MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Construction will soon be underway at a new facility in Berkeley County that will turn steel and metal scrap into useful products.
Texas-based Commercial Metals Company held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning for its metals recycling plant in Martinsburg focused on rebar.
Berkeley County Commissioners were on hand for the event. Commission President Jim Whitacre said afterwards on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline” the company will produce a lot of jobs in the county.
“I think in the beginning it’s 230 that we’ll be having and so we’re looking forward to this partnership,” he said.
Commissioner Eddie Gochenour, also a guest on “Talkline,” said the building will be in an ideal location.
“With the I-81 corridor, you can be anywhere within 4-5 hours you’ll be within two-thirds of the country’s population so there are shipping opportunities here. Also, it really expands our tax base and diversifies our workforce. That’s really important to us,” Gochenour said.
Gochenour said while they pride themselves on being the fastest growing county in West Virginia, he admits they still face some challenges in many areas.
“Highway infrastructure is critical. Our water district is going through a major upgrade throughout the county and different sections of the county. Our sewer is in pretty good shape. Our schools are in need of additional space as well. We’re getting pressure from lots of different places, but we got to be able to produce those jobs,” he said.
Gov. Jim Justice announced plans back in Dec. 2022 saying the state will commit $75 million toward the half-billion-dollar project.
The state-of-the-art facility is expected to open in late 2025.