County and city officials discuss plans for Pinecrest Industrial Park development

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Attorneys for the City of Beckley and the Raleigh County Commission plan to meet on Thursday, August 1, 2024, to set a development plan for Pinecrest Industrial Park, once overseen by the non-profit Pinecrest Development Corporation.

The group deeded the 146-acre property to the City of Beckley in early 2022, under an agreement that city officials would use incoming federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to develop infrastructure.

County and city officials said on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, however, that the original agreement was not followed and that the attorney for the City of Beckley is working out another development plan to see infrastructure laid at the site.

ARPA funds initially earmarked for the Pinecrest development were reportedly spent on employee pay raises, equipment and other necessities, members of Beckley Common Council told 59News, although Council members also said they had not yet received an official breakdown from the city treasurer’s office.

“It was spent out on various different things, throughout, since we got it,” said Cody Reedy, an at-large councilman. “For an exact answer, I don’t have those right now. I know Ms. (Beckley Common Councilwoman-at-Large Sherrie) Hunter asked for a list of those, and we haven’t received those yet, but we definitely want to get a breakdown of where, exactly, they were spent.”

Council members and Greg Duckworth, president of Raleigh County Commission, said a possible solution is to allow the county to develop the land, while the city collects any B&O taxes.

The city could also be potentially reimbursed for funds spent as part of the initial agreement with Pinecrest Development Corporation board members, although Reedy and Duckworth said the agreement details would not be known until after attorneys met on August 1, 2024.

“The attorneys are talking about it, and it looks like that (Pinecrest Industrial Park) could be conveyed over to the county,” said President Duckworth. “We’ve not committed to exactly what we’re going to do. We’ve not seen all the documents yet, but it sounds very promising, and we’re very exciting to see something happen over there. If our county seat’s succeeding, then the county’s succeeding.”

President Duckworth, who is a member of the West Virginia First Foundation, said the county is set to receive opioid lawsuit settlement monies, which must be used for opioid recovery.

“If a client come along or someone wanting to develop something in that property that fell in line with opioid settlement money, it would definitely be something the county would look at, and I think the state would look at, as well, but we’re not there, yet. We’ve got to get some infrastructure in,” said Duckworth.

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