promise much more than a lot of confused ramblings. However, my good buddies
Matt and Aaron extracted a promise that I would contribute to their venture,
so here goes. . . .
I have been pondering which subject would be best to espouse my feelings
upon and it seems that my largest concerns center on the various land
controversies that have arisen around the I-64 connector between the
beginning of Hal Greer Boulevard and the new Huntington High School (which is
another subject all in and of itself).
First and foremost in my thoughts is the whole "Indiana Bat" controversy
surrounding the Enslow Park denizens and the new industrial development
adjacent to I-64 behind Bennett's Point. Once again, in my humble opinion,
the good folks of this area are putting their immediate concerns ahead of the
needs of the entire region. As a thirty-something Huntingtonian, who
desperately wants to remain in the area to raise my family in the same
wonderful environment in which I was lucky enough to grow up, I have come to
realize that things must change and/or adapt in order to grow and prosper.
No matter how much we wish for things to remain the same, we must let go of
certain things as we grow to become adults if we are going to succeed. This
same axiom holds true for our fair city.
I will be the first to admit that the administration of this city has a
habit of glossing over the painful part of the diagnosis and focusing on the
aspirational goals of many projects. The fact that the people involved do
this for purely political purposes should not be either overlooked or
condoned. However, there can be no argument that in order for my generation
to return to this area to raise their families, there must be a job base.
This creation of a job base must start somewhere and quite frankly, even
though I do not particularly relish the idea of one of my children choosing a
career as a telemarketer, I do know that a family of four making a combined
income of $45 to $60 thousands dollars a year with benefits can live quite
comfortably in our affordable market.
All one has to do see how a low unemployment rate created by a plethora
of relatively low paying jobs can ferment an economic boom for an entire
region with a good educational and medical system in place is to look at the
state of North Carolina. The simple fact of the matter is that North
Carolina is booming because as the unemployment rate went down, the employers
had to compete for labor and the wages increased concomitantly. This wage
increase increased the tax base AND put spending money in people's pockets
and the spin-off industries came in to compete for their luxury trade. The
increased tax base, in turn, allowed the local governments to invest in the
necessary infrastructure to attract and support even higher paying industries.
Sorry, I digress, what I am trying to say is that we cannot afford to
block progress anymore if we are to survive. We have to do whatever we can
to attract businesses like Amazon. Com to Huntington. I will lay even money
with anyone right now that within a year of Amazon's opening, the new
Industrial Center will have at least two more tenants. Whether or not Amazon
itself is still in business is another question all together. If the city
would have simply taken the time to show the people of Enslow Park that the
water retention system created by the industrial complex will actually lessen
the risk of flooding, this could have all been avoided, maybe.
The other side of the same coin can be seen across the road at the
"Kennon Hills" situs. This is simply a matter of sour grapes. I am
absolutely certain that the people who live in these quarter-million to
million dollar homes could have afforded to pool their resources to purchase
at least a portion of that property to protect their aesthetics. I also know
that the properties were all for sale for many years and the opportunity to
make the necessary purchase(s) was on the table.
The problem was the people who are now blaming the city for "allowing" the new landowner to develop the tract were not willing to expend their own valuable resources to purchase the property. This is one issue that the city had no control over as Judge
Chamber's recently ruled. The area in question is not within city limits and
the property was and is privately owned, unzoned, property. Until the state
changes its annexation laws, cities do not really stand a good chance to
maximize their potential. I do not particularly care for the idea of a
travel plaza/hotel complex being built on the outskirts of a residential
neighborhood that is totally exempt from city taxes, but I certainly cannot
blame the investor's for wanting to maximize their return.
Let me just wrap up by saying that we are all going to have to make
aesthetic and sentimental sacrifices if Huntington is ever going to be a
growing vibrant community again. We are going to have to collectively take a
step back from the immediate and look at the future ramifications of our
decisions. I only have to point to the "Huntington Mall" in Barboursville to
have an example of a bunch of low-paying jobs creating the tax base for
infrastructure development.
I don't know about the rest of you folks, but it really began to concern me when the State Department of Highways had to change the mileage signs because Barboursville was able to economically entice all of Route 60, past the 29th Street interchange, to submit to annexation for the offer of improved infrastructure and services.
Has anyone looked at map lately to see which "City" (B'ville or Huntington) encompasses a larger geographic area? I'll bet you will be surprised.
John A. Proctor, Esq.
Huntington, WV
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