bluefield just because officials are trying to keep a local business in the city limits.

At the center of this debate is the question of whether the Bluefield Area Transit offices should remain in Bluefield, or be relocated to a new site outside the city limits along U.S. Route 52, near Brushfork. We think the answer to that question is simple. The BAT facilities should remain in Bluefield.

The city cannot afford to lose another business. And no one wants to see another empty building in Bluefield.

The West Virginia Division of Public Transit has been working for the past year with the Federal Transit Administration and the city of Bluefield to develop a new facility for the BAT operations. While a number of sites located within the city limits of Bluefield were proposed by members of the Bluefield Board of Directors and former City Manager Mark Henne, the state Division of Public Transit and the Federal Transit Administration ultimately selected the Route 52 site.

That decision prompted concern among city residents and officials. It didn’t take long for board members to become reluctant to commit to the new Route 52 site, and new City Manager Andy Merman is now fighting to keep the BAT facility in the city limits of Bluefield. However, state and federal officials must agree to Merriman’s proposal first without penalizing the city.

Merriman believes that with a little bit of investment and help from the federal and state government, the present BAT facility can be improved, and become a centerpiece for redevelopment at the old Norfolk and Western Railway freight station site.

According to Merriman, the city stands to lose about $35,000 a year by vacating the existing BAT facility and building a new transit facility outside the city limits. However, state officials have indicated the city may have to repay as much as $327,205 to the Federal Transit Administration to reimburse funding the federal agency has already invested in property acquisition, appraisal and design for the proposed Route 52 site.

We disagree with that decision. We don’t believe the state and federal government should be allowed to punish city officials for fighting to keep the BAT facility in Bluefield. The state of West Virginia should be strongly supportive of economic development efforts in the city. The same for the federal government.

We believe it is in the best interest of Bluefield to renovate and expand the existing BAT facilities. The state should be willing to support this effort.

Bluefield can’t afford to have another empty building. And it can’t afford to lose another business. Gov. Joe Manchin knows this. The state Division of Public Transit also should realize this. Moving the BAT facility outside of the city limits doesn’t make a lot of sense.

We call upon Manchin to help resolve this impasse between Bluefield and the state Division of Public Transit. If federal intervention is necessary, we also call upon U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., to help solve this debate.

The Bluefield Board of Directors should not be punished for trying to keep a business in Bluefield. Period.