NRGRDA Appreciative of West Virginia Congressional Support For Economic Development Projects in FY 2022 Appropriations

Beckley, W.Va. (March 14, 2022) – The board and staff of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA) expressed its gratitude to its Congressional delegation upon approval this week of the Fiscal Year 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes multiple community and economic development projects in Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers counties.

“From aerospace and aviation training to outdoor textiles and trail development, as well as much needed healthcare services, water and sewer improvements and housing repairs, the West Virginia Congressional delegation responded to the region’s priorities,” said Jina Belcher, NRGRDA executive director. “We are grateful to have such dedicated public servants representing us and offering a wealth of federal resources.”

New River Gorge Regional Development Authority secured the following congressionally directed spending requests totaling $3,750,000.00:

• Trail Connectivity to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve – Senator Joe Manchin – $1.5M – This proposed project comprehensively develops two connector trails, Needleseye and Fayetteville Town Park, leading directly to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve as well as develops the Northern Entrance to Needleseye Park in Oak Hill, WV. The development of this network of outdoor recreation infrastructure projects serves as a crucial link between the trails in Fayetteville, the City of Oak Hill, Ace Adventures, the town of Minden, and the extensive trail systems in the National Park
• Outdoor Industry Softline Prototyping Textiles Lab – Senator Shelley Moore Capito – $1.5M Funding for this project will support the work of NRGRDA, the WV Hive, and WVU Institute of Technology. NRGRDA and its partner programs will utilize this funding to support the development the first ever Southern WV based Outdoor Industry Softline Textiles Prototyping lab, provide direct deployment of technical assistance dollars to businesses in both incubation and acceleration with a specific affinity for businesses pivoting from a post-coal economy
• Southern WV Emerging Industry Accelerator – Congresswoman Carol Miller – $750,000.00 Funding for the project will allow NRGRDA, the WV Hive, and CRAN to continue to grow and scale with new programming while further perfecting the existing tools created by the organization over the last decade. NRGRDA continues to maintain a strong, positive relationship with local, regional, and national partners and stakeholders that are committed to improving the quality of life in Southern WV.

Equally important to acknowledge is a $300,000 award from Senator Shelley Moore Capito to New River Community and Technical College, via the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, for development of New River CTC’s emerging aviation maintenance program at Raleigh County Memorial Airport.

About New River Gorge Regional Development Authority: The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s (NRGRDA) mission is to initiate, facilitate and support the economic and community development efforts within the counties of Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers located in this region of southern West Virginia. NRGRDA stimulates the regional economy through business expansion and retention efforts, including an extensive portfolio of financial services; the management of sites for new companies locating to our region; and serving as a point of access for local service providers which offer a variety of technical assistance for business owners.

The West Virginia Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the NRGRDA and the administrator of the Country Roads Angel Network (CRAN). More can be found at https://nrgrda.org/