CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state House of Delegates sent a bill to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s desk Friday night paving the way for WVU Tech to move from Montgomery to Beckley.
The bill eliminates language from state code requiring that Tech headquarters to remain in the city that straddles the Kanawha-Fayette county line.
The bill passed 65-29 after a motion to table the bill from Del. Don Perry (D-Fayette) was voted down.
Del. Tom Fast (R-Fayette) was the most vocal opponent of the bill, reading a letter on the House floor from a former employee at WVU Tech.
“Please consider what’s going on here. We have been fed hyper-inflation numbers so that we will be convinced there’s no saving Tech unless it moves to Beckley,” Fast said.
Fast also said that the campus in Montgomery does need work, but it can be saved, blaming WVU for letting it fall into disrepair.
“WVU has had control of this campus for nearly 20 years now,” he said. “It is a tragedy if we just allow this to happen. This body gave that institution to WVU and entrusted it to WVU. WVU should not be allowed to just say we’re moving the campus.”
Del. Marty Gearheart (R-Mercer), agreed with Fast pointing out that the legislation allows WVU to take the easy way out.
“The bill that’s before you today simply allows them to abandon the assets that they have willingly taken over, and that have deteriorated over the last 20 years,” Gearheart said. “I would suggest to this body that some additional consideration needs to be given prior to those assets being abandoned.”
The move of the campus to Beckley had been controversial since it was first announced last year, particularly among residents of Montgomery and the Upper Kanawha Valley who feared that Tech’s absence would sink an already struggling economy.
WVU plans to begin offering classes at the Beckley campus this fall, and complete the move by the fall of 2017.