Montgomery's Third Avenue is seen in Wikimedia photo. The towns of Smithers and Montgomery recently released a joint revitalization plan.Photo byWikimedia Commons

MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — The Kanawha Valley communities of Smithers and Montgomery have released a joint revitalization report prepared by a rural development organization.

The plan, titled "Destination Hope: The Smithers-Montgomery Intergenerational Plan" was created with the assistance of the Hurricane-based Center for Rural Health Development (CRHD). The project was funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

"A robust community revitalization plan is essential for the growth and prosperity of our cities," Montgomery Mayor Greg Ingram said in a release announcing the proposal.

Leveraging assets, overcoming challenges

Old Main, part of the now-shuttered WVU Tech campus in Montgomery. A revitalization plan calls for the redevelopment of some Tech buildings.Photo byWikimedia Commons

In developing the report, CRHD representatives said they first sought to leverage existing assets and infrastructure.

"This plan focuses on redeveloping the former West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) campus in Montgomery and properties in Smithers into a wider community-led strategy," representatives noted in the release.

The Montgomery campus of WVU Tech, founded in 1895 as the Montgomery Preparatory School, was shuttered in 2017 after WVU decided to relocate the school to Beckley. With the University's campus now vacant, the communities of Smithers and Montgomery -- both bordering Kanawha and Fayette counties -- have taken an economic hit.

“Smithers and Montgomery have experienced many of the economic challenges faced by Appalachian communities," Smithers Mayor Anne Cavalier said.

Still, Cavalier said, both communities "are now determined to turn this experience around and create an intergenerational community that can also be a tourist destination."

Revitalization initiatives

A map from the Smithers-Montgomery revitalization plan shows where some of the proposed long-term initiatives.Photo byThe Center for Rural Health Development

The revitalization plan proposes several near-term and long-term initiatives meant to retain residents while developing the local workforce. Among the report's proposed ideas:

• Renovating part of the former WVU Tech campus into senior housing.
• Encouraging the use of existing and planned trails connecting both Smithers and Montgomery as part of the greater New River Gorge outdoor recreation area.
• Use an existing Amtrak stop in Montgomery to entice passengers to disembark from the train and visit attractions in both communities.
• Creating a new trail along the Kanawha River with access to miniature parks between both cities.
• Develop a science, art and robotics museum in one of WVU Tech's former buildings.

While the initiatives laid forth in the revitalization plan, for the most part, remain in progress or not yet started, they do offer both communities hope, officials said.

"Such a plan not only breathes new life into our neighborhoods but also strengthens our sense of community," Ingram, Montgomery's mayor, said. "[It] ensures a brighter future for all our residents."