Beckley Common Council to vote on first step towards utility development on Pinecrest site

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — In 2021, the non-profit Pinecrest Development Corporation gave a 146 acre industrial development along the East Beckley Bypass to the City of Beckley.

At its next regular meeting, Beckley Common Council is set to vote on whether to approve a plan by Thrasher Engineering to begin site prep work and engineering services on two to three plots at the site, according to Ward 1 Beckley Common Councilman Tom Sopher.

But Sopher and other members of Council said on Friday, May 24, 2024, that they think the cost Thrasher representatives had quoted for the services, $487,000, is excessive.

“Personally, I think that for that amount of money, we need to have some type of scope of work, scope of engineering work, and at that point, maybe we need to bid this out right now,” said Councilman Sopher. “I mean, that’s an awful lot of money to be handing over to one company.”

Pinecrest Development Corporation was deeded the property by the West Virginia Development Office in 2005. By 2021, the group had partially developed the site with office buildings and utilities, but further utility development had stalled.

As one condition of accepting the property, Beckley officials agreed to develop utilities on the acreage, using federal funds coming into the city’s budget through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Both Sopher and at-Large-Councilman Cody Reedy said on Friday that they have questions about the city’s plan for developing utilities.

“There hasn’t been much conversation on it,” said Councilman Reedy. “It’s kind of that Thrasher’s been the only one that’s come to us. I know it’s been mentioned, by another Council member, that maybe we should take it out on bid.”

Sopher and Reedy each said an alternative plan would be to work with WVU-Tech engineering department and to pay Thrasher to oversee the project.

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