Teachers oppose Pinecrest Industrial Park development within feet of two Raleigh County schools

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Beckley Common Council voted on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, to transfer the 146-acre Pinecrest Industrial Park to Raleigh County Commission so that the county may build an industrial park with offices.

Local economic development officials said the goal is to create jobs.

However, a group of Raleigh County teachers oppose development on about 30 acres which are situated between Beckley Elementary School and Beckley Stratton Middle School, which they said is two of the most diverse and populated schools in the district.

“The people in power believe if they can just dangle the jobs carrot in front of our noses, we’ll bite, and I don’t think that’s fair, because what jobs?” asked Beckley Stratton Middle School teacher Lisa Shrewsbury on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. “What has saying we’re bringing jobs to the area done to improve our area over the last 30 years? Because I don’t see a ton of progress.”

The acreage beside the two schools is a small portion which already has utilities on site, the teachers said.

Beckley Common Council had accepted the entire 146-acre site from the non-profit Pinecrest Development Corporation a few years ago, with the agreement that city officials would pay to develop the land with utilities.

Due to a lack of funds, city officials were unable to complete the development within the agreed time frame.

Instead, Beckley Common Council is expected to transfer the entire acreage, including the acres between the two schools, to Raleigh County Commission for continued development when Council finalizes the vote on the matter next month.

Council voted Tuesday for Thrasher Engineering to conduct preparatory work at the site.

Teachers said there is one access road for both the elementary and middle school, which has already created traffic concerns for teachers and parents.

They said the plan to develop acreage so close to the schools doesn’t take into consideration a mass emergency, such as an active shooter.

“We would hate to think about it, but if an emergency occurred and needed to evacuate our kids, we’re talking about two large schools, an elementary school and a middle school, one entrance that’s shared,” said Beckley Stratton Middle School teacher Antonette Mazella-Gwinn. “How the emergency vehicles would get it, how we would get our kids out, would, literally, be a nightmare.”

They said the move would also take a campus from both schools and leave students attending school inside of an industrial area.

They added that parents, students and teachers cleared the acreage and that it is currently used as a cross-country track since it will diminish the campuses and since students, parents and teachers had cleared the acreage to use it as a cross-country course.

Raleigh County Commission President, Greg Duckworth said on Wednesday county officials are open to working with the teachers regarding emergency situations and recreational concerns.

“We work very well with law enforcement,” President Duckworth said. “In any development, everything is on the table: new trails, existing trails, new plans for school safety.”

Shrewsbury and Mazella-Gwinn said they plan to question local officials about why two schools would be built so closely to a site which was planned for industrial development.

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