The current status of TIF Projects within the White Sulphur Springs TIF District was a topic of discussion during the meeting of Greenbrier County Commission on Tuesday, October 27.
In order for a project to qualify as a TIF, it must occur within the TIF District, or be completed in order to benefit the TIF District. These projects are backed by TIF (Tax Increment Financing) bonds, not to exceed $20 million.
At present, one TIF Project has been completed in the White Sulphur Springs TIF District; that being the sewer enhancements for West Virginia Barrel and the Hart’s Run Development. The total cost of these enhancements was $250,000. This project was completed using existing money already in the TIF fund.
In addition, 10 more TIF Projects have been proposed, but have not yet been bid on. Those projects include waterline replacement, estimated to cost $2.7 million; implementation of the water treatment plan, estimated to cost $1.2 million; the Big Draft Rd. waterline extension, estimated to cost $1.35 million; the water interconnection with the city of Lewisburg, estimated to cost $1.6 million; the Caldwell sanitary sewer and stormwater project, estimated to cost $4 million; the wastewater system replacement along Route 60 East, estimated to cost $1.8 million; various utility enhancements along County Route 60-34, estimated to cost $450,000; the Church St. stormwater system project, estimated to cost $320,000; and a bridge study project along County Route 60-43, estimated to cost $48,000.
The tenth project, which has been in the development stage since prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, would improve the speed and access of broadband internet within White Sulphur Springs and the surrounding areas. Although no hard estimate as to how much the project will cost has yet been provided, the best guess of design firm E.L. Robinson (the firm facilitating the plan throughout the feasibility and design stages) is that the cost will be between $5 million and $6 million to complete.
Early drafts of the plan would see the broadband enhancements made to the area by connecting to fiber optic lines currently in use in Beckley, or potentially coming the back route through Monroe County. If successful, these enhancements to the areas’ broadband speeds and accessibility would potentially open up the entire Route 64 corridor to significant growth.
“Until we have the broadband in the county, it’s hard to attract businesses,” President of the Greenbrier County Commission Lowell Rose said. “Used to be if you had water and roads and sewers, you could attract businesses. Now, the first question they ask is do you have broadband.”
The county commission voted unanimously to approve a motion to move forward with the development of the broadband TIF Project.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.