GREENBRIER COUNTY, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey was at Greenbrier Forrest State Park Friday announcing $525,000 of site readiness grants that span across six counties.
The awards announced are as follows:
- $75,000 to the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation to develop the Harts Run Site
- $75,000 to the Randolph County Development Authority to support site readiness efforts for the Randolph Development District Industrial Park
- $75,000 to the Mingo County Redevelopment Authority to support site readiness efforts for the Mingo County Air Transportation Park and $75,000 for the Harless Industrial Park.
- $75,000 to the Huntington Area Development Council to develop the Aldridge Site
- $75,000 to the Lincoln Economic Development Authority to support site readiness efforts for the Lincoln Business Park
- $75,000 to the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle to support site readiness efforts for the Beech Bottom Industrial Park in Brooke County
Morrisey says his administration is calling this effort “Speed to Build.”
“That’s something that you’ve heard me talk about a lot. That means that, instead of focusing on having $50 million or $100 million in something, go to a company and tell people, ‘We’re going to have a regulatory system that moves lightning fast, faster than everyone else,’ Sure, there are going to be a lot of incentives and good systems in place, but we have to do everything to move fast,” Morrisey said at a Friday press conference.
Morrisey says businesses want to come to a state that will allow them to move forward quickly.
“They want to make sure when they’re coming to a state, they have sites that are ready to be activated, that can be put into place to bring business to bare right away. They want to make sure when you have sites, you have access to water and sewer and the basics in place like fiber and energy resources. Those are the things we need to focus on,” Morrisey said.
“As the governor of this state, I want to make sure that the locals and the counties get the benefit of that because you’re on top of more of what’s going on in your region than anyone else,” he continued.