A Community Renaissance
JEAN HARDIMAN AMERICA ’ S BEST COMMUNITIES COMPETITION
Huntington ’ s Citywide
Revitalization Plan Wins
National Competition
“ West Virginians can compete with anyone . We can achieve anything we set our minds to , so long as we believe in our mission and believe in one another .”
Those are the words of Huntington Mayor Steve Williams , and he ’ s keenly aware that many successful men and women in his home state have been living by those words for decades . He knows they compete daily in a cut-throat marketplace , and they succeed .
“ Most are national and even global leaders in their enterprises ,” he says . “ Why should we ever expect anything less for our communities and our state ?”
He doesn ’ t , and Huntington ’ s recent victory in a national competition for revitalization funds is evidence that aiming high pays off . In April , Huntington won the $ 3 million grand prize in the America ’ s Best Communities competition , sponsored by Frontier Communications , The Weather Channel , DISH Network and CoBank . Launched in 2014 , the competition targeted smaller municipalities within Frontier ’ s service territory with the goal of igniting economic revitalization .
Receiving the $ 3 million prize was the culmination of a rigorous , three-year process of developing a feasible , multipronged revitalization plan and earning some matching funds . The prize money will help with four projects in the Huntington community :
• Transforming a brownfield on the city ’ s east end into a commercial center with a baseball stadium , hotel and conference center and redeveloped riverfront , along with a polymer technology manufacturing and training center ;
• Renovating an old plant on the city ’ s west end into a solar technology training center , as well as making assets out of underutilized warehouses and factories by creating spinoff businesses tied to the Heartland Intermodal Gateway and beautifying the area around the city ’ s antique district and building on its new thrust as a hub for local food ;
• Transforming an area that has been home to public housing projects into mixed-use properties while beautifying it and developing a health , sport and recreation district , along with an arts district and job training programs ; and
• Expanding the city ’ s high-speed broadband . Throughout the competition ’ s three-year process , Huntington ’ s mantra has been “ Make no little plans .”
“ We won because we had a broader , more transformative vision than the other 350-plus communities , and our residents and businesses bought into the vision ,” says Williams . “ We know what we need to do to transform our community , and we also know it will set a standard for others in the state and region to follow .”
He added that Huntington and the state of West Virginia must be more innovative and aggressive in everything they encounter in order to compete . “ What I have observed of leaders in our cities , towns and counties is that leadership and innovation are in ample supply ,” he says .
One point of pride that should not be lost is that two of West Virginia ’ s largest cities both did well in the competition , as Charleston also made it to the semifinals .
“ Of the 350-plus communities across the nation that participated , all the other states are considered more advanced in economic opportunity than West Virginia ,” says Williams . “ Yet West Virginia had two of the top 15 communities in the final rankings . I believe the fact that the two largest cities in West Virginia were ranked in the top 15 small communities in the nation is something we all should celebrate . And it isn ’ t coincidental that Huntington and Charleston were two of four municipalities in the state that were originally chosen to participate in the West Virginia Home Rule Pilot Project . It simply demonstrates what our cities can do when given the ability to be innovative without state interference .”
Completing the projects will be a multi-year process , and there is no concrete timeline laid out yet for each . A comprehensive explanation of all four projects can be found at www . cityofhuntington . com . •
Members of Huntington ’ s leadership team accepted the $ 3 million grand prize in Denver in April .
“ West Virginians can compete with anyone . We can achieve anything we set our mind to , so long as we believe in our mission and believe in one another .”
WWW . WVEXECUTIVE . COM SUMMER 2017
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