May 14, 2010
Marshall Athletic Village Proposal at Starting Gate
Development Has Many Challenges and Opportunities
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The proposed $50 million dollar plus development encompassing the ACF Huntington plant, 2300 Third Avenue, and the Flint Group Pigments, could eventually have a $250 million dollar economic impact on Huntington. However, a pool of public and private parties still have to sit down and agree on the first step --- a feasibility study. That’s the word, according to Patrick Donovan, executive director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority.
One of the challenges in addition to the purchase of the ACF property will be environmental remediation. The railroad rolling stock manufacturer qualifies as an RCRA Hazardous Waste site; however, this would mean possible federal funding to assist in a cleanup of the land which stretches from Third Avenue to the Ohio River.
Under the public/private development proposal --- which has been in discussion for about 14 months --- the focus would be a 2,500 seat baseball stadium. It would be built on Flint Group Pigments property and the ACF parking lot on Fifth Avenue between Third and Fifth Avenues. A hotel and conference center, restaurant, and 20,000 square feet of retail would surround the stadium.
This portion of Flint Group Pigments was also once a hazardous waste site, but the remediation has already been completed, according to Environmental Protection websites.
Donovan said that “port security firms are looking to locate in our market. “ The non-profit Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia, has expressed an interest in building a residential training center. Since Huntington is a large inland water port, the location near the Ohio River could fit perfectly with training federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have a maritime component to their jobs.
“We have a lot of stuff that we ship on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers,” which “roll” into the pattern needed for Port security training. Although Donovan was not positive, he believed this would be the first or “one of the first” training centers in the country.
“This is one of the things we need to look at in the public feasibility study to ensure that opportunity is still and opportunity and that we pursue it in such a way that it is successful,” he said.
Complementing the training center could include a MU research and development location, retail space, and extended-stay housing.
Donovan described the public portion as still “conceptual” in nature, meaning such stakeholders as Marshall University, the City of Huntington and Cabell County need an in-depth face-to-face.
“We need to get the key public entities together --- Marshal University, the County Commission, the State Port Authority ---for a sculpting meeting [where] we sit down and everyone shares their ideas for a proposed public sector feasibility study.”
Asked for time frame predictions, Donovan said it was “too early.” In fact, he’s only now generating the letters to the public entities.
Although a meeting date has yet to be set, Donovan could not predict the length of time needed to develop a feasibility study.
“It’s a little early to be having these conversations,” he stressed.
“The private developers have submitted an application to the West Virginia Economic Development Authority for Recovery Zone bonds. Their request was for $50 million dollars which would be secured by the private sector and their financing strategies.”
However, Donovan did tell HNN Thursday, May 13, that the project could be done in “phases,” so that all of the pieces do not necessarily have to fall in place before a funded aspect of the project becomes shovel ready. For that matter , he envisioned that a portion of the project could come to fruitarian without being dependent on all aspects of the proposal gaining funding.
The Public Port Authority executive director emphasized too --- as did a spokesman for Governor Joe Manchin --- that “everything on the project must be sustainable.” Both private and public “users” would have to raise money to “service any debt.”
Neither representatives of Marshall University nor the City of Huntington could project any timeline for either the project or the study.
Marshall Chief of Staff Matthew Turner stated, “We do not have a timeline on the feasibility study because that’s something the developer and port authority would need to pursue.” Similarly Huntington’s director of Administration and Finance Brandi Jacobs-Jones responded that she did not know how long the feasibility study would take or if one had yet been started.
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Marshall Athletic Village Proposal at Starting Gate
Development Has Many Challenges and Opportunities
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The proposed $50 million dollar plus development encompassing the ACF Huntington plant, 2300 Third Avenue, and the Flint Group Pigments, could eventually have a $250 million dollar economic impact on Huntington. However, a pool of public and private parties still have to sit down and agree on the first step --- a feasibility study. That’s the word, according to Patrick Donovan, executive director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority.
One of the challenges in addition to the purchase of the ACF property will be environmental remediation. The railroad rolling stock manufacturer qualifies as an RCRA Hazardous Waste site; however, this would mean possible federal funding to assist in a cleanup of the land which stretches from Third Avenue to the Ohio River.
Under the public/private development proposal --- which has been in discussion for about 14 months --- the focus would be a 2,500 seat baseball stadium. It would be built on Flint Group Pigments property and the ACF parking lot on Fifth Avenue between Third and Fifth Avenues. A hotel and conference center, restaurant, and 20,000 square feet of retail would surround the stadium.
This portion of Flint Group Pigments was also once a hazardous waste site, but the remediation has already been completed, according to Environmental Protection websites.
Donovan said that “port security firms are looking to locate in our market. “ The non-profit Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia, has expressed an interest in building a residential training center. Since Huntington is a large inland water port, the location near the Ohio River could fit perfectly with training federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have a maritime component to their jobs.
“We have a lot of stuff that we ship on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers,” which “roll” into the pattern needed for Port security training. Although Donovan was not positive, he believed this would be the first or “one of the first” training centers in the country.
“This is one of the things we need to look at in the public feasibility study to ensure that opportunity is still and opportunity and that we pursue it in such a way that it is successful,” he said.
Complementing the training center could include a MU research and development location, retail space, and extended-stay housing.
Donovan described the public portion as still “conceptual” in nature, meaning such stakeholders as Marshall University, the City of Huntington and Cabell County need an in-depth face-to-face.
“We need to get the key public entities together --- Marshal University, the County Commission, the State Port Authority ---for a sculpting meeting [where] we sit down and everyone shares their ideas for a proposed public sector feasibility study.”
Asked for time frame predictions, Donovan said it was “too early.” In fact, he’s only now generating the letters to the public entities.
Although a meeting date has yet to be set, Donovan could not predict the length of time needed to develop a feasibility study.
“It’s a little early to be having these conversations,” he stressed.
“The private developers have submitted an application to the West Virginia Economic Development Authority for Recovery Zone bonds. Their request was for $50 million dollars which would be secured by the private sector and their financing strategies.”
However, Donovan did tell HNN Thursday, May 13, that the project could be done in “phases,” so that all of the pieces do not necessarily have to fall in place before a funded aspect of the project becomes shovel ready. For that matter , he envisioned that a portion of the project could come to fruitarian without being dependent on all aspects of the proposal gaining funding.
The Public Port Authority executive director emphasized too --- as did a spokesman for Governor Joe Manchin --- that “everything on the project must be sustainable.” Both private and public “users” would have to raise money to “service any debt.”
Neither representatives of Marshall University nor the City of Huntington could project any timeline for either the project or the study.
Marshall Chief of Staff Matthew Turner stated, “We do not have a timeline on the feasibility study because that’s something the developer and port authority would need to pursue.” Similarly Huntington’s director of Administration and Finance Brandi Jacobs-Jones responded that she did not know how long the feasibility study would take or if one had yet been started.
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